#crossecho

[letshareapapou]

Hi! I hope you’re having a good day :) I love your art. I may be a few days late so if you don’t want any more requests for the Kiss Roulette ask no worries! If you are still taking requests I would love to see Crosshair/Echo with 14. A kiss to the stomach. All of your art is literally so beautiful.

Thank you I'm definitely still taking requests hehe

Soooo here's your kiss ~

[sergeantgoggles]

❤️💗 - Cross/Echo - just would love to see some fluff for them pleeeaaassseeee they are so underrated

Cross/Echo is definitely underrated!

I hope you enjoy! It is late here and I am sleepy but hopefully this doesn't read like trash.

.

As the Dauntless flew though hyperspace, Echo kicked his feet up and watched the stars. The ship was silent, save for the light snore coming from Wrecker. Omega and Batcher were asleep beside him, and Hunter probably wasn’t asleep—he never did sleep well while flying—but his back was to him all the same as he rested his eyes. It had been a long night of digging the ship out of the snow. They deserved to rest.

The only one unaccounted for was Crosshair.

Echo sighed to himself. He’d been putting off dealing with the complicated emotions that inevitably came with reuniting with someone you loved once, maybe still do, not that he’d ever said anything to anyone about it. He didn’t let himself get close to people like that, not since Fives. He can’t imagine how painful it was for him to deal with losing him, but to be rescued and learn that your partner was already dead…it was a whole different kind of pain.

Crosshair had chosen the Empire over his squad, and over him, but he couldn’t hold that latter part against him, not when he’d gone out of his way to keep his feelings so guarded. Even still, having him back, and just accepting that he’s turned on the Empire and handing over intel…

Echo rubbed his hand over his face. Nothing was going to get solved if he didn’t just talk to him. He’d do well to take Omega’s advice and just…talk.

Ensuring that he’d set the autopilot, Echo stood from his seat and stepped over his sleeping vod’ika to find Crosshair. As luck would have it, he didn’t have to look for long. He’d never left the ramp area and chose to camp out with the cargo, cradling his rifle to his chest and staring blankly at the floor in front of him.

“The floor can’t be that interesting,” Echo teased easily. “What’s on your mind?”

Crosshair scoffed, but at least spared him a glance, then softened, motioning for Echo to join him on the floor. It was a small victory, a step in the right direction to healing…whatever had been severed between them.

“…I told Hunter that I defected after I shot an Imperial Officer,” Crosshair started, fidgeting with his hands.

“Is that not true?” Echo implored; brow raised questioningly.

Crosshair sighed as a frown etched deep into his features. “No, I did, but that wasn’t the only reason.”

“Well, what happened?” Echo’s voice was softer than he usually was with him, the way he was before the rise of the Empire, when they would talk all night, share stories of their squads, take solace in one another. Somehow, they understood one another in a way that was different than the others. Not bad or detrimental in any way, but different, and it felt…good. This felt good, despite the weight of the conversation.

Crosshair told him about Commander Mayday, how they’d been betrayed by the Empire they’d sworn themselves to, how they’d tried to unrun the avalanche and been buried, how Crosshair had carried him for miles in the blistering cold, half frozen to death, and when they’d made it back, the Lieutenant they were assigned to left Mayday to die. With every added detail that Crosshair described, the sicker Echo felt.

“…You really went though hell,” he whispered, eyes sad as they met Crosshair’s in the short space between them. “Crosshair, I—”

“Don’t apologize,” Crosshair hissed, then sighed, reigning himself in. “Look, Echo, it wasn’t your fault. You did the right thing, leaving me behind when I chose to stay.”

“…I missed you,” Echo confessed as he put his hand over one of Crosshair’s.

Crosshair smirked. “How touching.”

“Stop it, I’m serious,” Echo chided, barreling quickly into the realization of what he was readying himself to do. “I…there were nights when all I could think about was if you were okay, if wherever you were or whatever you were doing you were…wondering the same about me.”

Slowly, he shifted his hand to lace their fingers together, and to his shock, Crosshair didn’t stop him. In fact, Crosshair was holding his hand like a lifeline, as though if he let go we would wake up from some dream and spiral back into the nightmare he’d escaped from. Echo squeezed back, grounding him, assuring him that this was real, that they were safe, relatively speaking.

