#SciFi AU | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

karionice · 8 months

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The Only Hong

Pairing: ceo!Joshua Hong x secretary!female reader

This is connected to my villain DK one-shot which was lots of fun but much, much shorter. If you'd like, strap in for some world-building.

Word Count: ~ 9.7k

Genres/Warnings: eventual romance and fluff, sci-fi au, kinda dense, tech empire au, non-idol au, robots, mentions of other svt members, skz reference from my drafts, reference to death, joshua is gentle sexy as always, reader and Joshua are about the same age, joshua is an orphan, true neutral, reader probs has anxiety, "refuge cafes" = "Plaza system", first kiss, shua's shtick with water here too

Ceo world taglist: @fabulaee, @laaylaazyy

What a lonely man he must be, you thought to yourself. Everything about Joshua Hong's home was solemn and quiet, yet also very much alive.

In every direction there was some sort of robot - little ones floating about wiping windows, larger ones scooting about sweeping the floors, little screens on each door blinking at you as you walked by...There was even a slinkier robot swinging about the ceiling rafters dusting surfaces and changing lights. One of the sweepers gave you a little wave as you kept walking until you reached a large, open doorway of polished dark wood.

You stood there in the middle of the open doors and took in the gilded, floor length windows on the other side of a large study. It was a beautiful room within an already beautiful place, but you specifically observed the motionless silhouette of a tall and slim young man. He had his back turned to you with his hands clasped behind him, gazing out the window at the glowing city outside.

You didn't know whether to make a sound or not so you stayed standing in the doorway, fighting the urge to fidget. After a couple more quiet seconds, the man looked over his shoulder and gave you a small smile. He beckoned you to come over before turning to walk over to a large desk.

With each step you felt yourself tensing up so you got yourself to breathe as you watched Mr. Hong sit down in his very comfortable looking chair. Once you'd gotten close enough in front of his desk, you bowed and greeted him plainly.

"Good to see you again, Y/N L/N.” Mr. Hong regarded you, eyes astute. “From today forward, you will be my at-home secretary. Thank you again for accepting the position."

You simply nodded and bowed again, making Mr. Hong chuckle. "No need to be nervous, I only hope to make your time working for me both comfortable and manageable." He then stood and beckoned to you again.

"Welcome to my study,” Mr. Hong exclaimed, making a wide gesture with his arm. “That desk over there will be where you will spend most of your time working."

You followed him over and he proceeded to explain some of the more unfamiliar gadgets on your desk, all of which he'd invented himself. He made note of the subtle uptick in brightness in your expression when he showed you the task managing device he'd designed for you.

"And finally, that quaint little area on the other side of the room is the refreshments corner. All of the cabinets are labeled and the refrigerator is self-cleaning - a best-seller of mine, if you didn’t know. Who knew people enjoy saving time from looking for the source of distracting odors?”

Even though you could tell that he was trying to get you to crack a smile, you still felt too timid to really do so and simply nodded at him, not meeting his eyes. At that, he cocked his head and regarded you with another small smile.

“A few of my delivery rovers have already transported your things to your living quarters, which are a little ways past the main hallway. Allow me to show you the way.”

Your shoulders relaxed a little at the prospect of rest as Mr. Hong turned on his heel and gestured for you to follow. Rather than through the large doorway, he seemed to be leading you to a smaller double door on the side within a wall of bookshelves.

As you passed the refreshments corner, the coffee machine, also a robot, waved at you.

You paused in your tracks and blinked, causing Mr. Hong to turn around to see what was happening. When he saw you giving the coffee-bot a wave back, Mr. Hong laughed. You looked back at him wide-eyed and embarrassed, only for your eyes to grow wider as Mr. Hong walked up to the robot and gave it a pat on the head.

Did that robot just giggle? You noted the shine of curly embellished letters on the back of it that spelled Shubot.

“Come now,” Mr. Hong said, breaking you from your perplexion. “There will be plenty of time to become acquainted with the rest of my creations inhabiting this home later on.”

As the two of you continued to walk, you eventually came to be walking next to him rather than behind. You looked around, taking in the elegant mix of all things high-tech and what had clearly been there for generations.

