Chapter Text
The scene unfolded before Fives, as if in slow motion. He couldn’t move, couldn’t stop the inevitable, horror gripping his limbs and holding him in place as his vod made the choice that Fives knew would end his life.
“This is our only chance,” Echo yelled over his shoulder. As he moved, he grabbed a shield and sprinted towards the ship. “We've got to stop him!”
Beside him, he saw Ahsoka reach out, as if to stop Echo.
“Echo, look out!” Fives cried, his warning falling on deaf ears. Too late, they would all be too late to save his vod.
Fives watched in horror as a droid destroyed the ship, the explosion engulfing Echo.
“ECHO!” Fives’ shriek was devastation. He scrambled forward, as if planning to run into the flames in search of his vod, but Rex grabbed him, struggling to hold him back.
“Let me go,” Fives snarled, but Rex held firm, his arms like vices around Fives’ chest.
“We have to go now!” Obi-wan called, his face grave even as he gave the order. Fives hated him for it.
Cody nodded, moving forward to help Rex drag Fives away from the site of the explosion. Fives fought against them with everything he had.
“Let me get him,” Fives snarled. “Let me go!”
“He’s gone, vod,” Rex murmured in his ear. The fight went out of Fives then, and he went limp in Rex’s arms, letting his al’verde and alor’ad drag him away from the flames that had stolen his vod.
“Echo…” Fives sobbed.
~~~
It had been over a week since the Battle of Lola Sayu, and Fives still couldn’t sleep. That first night, wrapped up in Ahsoka’s arms as he cried himself dry, had been the closest he had come to rest.
He knew that his vod’e and vod’ika were worried, but Fives couldn’t bring himself to care. He knew that they were aware that he had developed a particularly close bond with Echo, the only other member of his squad to survive the Rishi moon, and that they worried about how Fives would cope with yet another lost batchmate. He knew that they worried about his well-being, but Fives couldn’t bring himself to care.
Echo was gone, presumed killed in action, and Fives was alone.
He hadn’t even been permitted to recover his vod from his fiery grave – they had had no time to search for Echo before they were forced to flee the airfield.
Instead of sleeping, Fives found himself in the training salle, working himself half to death as he ran through exercise after exercise, programming the training droids so that he could run through various maneuvers and simulations without his vod’e there to help him.
He had no idea how late it was, couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had started tonight’s session, but he revelled in the pain and exhaustion that accompanied the intense regime. It was perhaps the only time that Fives could drive the thoughts of Echo from his mind. If only for a few moments.
He was so focused on his current task – running through a series of hand-to-hand combat motions with aa training droid – that he didn’t hear the door to the training salle slide open, nor the approaching footsteps of another vod.
Thankfully, the approaching clone had the good sense to halt their approach several feet away.
“Would you – would you mind if I joined?” A hesitant voice asked.
Fives jerked up, reflexes dropping his body into a defensive position as he wheeled to face the intruder. He didn’t relax – at least, not entirely – at the sight of the shiny in front of him.
His younger vod had a small tear-shaped tattoo under his right eye, and his hair was longer than most – in fact, it was long enough to be tied up in a neat topknot. He was unfamiliar to Fives, but that wasn’t surprising – since the Battle of Lola Sayu, the ARC Trooper hadn’t made any effort to get to know the newer vod’e.
Fives slowly moved out of the defensive position he had adopted, crossing his arms over his chest as he glowered at the shiny.
“What’s your name, verd’ika?” Fives asked, his tone harsh. The shiny didn’t flinch.
“Tup,” he responded, raising his chin slightly to show the ARC Trooper that he wasn’t intimidated by him. A low growl rumbled in Fives’ chest at the sign of defiance.
“And what made you think that I would appreciate being interrupted,” Fives growled out. Tup shrugged, the nonchalant gesture riling Fives even further.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Tup admitted. “I’ve noticed that you don’t, either. Thought you might like some company.”