“…I did,” Crosshair murmured, inching closer into Echo’s space until the tips of their noses brushed. “I wondered.”

Echo felt the words rather than heard them, could taste them as they were kissed into his lips, slow at first, then a little more adamant, until Echo was pulling him closer and cradling the back of his head, stroking his cheek, softly panting between wet, increasingly urgent kisses. They only stopped when they heard Batcher bark in her sleep.

Rose was a pretty color on Crosshair’s cheeks, but Echo didn’t point it out, afraid to ruin the moment. Instead, he kept the image stored in his memory, in case Crosshair changed his mind, in case it didn’t happen again. For now, Echo offered a shy, but giddy smile, and they both had the decency to laugh at themselves for acting like cadets caught making out in a storage closet.

Crosshair faltered for a second, but mustered the resolve and kissed the back of Echo’s hand as he stood. “I’ll stay. Go check on them.”

Nodding, Echo let their fingers linger. “We’ll…talk about this later?”

“Later,” Crosshair agreed.

[foxslightsaber]

Echo: Hey we’ve got two hands between us!

*extremely awkward fistbump*

Crosshair: …we can’t hold hands

Echo: …Kriff. 😐

[ann-i-inthestars]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love <3 

I was tagged by @prowlingthunder and this is harder then I was expecting it to be!

First would absolutely be, Fragmented Star Systems.

- Vader finds Luke at a very young age, in slavery, on Tatooine. It changes everything. (It is also the start of my Tatooine Slave Culture, which is something I am very proud of)

Second is very much Clones Have it Right with @ fiveshasarrived.

-Fives accidentally posts a video he shouldn’t have on the galaxy wide holonet. It saves the galaxy.

Third, To Living.

-The Force is really sick of all the clones dying. So it starts reincarnating them into other universes.

Fourth, What Dreams Are Made Of.

-teenage Anakin and Rex are sharing dreams. It changes the course of the Clone Wars entirely.

And Finally, Mar’eyir Aliit.

-Echo refuses to leave Crosshair behind on Kamino. He isn’t going to leave the rest of his vod’e with the Empire if he can help it, either. (Or, Echo starts a Clone rebellion) 

No pressure tags! @jebiknights, @retroyy1138, @littledumplingwrites, @abelunwilling, and @nonbinariwankenobi

[gun-roswell]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-9904 | Crosshair/CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Characters: CT-9904 | Crosshair, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Clone Trooper Hunter (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Tech (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Wrecker (Star Wars) Additional Tags: CT-1409 | Echo is being a total BadAss Arc Trooper, Crosshair notices this and likes it, Love Confessions, Fluff, Cloneshipping | Clone Trooper/Clone Trooper Relationships (Star Wars), Clone War era, Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers Series: Part 1 of Crosshair/Echo Summary:

Echo has been rescued from the Techno Union’s clutches. Crosshair doesn’t exactly know what to think of the daredevil of an Arc Trooper having joined their team. Or perhaps he does?

Part of Cross/Echo series

[b4adb4tcher]

Last Line Challenge

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many you like).

Tagged by @rendomski

Crosshair blinked between his two brothers, stuck somewhere between stunned and delighted.

Its not a lot but I’m writing again hahaha

I tag: @wolveria @huntressdarkness

[cxcloves]

Evening star

Summary: It’s been half a year since they return from Mount Tantiss and settle on Pabu. Crosshair is suffering from a migraine and missing someone. Lucky, one visitor makes things better.

(Theme: Forehead kisses and reading to partner.) Paring: Crosshair/Echo Tags : Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Soft CT-9904 | Crosshair, Soft CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Batcher saw crosshair and decide to be his therapy dog, Forehead Kisses, Tenderness, Comfort Reading, no beta/haft beta

It’s been half a year since they return from Mount Tantiss and settle on Pabu. Crosshair has faced a lot of hardship, but never except that learn to have a normal life would be the worst one. Suddenly they have choice about what they want to be, what they wish to do with their freedom. Hunter, Wrecker and Omega have found their place and doing their best to help him find his, yet something he needs to do it by himself.