"Hong Corporations has had many rebrandings and changes in development throughout the decades, but the fact that the oldest furniture and designs in this home are from two centuries ago doesn’t change. My ancestors wanted to build things that would last for a long time, but my grandfather was the one who decided to begin a legacy of creating to adapt to an ever-expanding world. Therefore our original property is far outside of the city. My grandfather relocated the business itself to the west side of here, Sector 17, and built it from the ground up, eventually raising my father here. And now for a very important question,” Mr. Hong stopped walking and raised his head.

The screen on the beautiful door you had stopped in front of displayed a waterfall effect to reveal letters - letters that spelled your name.

“Coffee or tea?” Mr. Hong smiled, looking at you.

You swore you could feel yourself blush as you said quietly, “I usually prefer neither.”

Mr. Hong’s smile grew wider as he snapped his fingers. Before you had the chance to soak in how perfectly straight his pearly teeth are, a delivery rover approached rapidly and prompted the door to open.

As you walked into your room, you watched as the rover extended its compartments to plop a robot you hadn’t seen before onto a small table in between the bathroom and what looked to be a vanity. You then jumped as Mr. Hong snapped his fingers again and the new robot whirred itself to life.

“This is Voira, a prototype for a new model of my water filtration and dispensing line. She can set the time when she will refill herself in a sink, or you can have her do it herself whenever empty, and she has a variety of options for the quality and temperature of drinking water. She will also retrieve one of your complimentary mugs from wherever it may be herself, unless you switch that feature off too. Currently I am still working on flavor fusion options, but hopefully with the data produced from you having her, it will be completed soon.”

You had to unhinge your jaw before looking up at Mr. Hong with shy gratitude. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“Oh please my dear, no need to be so formal. Call me Joshua.” At that, you simply bowed and turned away to hide your even deeper blush.

Joshua checked his Shu-watch and tapped the screen a few times before putting his hands behind his back and turning to exit. “I shall see you for dinner in two hours, which will be followed by your first set of tasks to complete for me. Please, however, get yourself accustomed at your own pace. If you need any assistance organizing your possessions or adjusting the settings of anything in your room, there is a companion Shubot on your desk that will gladly speak with you.”

After he left, closing the door behind him, you flopped down into a large cushioned chair by the vanity and took a good look around.

Your room was a sleek yet cozy little space, or at least little in comparison to what you’d seen so far. There were floor length windows here as well, with digital, remote-controlled blinds that you recognized as those of Hong Co.’s that could turn into a television screen. Your bed was a large loft over a simple glass desk, at which you noticed several charging stations for a variety of devices. Mirroring the bathroom, next to your bed was the entrance to a walk-in closet, where all of your things had been left in a neat pile by the rover-bots.

How on earth am I going to get myself together in two hours and still have energy to work tonight? You thought to yourself. You took a deep breath and got yourself up to settle in.

To start, you decided to ask Voira to bring you a cup of lukewarm water. You then started unpacking your clothing in the closet, only to be surprised by the clothes hangers- they unraveled themselves from the shape of hangers into robotic arms similar to the swinging cleaner bot you saw earlier and began hanging your clothes for you; pants, skirts, dresses, blouses, even belts and scarves. When you placed your shoes on the shelves labeled for them, the platforms above sprayed them with a sort of odor-eliminating disinfectant.

“...get yourself accustomed at your own pace,” you remembered Joshua’s voice in your head.

After getting over the shock of it all, you decided to do a little experiment. You noticed drawers that read “socks.” You took out an armful of your socks from a baggage and tossed them all into one. To your amazement, there were digital shifting platforms that paired up and organized your socks for you by length.

At this rate, I will be done unpacking in no time. It’s no wonder how the big CEOs who can afford to have their homes like this are able to be so productive, despite being humans.

“Now,” you thought aloud. “What’s the internet password?”

“Not to worry, Miss!” You heard a voice say from outside of the closet. You rushed out and saw the companion Shubot on your desk waving at you cheerfully. “Just place all of your electronics into the appropriate charging slots and I will get them connected to the internet right away!”

Your hands covered your mouth in silent glee as you hurried to follow the robot’s instructions. Once most everything had been put away, you noted how less than thirty minutes had passed. You got iced water from Voira and sat down at your desk again, you wanted to greet your desk companion properly.

