Earth Angel

Chapter Three

Tossing and turning was beginning to be his nightly routine.

It had been two weeks, four days, sixteen hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twelve seconds since the night in the medbay when his life had flipped on its head. He never would've guessed that it was possible. Especially for him - dorky, stickler-for-the-rules, shy as a church mouse Echo.

But it was.

What would've Droidbait said had he been here?

It was impossible to stop thinking about her. The way she laughed, her small hands with calluses on the fingertips of her left. Her twinkling eyes that looked like dark chocolate would gush from them at any minute. Her sweet, sweet smile. How she'd crinkle her nose.

Even her sneezes! He'd heard her sneeze once before when she'd inhaled some dust off of someone's armor. It was a cute noise too.

Echo groaned and turned onto his other side. Why couldn't he just sleep!

"Echo?"

He turned to see Fives hanging upside down from the top bunk by his legs. Echo squeaked a little, startled by his brother's stalkerish intrusion. Fives grinned devilishly.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" Echo hissed in a whisper, his eyes shooting hot lasers at him.

Fives chuckled and flipped himself onto his feet, landing with catlike grace. Echo wondered how he managed to pull off such stunts when he could fall on his face tripping over either nothing or himself.

"You've been restless for weeks, and I think I know why," he said, smiling impishly.

Echo rolled his eyes, "Why do you think I'm restless?"

Fives rolled his eyes, "Now come on. I like to think I know you better than that. And besides, you wake me up rolling over and over again."

Echo sighed. "Ok. So I'm restless. So what?"

"So... it started since I was injured from the fight in Wasthi. The night you met her."

Echo felt his face heat up, and prayed to whomever would listen to a poor clone not to let the blush be visual.

Whomever would listen promptly laughed and decided to sit back and watch the show instead.

Fives laughed as his brother buried his face into the pillow. Poor Echo was blushing up to his very ears.

"Oh, vod. C'mon. Let's go to the mess."

Echo peeped up at him, silently pleading to just let the matter go. But Fives was resolute, and grabbed his bicep, yanking him from the bed and out into the hall.

"Is this really necessary?" Echo whined.

"Um, no offense, but duh!" Fives replied, amusement in his tone. "I've been dreaming of gossiping about girls with you for ages!"

"You have?"

"Again, duh!"

The mess was empty when they arrived, a few lights casting the large space into some interrogation mode. Really, all that was missing was a lie detector test and another brother to be Good Cop.

"Now, tell me all about her," Fives ordered, sitting him down and taking a seat across the table from him. He leant forward, eager to hear every detail.

Echo sighed, knowing he wasn't getting out of this one. "You're right. Ever since I went to check on you in the medbay and met her, I can't get Ella off my mind."

Fives bounced in his seat like a giddy cadet, pumping his fist in the air victoriously. "I knew it!"

Echo ducked his head, feeling way too embarrassed about this subject to meet his eyes while he continued. "But the thing is... well, regs."