Good days are more frequent than the bad ones, but still someday the stress and memories of the events since the order 66 randomly hit him like a ton of durasteel in the chest.

One those bad days he would often get sick mostly with migraine and go hide in his room. He is blaming the reflections of the sun on the sea around the island. He knows his brothers and sister don’t buy it but respect his need of space.

Contrary of Batcher. The lurca hound would spend those days sleeping at the end of the bed. He wants to be annoyed by her, but her warms presence anchor him to reality.

But he is craving someone else presence

The sound of familiar steps pulls Crosshair from his thoughts. He might not have Hunter’s hearing but that one sound he couldn’t forget. Batcher make a small happy bark and jumps down the bed to meet their guest.

“No one told me you were coming,” Crosshair says keeping his eyes closed and turn his head toward the noise. As much he wishes to see his visitor, he doesn’t want to risk having his migraine spike again. “Or did Hunter call you?”

“Because no one knew.” The natural grumpiness in Echo’s voice is softer than normal that one tone he only uses for Omega and Crosshair.

The ARC trooper talk too quietly at Batcher for Crosshair to understand him but the lurca gently licks his arm and she walks away. The mattress dips at Crosshair’s hips as the cold hand rest on his head making him sigh in delight. He has craved this touch so much.

“Something happens?” He mutters as he turns toward Echo and nuzzling the calluses hand he knows so intimately.

“No. I am okay. We are all. I was missing you guys,” Echo answers before he presses a kiss where his hand was resting a moment ago. “I was missing you.”

Crosshair cracks his eyes open to assure himself that Echo is telling the truth. He only gets a glimpse of a white, black and blue armor before the palms block his view. “Just rest. I will change and joins you in a moment.” Echo promises gently.

Crosshair only nods and listen as Echo move around his room. He could nearly see him since he always has the same routine every time he visits. Echo will shred his armor piece by piece and put them in the footlocker that he keeps for him, each having a specific place. The sniper is tempted to open his eye to watch how Echo’s muscles shift under his black. How the dim light of the room makes the ports on his head shine like the evening star.

If Omega had been the light that guides him out of the dark. Echo is the star chart that brings him home.

“The reading pad is still in the last drawer.” Echo asks softly.

Crosshair simply hums.

Echo moves around the room a little more before he climbs back to the bed. Crosshair barely let him time to get situates before he wraps himself around him.

“Miss me that much?” The ARC trooper teases as he rests his head in the middle of his chest.

“Shut up and read.” Echo snorts. “So bossy…”

He presses another kiss on his forehead before starting his reading. “In a galaxy engulfed by the perpetual turmoil of war, amidst the clash of lightsabers and hum of starships, two souls found each other against all odds.”

Between Echo’s smooth and steady voice and the specific sound of his heart, Crosshair find some peace of mind as his migraine lesser. As always Echo guide him away from his personal hell and back home in his arms

[ogliezz]

Chapters: 17/17 Fandom: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: CT-9904 | Crosshair/CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Crosshair & CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & Hunter & Omega & Tech & Wrecker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) Characters: CT-9904 | Crosshair, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Clone Trooper Tech (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Hunter (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Wrecker (Star Wars), Omega (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Original Side Characters - Character Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, After season one, mature content, Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, I'm Bad At Tagging, Not Beta Read, slow start, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex Summary:

My idea of what happened after season one. How Crosshair eventually finds the Batch and Echo finds him.

[abelunwilling]

Squad 33 | Cloneshipping Big Bang | Sneak Peek!

For @cloneshippingbigbang

Writing by @abelunwilling (forceinsensitive)

Art by @ann-i-inthestars ​ (nephilimswitchlight)

Title: “Long Ride Home”

Pairing: Echo/Crosshair

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings Apply

Other Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Angst, PTSD, heavy depictions of brainwashing and mental illness 

Word Count: 20K (approx) 

Summary:

Crosshair insists on returning to the Empire, but the Batch insist that he at least get back safely. When Echo volunteers to be the one to escort him, he finds himself confronting his own past trauma as well as the disturbing realities of Crosshair’s present. 

What should have been a simple drop soon becomes a long ride home.