“Hello, Miss! What can I do for you?”

You giggled at the thing and asked, “I just wanted to know, what should I call you?”

“You may call me whatever you’d like, Miss!”

“Please, call me Y/N. And er, may I call you…let’s see…” The little bot swayed in place patiently as you thought about what to possibly name it.

“Ani. May I call you Ani?”

“Of course!” You laughed as Ani gave a little spin. “Nice to meet you, Y/N! I’m excited to take care of ya!”

“Ani, I have some questions, if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely, ask away!”

“Why does Joshua only live with robots?”

Ani’s head quirked to the side. “I assume you don’t know the story of his parents?”

You shook your head. “I know about Joshua being an orphan but does he really not have anyone else?”

Ani shrugged, something you never thought you’d see a stiff little robot do. “I don’t contain any data on the topic of the Hong family outside of their names and important dates. There are other AIs here who do. But I am programmed to keep anything you tell me confidential, so don’t worry! I may not have much to say but you can talk to me anytime!”

You had never thought it possible to experience awkward silence with a robot but there you sat. “Well…I suppose I just don’t know where to start around here. I’m sort of hoping I'll wake up one day and realize things have picked up and I can just work. If, uhm, that makes any sense.”

Ani nodded. “Mhm! If it helps, one of your first tasks after dinner will be to organize your schedule for tomorrow! Joshua will send me a list and then you get to add whatever you want to in my hourly calendar!”

Checking the currently blank calendar, you weren’t surprised that you could add anything you wanted down to the minute, though you did wonder how much of it Joshua would see. “Ani, I have one more thing - Should I dress up for dinner?”

“Oh! The master has specifically requested you wear this…”

“...Ah.”

The uniform wasn’t tacky by any means, you just weren’t sure if it suited you. At least it was comfortable, and you liked that the skirt wasn’t too tight and left plenty of possibilities for layering.

When you arrived where Ani had indicated dinner would be, you stopped in your tracks in shock. Even though you knew that Joshua lived alone, you were expecting something more like a large or lavish dining room, maybe even with a chandelier. Instead you were greeted with a simple kitchen and living space, separated by a counter with tall seats.

Behind the seats was a small glass table and simple chairs with tied-on cushions, almost like what a grandmother long ago would have in their home. Even larger of a surprise, Joshua was in the process of taking off an apron.

When he turned around to give it to a nearby robot to put away, he saw where you were standing and smiled.

“Come, have a seat at the table. My Cara-bots will bring out dinner momentarily.”

As you sat down gingerly, a robot similar to Voira but with a retractable tray for a body hovered over and poured wine into Joshua’s glass. He then looked at you, lifting his glass in question.

“Oh! I don’t really drink…”

Without anything said, the Shubot hovered over to you and poured something amber colored into your glass. You looked up at Joshua, puzzled.

“Try it, Y/N.”

You took a tentative sip and was immediately wowed. It’s like the robot had read your mind - you’d been craving something at this consistency, and the taste…it seemed to be diluted fig syrup, strained of seeds.

A Shubot similar to the delivery rovers but smaller set out plates, chopsticks, and soy sauce. Another one followed with a tray of kimbap.

“My mother’s recipe,” Joshua said, a tad softly. “It’s one of the few dishes I always make myself.”

The two of you ate in silence for a bit. It’s not that you didn’t want to talk and the food was really delicious, you just felt a bit…awkward. Joshua, being considerate of your shrinking posture, didn’t try to make any small talk like he had earlier. You were hyper-aware of it, especially since the situation was too reminiscent of how the two of you had met.

You had just been let off of your last job in the upper-east side of the city, where some places were filing for bankruptcy due to a recent falling through in DK Tower, that part of Sector 17’s keystone, something about a security breach causing a leak of investment funds.

You ended up in one of the city’s “refuge cafes”, which are large plazas scattered across the south side of Sector 17 that offer temporary housing for people willing to work until they find security, usually from business owners that set up there, then after workers can find more permanent options.

Unlike where you used to work, all of the businesses in the refuge cafes used Shubots for everything. The whole system is owned by the south of the city’s keystone, who’s even more secretive than Joshua.