“I come here in the middle of the karking night to train alone,” Fives replied savagely. “Usenye, verd’ika.”
Fives turned away from the shiny, expecting that he would leave, thoroughly chastised and clearly dismissed.
“Nayc,” Tup replied stubbornly.
Fives didn’t give the shiny time to react before he whirled and launched himself at him, tackling him to the ground. Tup hit the mats with a grunt, already scrambling to escape the hold that Fives was maneuvering him into. The ARC Trooper may have been bigger – heavier, more muscular, more experienced – but Tup was faster, and he slipped out of the hold before Fives could solidify his grasp.
“Sooran, shab!” Tup jeered as he danced away, dropping into a loose defensive stance. Fives mirrored him, circling the younger vod’e restlessly.
“Mir'osik,” Fives snarled back, taunting his opponent.
“Di’kut,” Tup responded without hesitation, his own voice mocking.
Fives launched himself forward, feinting slightly to the side before jabbing forward to land a sequence of punches in quick succession. Tup reeled away quickly, bringing his arms into a defensive position to block Fives’ increasingly aggressive attacks.
The younger vod may have been smaller, and more cautious in his attacks, but he was clever and quick, moving fluidly to avoid Fives’ continued attacks as he circled, looking for his opening. When he saw it, he lunged, grappling with Fives as they hit the mats. The ensuring tussle resulted in the larger trooper pining the younger, snarling in his face as he pinned him.
“Gev!” Fives snarled when Tup refused to tap out, struggling in vain against the ARC Trooper. “Osik’la verd’ika.”
Tup growled right back; his voice equally enraged.
“Ni ru'kel jatne emuurir at ash'amur,” I would rather die, Tup growled, the statement causing Fives to hesitate, loosening his grip on the shiny beneath him.
“Maela,” Tup taunted. “Kyr'amur ni.”
Kill me.
Fives released Tup and pushed off of him, his mind reeling.
“What the kriff, verd’ika?” Fives demanded.
Tup didn’t respond, simply let his head drop to the mats, panting heavily as he fought to regain his breath.
“Nayc,” Fives snarled, pulling Tup up and grabbing his chin so that the other trooper couldn’t look away from him. “You don’t get to say that – don’t get to ask me to kill you then ignore me like it was nothing.”
Tup remained resolutely silent, refusing to be cowed by the furious ARC holding him.
“Answer me, verd’ika,” Fives commanded, and he saw the struggle in Tup’s eyes as he fought against his instinct to answer. “Jii.”
Tup lost his battle with silence, his confession spilling out of him.
“They’re all dead,” Tup breathed. “I’m the only one left.”
Fives wasn’t breathing. His batchmates…
“Why didn’t I die alongside them?” Tup demanded of the ARC Trooper still holding his chin. “Tion'jor?”
Fives pulled the younger trooper into his arms, holding him tightly as he shook apart in his arms. Tup sobbed against Fives’ chest plate; the sound akin to that of a wounded animal.
“K’uur, verd’ika, k’uur,” Fives soothed. Slowly, Tup calmed in his arms, but Fives refused to lighten his grip, holding the younger clone tightly against him.
He had lost Echo, and he was the last of his batch, but he would be damned if he let that stop him from taking care of Tup. His verd’ika needed him, and Fives had never been able to stop himself from helping those in need.
His vod’e always said that he cared too much, but in this moment, Fives was glad for his perpetual bleeding heart.
“Come on, verd’ika,” Fives said gently, taking Tup’s hand as he led him out of the training salle. “Let’s get you into bed.
No one questioned them when they entered the barracks, though Fives felt, more than saw, his vod’e’s eyes on him as he led Tup to his own bunk. After he had divested them both of their armor, he pulled Tup into the bunk alongside him, curling his body protectively around the verd’ika as he lulled him to sleep.
As Tup’s body slipped into sleep, his muscles loosening, Fives felt himself drifting as well.
For the first time in weeks, he slept.