I would like to earnestly thank @ann-i-inthestars for being such an awesome support and partner-in-crime for this project. We can’t wait to share the whole story with everyone! - Abel :) 

Excerpt:

“On Anaxes,” says Crosshair, after a cumbersome pause. “Why did you agree to join?”

Echo casts his eyes down toward the city again, all the people just distant, faintly-moving dots. That decision feels like it was practically a lifetime ago. Why would Crosshair ask this now?

“That place… with Rex, with my brothers… it wasn’t the same as when I left it,” he says, finally. The words come out slow, cautious. “I wasn’t the same. I needed to find out who I was without leaning on my past, and this squad… it fit. So, I said yes.”

“You didn’t belong any more,” says Crosshair, distantly. “You weren’t like them.”

“No, I wasn’t,” says Echo, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, “but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have been accepted or cared for. Rex would have respected my decision either way.”

A crackling sound as Crosshair closes his fist around the empty soup cup. “You’re wrong.”

“Excuse me?”

“They would have said they accepted you,” Crosshair continues. “They would have said they cared. Maybe they’d even pretend to be nice about it, but they’d never see you as one of them ever again—not really. No matter what you had before.”

Echo gets the sense this isn’t really about him any more.

“You shouldn’t assume the worst of people,” he says, simply.

“You would say that.” Crosshair rolls his eyes; he’s still compressing the soup cup into a crumpled ball. “Your captain came back for you. Even after we told him it was a waste of time.”

Okay. So it’s definitely not about him. Echo sighs.

“Crosshair, if you want to say something about Hunter, just say it.”

Instantly, Crosshair is silent again.

“I thought not.” Echo shakes his head tiredly. “Look, I don’t know what it is you’re trying to achieve here. If you’re mad at us, fine—but I’m not your punching bag. I won’t let you take it all out on me.”

Crosshair is quiet for a long time, then.

Finally, he swallows thickly and says, “We’re the same.”

Echo’s not quite ready to go that far. “What do you mean?”

Crosshair won’t look at him. His jaw is so tight Echo can see a muscle in his neck pulling.

“You belonged,” he says, struggling to even get the words out. His hand loosens and the cup rolls to the ground, crushed beyond repair. “And then… you didn’t.”

[stopstopstopit]

Chapters: 1/6 Fandom: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: CT-9904 | Crosshair/CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Characters: CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Crosshair (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Wrecker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) Additional Tags: Touch-Starved, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Immersion Therapy, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Needs a Hug, Pre-Episode: s01e01 Aftermath (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Personal Growth, Holding Hands, Handcuffed Together, Carrying, Minor Injuries, Teasing, Mocking, sharing a seat, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, But like bad flirting, Oblivious, Idiots in Love, Possessive Behavior, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Huddling For Warmth, Cuddling & Snuggling, Height Differences, First Time, First Kiss Series: Part 3 of Bad Batch 5 Times Summary:

Echo let out a snort at the thought, eyes locked on Crosshair from where he was still passed out on the floor. To say they hadn’t hit it off ever since Echo had joined the team would be an understatement. Crosshair was cold and derisive at the best of times, but he still seemed to get along well with the rest of his batchmates. Echo had seen moments of genuine affection between all of them, the sharpshooter’s shoulders loose and relaxed as he joked with Wrecker, listened intently to Tech’s observations, or confided quietly with Hunter.

Not so for Echo.

Or, 5 times Echo and Crosshair had to be all up in each other's personal space and complained the whole time, and 1 time they didn't mind so much.

[clonecest-bin-account]

How about this: the Bad Batch all awkwardly flirting with Echo, trying to bring him into their poly relationship?

(ajhsdsjhk yes please I love this)

Echo is many things, but despite what people might believe, oblivious isn’t one of them. He’s an ARC, trained to notice even the smallest details - and in missions, those usually are the difference between life and death. What he wants to say with this is that he has noticed that the bond that unifies the Bad Batch isn’t just a platonic one; it checks out, he thinks: the only people they can lean onto are each other, so it makes sense that they would seek each other out for that too.

