I'll see you when I fall asleep

(Little Talks, Of Monsters and Men)

Little Talks

"I could get used to a place like this," sighed Fives, looking out over the landscape in awe.

They sat on a lush grassy hill, overlooking a rolling green sea of more hills and valleys, scattered with vegetation. The setting sun painted warm hues of orange and pink across the sky as a light breeze swept through the vast, open space, carrying with it a sense of peace. Echo could feel it settling in his chest, around his heart, soothing and calming any ache that lay there, at least for the moment.

"It's nothing like Kamino," he said, equally mesmerised by the sight.

"Not at all," said Fives. "Kamino wasn't all bad though," he added. "It was home, after all."

"Yeah, it had its moments," agreed Echo. "Like the time you stole two extra desserts in the mess and got assigned janitorial duty for a week."

"Damn long-necks thinking they could deprive me," said Fives, clenching his fist. "We should've been allowed to make our own food choices."

"We were only supposed to take one. Those were the rules."

"We all know I was never one for the rules. That was your forte." Fives reached over and poked Echo playfully in the chest.

Echo swatted his brother's hand away. "Well, one of us had to be."

"Yeah. I'm glad you were though," Fives said. He turned his attention away from the view to look at Echo. "I know others found it annoying sometimes, but I never did. It was just... you."

A warmth swelled in Echo's chest, followed by an aching clench in his heart. Oh Fives... He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

"Sometimes I just studied the reg manuals at night because I couldn't sleep."

Fives gripped his shoulder. "You know, without your insomnia, some of our greatest late night conversations never would've happened." He smiled, though Echo noticed the concern swimming deep in his eyes. "Do you still have trouble sleeping?"

"Sometimes," Echo replied. He ran his fingers through the blades of grass by his hip. "Remember that night on Coruscant?" he asked, changing the subject. "When you dragged me to 79s?"

Fives brow creased and he stroked his chin. "Vaguely," he said. "Wait. I sang, didn't I?"

"If that's what you want to call it."

"Oh, come on. I can't have been that bad."

Echo grimaced, tight-lipped. "Your dancing was better."

Fives frowned. "How come you remember so much about that night and I don't?"

"Because I was responsible," Echo reminded him. "And it's a good thing I was. Who else was gonna spend half the night in the 'fresher with you? Then get you to bed and spend the rest of the night making sure you didn't die from alcohol poisoning?"

"Hmm... Kix?" Fives teased.

Echo snorted. "He never would've let you hear the end of it."

Fives put his hands up. "Okay, okay, I get it. Not one of my finest moments. We still had fun though, right?"

Echo nodded, his lips curling into a slight smile. "Yeah, we did."

"Remember that time I nearly set fire to the barracks?"

Echo shook his head, not in disagreement, but rather in amused disbelief at the memory of his brother's antics. "You really are something, Fives."

"That's because the long-necks injected an extra shot of awesome into my growth tube."

Echo rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Sure they did."

"You just don't believe me because you missed some of my awesome moments," Fives claimed. "Did I ever tell you about how Hardcase and I snuck into the Umbaran air base and stole two starfighters?"

"Rex told me about it."

"Rex doesn't tell the story like I do."

Echo smiled, shaking his head again. Another cool breeze swept through the clearing, brushing past his cheek. The world around them began to dim slowly as the sun sank lower and lower into the horizon.

"I miss this, you know," Echo said softly. "The two of us. Talking like this."

"Yeah, me too," said Fives, staring once again at the sunset ahead. He exhaled calmly, relaxing back on his elbows. "I really do like this place. It's so... peaceful." His eyes widened as an idea crossed his mind and he turned his head to look at Echo, a spark in his eyes. "You know what we should do? Go on a trip together. Visit more beautiful places like this. Just the two of us. Or we could bring Rex and the guys along too. Get the old gang back together. It would be great!"

"Yeah, it would," Echo said, smiling slightly at the thought. "Except..." His smile fell, and he looked down at the ground for a moment, before mustering the strength to look Fives in the eyes. "We can't."

Fives frowned. "Why not?"

Echo sighed. "Because..." He studied his brother's face. The crinkle between his eyebrows. His deep brown eyes, always with a spark of mischief, defiance, fervour or compassion. The styled patch of dark hair on his chin. His tattoo, the number 5, etched in ink just above his left temple. Every detail was just as he remembered it.

The words sat heavy on the edge of his tongue. Each time, they became a little bit easier to utter. Still painful, but easier. He could live in this moment of joy, relish in the memories, without completely falling apart when it had to end.

He felt the clenching in his heart grow stronger. He inhaled deeply. "You're not really here."

For a moment, Fives was silent, as if his mind was ticking over, processing the words. Then, he reclined back on the grass, one hand cushioning the back of his head, the other resting on his chest. "You never know. I could be," he said. "I thought the same about you, now look! You're still here, alive and kicking."

Echo shook his head. "No. If you were still here, I'd know about it. Stealth was never your strong point."

"Hey!" Fives bolted upright. He reached over and shoved Echo's shoulder affectionately, in that way he often did. "You'd think differently if you heard that story about me and Hardcase on Umbara."

The world around him grew darker and more hazy, like an evening fog rolling in. Echo shifted himself closer to Fives. Placing his hand gently behind his brother's neck, he pulled his head close until their foreheads touched. He closed his eyes, feeling tears escape from the corners of them as he took a deep breath, then let it go. "Thank you, brother," he whispered softly.

When he opened his eyes, he was met with darkness and the familiar creaks and groans of the Marauder. He lay on his rack, smiling, his face damp with tears, and a pleasant warmth and deep ache mingling inside his chest.