Chapter Text
“Fives?” Ninety-nine says incredulous. He was never told of any news that he would return from the army, and if he did, he would have darn well remembered it and marked the date.
The nineteen year old, soon to be twenty—Ninety-nine reminds himself with awe—stood anxiously fiddling with his bag strap. He lets it drop to the ground and hugs his buir with tense muscles.
Ninety-nine tries to reason off the weird feeling growing in his gut and returns the hug with a few solid pats. “Are you okay? What’s…“
He pulls back, “There’s something I need to say.” He says in a concerning tone, his face hidden by shadows.
“Well, alright.” Ninety-nine steps aside and allows him in, he tries to gulp down his anxiety. “You go take a seat, I’ll do us some tea—“
“No, I— I need to tell you. Now.”
Ninety-nine freezes. When had his young boy become so serious? He turns around to face him, searching his face, but Five’s eyes won’t even meet his. “Alright..” He says unconfidently.
“You should take a seat.” Fives looks at him then.
Ninety-nine nearly flinches at his gaze. He’s just noticed how glossy his eyes are, the corners red and sore. His mind spirals as he walks towards the living room to take a seat, endless scenarios of horrible thoughts pop up trying to keep him from going into shock from whatever his ad is about to say.
Fives sits close to him from another sofa, he blows out a heavy and long breath, his eyes blinking rapidly as they look to the ceiling. He shakes his head and wipes his faces before he faces his buir with wet eyes. “I— um.” He clears his throat. He’s keeps eye contact with Ninety-nine as he says with a shaky voice, “Echo— he.. he, uh…”
Ninety-nine leans forward with furrowed brows and holds his ade shaky hands with his own. “It’s okay Fives. I think I… I understand what you’re trying to say.”
He stands up suddenly, starting a pace around the room as his vocals tries to take control of his quavering tone. “No! That’s not— he’s not dead!”
Ninety-nine furrows his brows and stands too, “Wh- Then what’s wrong? Is he okay? Where’s Echo?”
Fives turns to him again, “I-I don’t know!” He quickly exclaims, “T-There was an explosion, Echo was right near the middle of it. A-After a few days of no word from him, there was a patrol sent for him, a-and there was nothing there but a a-arm and half a leg… n-nothing to indicate he was— that he—“
Ninety-nine grasped him in a hug, “Oh son..” he soothed, rubbing his back as Fives broke into shambles as he held his buir like a lifeline. “It’s okay.” He attempted to reassure, holding back his own tears.
Fives shook his head and pulled back roughly and started to resume his pace, “H-He’s been marked as killed in action.” He sniffed, trying to regain himself again, “But I don’t— there’s something else going on! I know it!” He growled, hitting his head, before facing his buir with grave earnest, “He’s not dead!”
Ninety-nine brows furrowed in concern, “B-But son,” he stepped closer with caution, “at the scene, if there was nothing but two limbs…“
Fives looked him dead in the eyes, his bloodshot eyes making Ninety-nine wince at the intense fire behind them, one he’s never seen so fierce in his ade. “He’s not! They-They’re wrong!” He emphasised with his hands, “I’m telling you— buir, Echo he’s- he’s alive! It doesn’t make sense— any of it!”
The old Fett carefully raised his hands, “Fives—“
“Rex, he keeps on insisting that he’s gone. But I know— I just know it! I feel it inside me that he isn’t gone!” He continues his rambling, some of it Ninety-nine can’t even hear, like Fives is trying to convince it to himself.
“Fives, son,“ He swallows his newfound fear and approaches him, he puts a firm hand on his shoulder which makes him go quiet and turn around. He places his other hand on the spare shoulder and looks him square in the eyes, “Take a breather. Okay?”
He looks frantically between his eyes, like Ninety-nine betrayed him and he’s searching for reassurance that he misunderstood. “You don’t believe me.” He whispers hoarsely.
Ninety-nine thins his lips, his chin shaking slightly, “I-It’s not that I don’t—“ He instantly regrets his phrase of wording as Fives pulls back and starts pacing again. He tries to mend the gap between them, “I-I understand why you would think that, Fives.” He continues, “and believe me when I say I would hope that you’re right. But, it seems it’s not likely that he..” he gulps the word; The news still fresh on his mind, still not able to even say it.
Fives sits himself on the sofa, elbows on knees, face in his calloused hands. His buir sits cautiously beside him, his hand instinctively resting on his wobbly shoulder. The young Fett wipes his face before speaking, “Deep down, I feel it. That he’s still with us somewhere.” He looks to his buir tired yet still in full earnest, “I’m sure of it. Echo is alive.”
Ninety-nine rubs his back again, looking into his ade eyes for a long moment to take him in before responding. The kid is stubborn one, but it’s usually always with great reason and basis. Ninety-nine knows that his personal view on it will not reassure him, if he speaks of it, he’ll sure enough drive him away, and that’s the last thing he wants right now.
But this is Fives we’re thinking about. He’s always looked after his brothers and always had a good sense of intuition with them. With a heavy heart, Ninety-nine breaks eye contact and lets out a deep breath, “If you think he is, alive I mean.” He looks to him again with furrowed brows and a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, “I believe you.”
Fives looks forward and nods his hung head. He sniffs before speaking, “I promise, buir.” Then looks to his eyes again, the fire still burns, but shines even brighter now with renewed passion, “I’ll find Echo and bring him home.” He says the words so assertively that it made Ninety-nine believe that there is still hope, a small one at that, but hope nonetheless for the impossible.
It was a promise, and Fives never breaks a promise.
On one day then, he’ll find and bring Echo home.