What he wasn’t expecting was for them to try and bring him along for the ride, which he appreciates and all but… Well, maybe it’s still too soon, he thinks; he needs time.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy their awkward attempts at flirting, and what attempts…

 Since Echo’s healthier now he can go back to physical training, which makes Wrecker the happiest.

“I’m gonna show you all my favorite moves!” he exclaims, eager to get started. Although Echo’s eager as well - he really needs to get back on track - he also knows that if he allows him, Wrecker would wreck his shit - he really can see how he got his name.

“Make sure you don’t break anything important, please? I don’t want to be stuck with physical therapy again…” he warns in fact.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle…” Wrecker immediately says, smirking, although it doesn’t last for long as he realizes the implications of what he just said, which makes him cringe and stutter. “Um… I mean…”

Echo can’t hold back a chuckle, shaking his head. This doesn’t last long either, because in a moment he immediately goes on the offensive, taking advantage of Wrecker’s distraction to land a kick on his knee, making him lose his balance.

What? Last time Echo checked, there’s no rule against fighting dirty.

 Tech’s way of flirting is more ramble-y than Wrecker’s, but Echo still finds it adorable. He’s so earnest in the way he begins to explain some complicated mechanical process that even though Echo doesn’t understand everything he’s saying, it’s still a delight to listen to him.

Right now he’s listing all the features he installed on his new mechanical arm; some have already gotten lost, but Echo’s gotten most of them.

“I figured you’d want to be still able to connect to machinery and such so if you close your pink like this…” he begins, gently moving Echo’s finger in the way he’s supposed to imitate next time he wants to do it, and soon a valve opens at the center of his palm, making space for a plug that begins to come out, just like a droid’s one. “There!”

“I’m sure it’ll come handy,” Echo says, “Thank you.”

“I’ve also adapted the shape to the rest of your body,” Tech continues, barely registering Echo’s reply. “You’re so well proportioned that I couldn’t not do it…”

“Well proportioned, huh?” Echo repeats, fighting back a smirk. He’s definitely heard worse - he really has - but still that’s not what comes to his mind when he thinks about complimenting someone.

After a solid minute of Tech stuttering, Echo thinks that he must’ve broken him. It’s cute but also he feels kind of bad now, so he decides to do something about it.

“Thank you,” he says then. “Took me a while to get back in shape, so it means a lot that you’d think that.”

Those words seem to calm Tech down, who sheepishly smiles at him.

Echo, of course, smiles back.

 Crosshair’s idea of flirting is, apparently, not insulting him, which Echo appreciates he guesses, but it’s still peculiar.

“You shoot well for a reg.”

“Thanks?” Echo says. He’s never sure about how to reply to Crosshair when he tells him this stuff; he supposes it could be worse - he’s heard Crosshair says way worse - but it seems that the sniper has some sort of soft spot for him, not that he admitted it of course.

They’re firing guns at the improvised shooting range they’ve created for Echo. Now that he can move better he needs to improve his aim to get back to his previous levels; thankfully muscle memory is still a thing, so it’s going faster than anticipated. Still, it’s hard to keep up with an expert marksman such as Crosshair, though Echo likes the challenge.

“Really, you’re recovering much faster that I thought.”

Oh, this is new: usually Crosshair is a man of few words, but today he’s trying to strike a conversation - at least this is how Echo is interpreting it.

“I am, and it’s also thanks to you,” he replies, smiling at him, because it’s true: they’re helping him in many ways that he would’ve never expected, and he’s truly grateful that they’ve taken him in with so little hesitation.

Crosshair reels back like he’s just been hit on his stomach.

“Yeah, right…” he mutters. “Let’s get back to target practice. We’ve lost enough time already…”

A chuckle leaves Echo’s lips.

“Yessir.”

 The way Hunter flirts is different from the others’: it’s less wordy or more physical.

Echo doesn’t mind that at all - it reminds him of Fives actually - but there’s always some hesitation in the way Hunter touches him, though he doesn’t know if it’s because he’s afraid he’d hurt him or because he thinks he might be overstepping some sort of unsaid boundary, which is beginning to unnerve Echo, especially if he’s doing it for the first reason.

Eventually, in fact, he snaps: they’re walking back to the Havoc Marauder, and Hunter’s hand is hovering over Echo’s shoulder, barely touching it. That’s the final straw.

Echo takes Hunter’s hand and draws it closer so that it’s actually resting on his shoulder. There.

“E-Echo?”

“I’m not going to break just because of a touch, Hunter,” he explains.

“O-Of course,” the other stutters, making a pause and then squeezing Echo’s shoulder with his hand. “… Is this okay, then?”

Echo nods, his hand still over Hunter’s.

At least they’re going somewhere…

 “Wait! So you knew?”

Echo laughs at those words. Many things have changed since those awkward flirting attempts, and now Echo can say that he’s officially part of the group, officially as in he now cuddles with them and kisses them and… other stuff too.

“You weren’t exactly subtle,” he says then. He feels Wrecker shift from behind, but he doesn’t move away. He’s not going to lie: he missed cuddle piles, especially with these many people.

“Why didn’t you say anything then?” Tech, settled between his legs, asks.

That surely is a question. Well, there are many reasons why he didn’t say anything at first, but Echo decides to just shrug. “Was funnier.”

He hears chuckling on his left and he turns towards Crosshair.

“I knew there was a reason why I like you.”

Echo doesn’t have the time to say anything because Cross’ lips are on his. He smiles into the kiss, especially when he feels Hunter hugging his waist.

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

Yes, it did indeed.

Tag list: @maulusque​ @snap-p​ @menac-ika If you want to be added feel free to let me know! Just know that if you are a minor you’ll be tagged only for the sfw fics.

[blazesurrender]

Blaze...what about Echo/Crosshair, calling back to the angstiness of Echo missing him? What about that? Uhhh prompt, "Sorry I'm late."

I'm so sorry this took so long, and that it isn't very long at all! I hope you like this ❤️

"Sorry I'm late..." Echo trails off, only barely able to meet Crosshair's- 9904's- eyes as the sniper slowly settles into the binders with narrowed eyes.

"You're with the traitors," He insists, though he recognizes the futility in continuing to struggle, "that makes you a traitor too." 9904 pushes away the lance of pain at the thought, and ignores the pain that flashes across Echo's face.

Echo finally lowers his eyes, "Don't worry Crosshair, we don't blame you for any of this. We're going to help you."

[sergeantgoggles]

Azure Blue - Cross/Echo <3

Maybe a different take on this prompt. Lots of guilt and heavy feelings.

Also, major spoilers for the season 3 finale, so if you haven't watched it, you might want to come back to this another time.

Azure Blue: What would they do if the other got hurt?

.

Overall, things turned out almost as good as could be expected after Tantiss. They could have gone much worse, Echo reasoned. For one, he could be dead, not that he didn’t see his life flash before his eyes as he took on the enhanced shadow clones. It would have been a decent way to go out. There were worse ways to die.

The prisoners could not have been freed, or he could have lost them all trying to free them. He was grateful to the ones who threw down their lives for one last fight, who put every ounce of strength into their final confrontation. Because of them, and the ones that survived, he was able to bring his squad home. And that was another thing. All of them survived. Hemlock was gone, the research destroyed, and Omega was finally free to be a child instead of a soldier fleeing for her life and watching over her shoulder for shadows lurking in corners.

All things considered, this mission was a success, but sadness and guilt weighed heavy in his chest, and for reasons that he could only explain as sympathy pains, his right arm ached something awful. It wasn’t often that Echo let himself be upset about missing half of his arm and most of his lower body. It wasn’t a sign of weakness, but a badge to prove what he had endured, what he had survived to fight another day. Most days, he was able to put aside any grief it brought him because he wasn’t less. It didn’t slow him down or destroy his resolve.

Until he looked at Crosshair.

Crosshair, who was new to this, who still reached for things with his dominant hand, who was learning how to cope with nothing where a hand used to be. Echo could see the pain in his eyes when he thought no one was watching, how he would squeeze his eyes shut and cradle his arm to his chest. His only solace was that there wasn’t a tremble anymore, but maybe that would have been preferable over the alternative.

A few weeks had passed since he’d gone to Pantora with Emerie, set up a meeting with Senator Chuchi to move things along with the clone rebellion. Just because they were able to take out a massive research facility and put a dent in the Empire’s plans, didn’t mean that they were out of the fight yet. There was still work to be done, but Echo couldn’t shake the weight. He needed to see Crosshair.

And so, here he was, only now that they were finally alone together, he couldn’t muster up anything to say to explain the sudden visit, the desperate need to see him. Crosshair never minded silent company, but Echo’s body language was screaming at the top of his lungs that he needed something and wasn’t offering any explanation.

“Don’t tell me you want out?” Crosshair gauged. His eyes raked Echo up and down as he crossed his arms, and Echo noted how he had to reach for his toothpicks with his left hand now. “You’ve never struck me as the type to quit.”

“I’m not giving up the fight,” Echo argued with a bit of bite that wasn’t meant to be aimed at Crosshair. He was frustrated with himself.

“Then why are you here, Echo? I know it’s more than missing Omega. You’ve gone for longer stretches of time without seeing her.” Crosshair pressed.

“Maybe I missed you,” he shot back. “Ever think of that?”

Crosshair sighed. This was getting them nowhere.

“…I came to apologize,” Echo said finally, quietly, barely above a whisper. Even Hunter would have had a hard time hearing him.

“For what?”

“I should have been there for you,” he rushed out. “I should have moved faster, searched harder, found Omega and the kids and got them out faster so that I could have prevented—”

Crosshair’s eyes widened when he realized what Echo was referring to, and he shifted so that Echo could see the empty space where his hand should be. “This…is not your fault, Echo.”

“You’ve been through enough,” he countered. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this, too. You shouldn’t have had to go through any of it, and I’m sorry.”

Echo’s eyes watered as their gazes met, and Crosshair couldn’t help the soft gasp at seeing him so vulnerable. He reached out for him with his remaining hand and tugged on his until they were flush, chest to chest.

“…I’m so angry,” Echo grit. “I know you’re a strong soldier, but no one should have gone what you went through, and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t find you—”

Thin, firm lips swallowed the rest of his words, and a tender hand wiped the stray tear that tracked down his cheek. Crosshair deserved better, in life and in a partner, but here he was, reassuring him that he was the one he wanted, that he was forgiven.

“You found me when no one else was looking,” Crosshair murmured against his lips. “You see what no one else can. You didn’t give up on me when I gave up on everyone. My hand is gone, but you’re here, Omega and the others are here. It was a small price to pay.”

Echo’s cheeks heated, and he cracked a shy smile despite himself, but it felt like the first real smile he’d given anyone in ages. “When did you become a man of many words?”

“I didn’t,” Crosshair chuckled and rested his forehead on Echo’s, “but if you need to hear that it wasn’t your fault, I’ll tell you every day.”

[firewoodwander]

"Koss!"

"Almost," Crosshair says. "You're almost there."

"Koss!" Estelle exclaims again, with full confidence. "Echo! Biir!"

It stings a little, but he supposes children know what they want. Crosshair sighs and lifts her onto his hip, walking as smoothly as he can through the ship so as not to jostle her. Echo is on the bed, as pretty as ever, reading from a pad, and looks up when Cross comes through the open door.

"Someone wants you," he says, just as Estelle yells out "Biir!" again and tries to wriggle out of his arms. Crosshair heaves her up and onto the bed before she can fall, into Echo's arms as he throws the pad aside and reaches for her. She grins, dazzling, and nestles into his hold immediately. Crosshair smiles at the sight.

"You want me to get you anything?" he asks.

"No," Echo says. "I think we're all right, aren't we Stell'ika?"

She scrunches her face as he looks at her. She twists around, seemingly uncomfortable, and then—"Koss!"

Crosshair can't help but feel his eyebrows rise.

"Koss!" she repeats, emphatically. Her hands reach out like little grabbers.

"I think she wants you," Echo says, laughing at his surprise from behind their little girl.

"As her majesty wishes," he says eventually, and climbs in beside them.

[ann-i-inthestars]

Crosshair deserves some love after I put him through hell with my last art piece. (and i adore crossecho so much)

[1409-echo]

I was wondering if anyone rp’s for Crosshair, because at the moment I’m really into rping some CrossEcho. Please comment on this post or message me if you do 😊