Joshua noticed you at the business you were taking refuge in while he was in the midst of a meeting one day. A rare occurance since it's said he usually never leaves home. He’d invited you to meet with him after your shift and in the midst of the awkward silence of that encounter, you were given a new job which was currently proving to be just as daunting but luxurious.

What finally broke the ice in the present moment was one of the helper robots; a Cara came floating over with another robot that looked similar to Ani on her tray.

“Hello Sunday,” Joshua smiled at the bot as it hopped off of the tray onto the table. “Is something the matter?”

The robot spoke in a much stuffier voice than Ani’s cheerful one. “The atmosphere within a 3-meter diameter of you is rather ‘chilly’. Would you like me to play fireplace sounds over a decibel of white noise?”

The five seconds of silence that followed was deafening until it was broken by an unbidden snort from you. You quickly brought your napkin up to hide your face as Joshua’s head snapped towards the sound. Another second after, Joshua broke into loud and enthusiastic laughter.

Seeing this, you felt your face finally break into the smile Joshua had been looking for all day as you joined in.

What made you laugh even more was how you saw that Sunday was still just standing there, patiently awaiting input. It seemed the suddenly happy atmosphere was affecting him though, as the robot’s face smiled a little more while swaying in place.

“It’s okay Sunday,” Joshua finally said, still wheezing slightly. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you. Let the other Caras know that it’s almost time to bring out dessert.”

Joshua turned back to you as you drank more of your fig drink, and upon seeing that your glass was past halfway gone, he waved his hand and a robot came swinging from the kitchen to refill it.

“Thank you,” you spoke less softly than before, still smiling. “I’m sorry I haven’t said much.”

“Oh my dear, you have done nothing wrong. Besides I should apologize, I forgot to let Sunday know not to have his 'automatic ambience' setting on earlier.”

“All of your creations have so much personality…how have you made that possible?”

“This city is as transparent as it is crowded,” Joshua spoke in a more professional voice, perking your interest. “All it took was programming a Bitty bot to fly around it and gather data on human interactions, giving me everything I needed.” He looked away, wiping his face with his napkin.

“Do any of your robots continue to collect data even after being purchased?”

Joshua raised an eyebrow at you. “Of course not, but I have no control over anyone who uses my devices for surveillance after it’s out of my hands. Only if, say, a separate company volunteers to gather data for me might I entertain the idea, but even so I am still capable of getting that information myself.”

“So if I said you couldn’t use data from how I use Voira to do anything, you wouldn’t?” You were trying so hard not to find your own comment funny.

“Haha! Sorry dear, but the matter of liabilities isn’t there yet. However if you really insisted, I could have Voira be tested elsewhere, but she's a prototype and still under my ownership.”

“There isn’t anything else in this place gathering data from my presence, is there?” You asked, for no reason in particular at this point.

“Just my eyes, of course,” Joshua winked at you. That sure made you quiet. As if to save you from how flustered you felt, the Cara-bot from before brought dessert. A welcome distraction.

Your first day of work was well-paced and quiet. So much in the house was already done by Shubots that most of your tasks were completed at your desk in the study, mainly brief correspondences through an earpiece that matched one Joshua wore, and filtering through messages. Pretty much anything Joshua preferred a human do, which was what you’d expected well before coming.

Joshua was good about making sure everything was doable along with efficient breaks and meals, all while keeping a pristine friendly attitude. You quickly felt your initial fear vanish.

Your second day was more or less the same, and you concluded it by having Ani help you with finding a television program to wind down with. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt so…safe. Just being alive.

Your third day began with a very perplexing addition to your schedule. Joshua had the words “Field Trip, dress normally” written in the slot after breakfast, which was to be eaten with him.

You picked a comfortable dress you owned with a cute collar and layered with stockings, plus a pretty jacket. Wanting to maintain some professionalism, you detached your name tag from your uniform and fixed it to your jacket.

“Good morning, Y/N.” Joshua greeted you when you arrived. “I’m glad to see you growing accustomed to the place.”

You gave him a smile and bow. “Thank you for breakfast, Joshua.”

Before you sat down, Joshua walked up to you while reaching into his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out a small object to show you.

It was a brooch, beautifully polished with a vintage crest decorated with opal. You noticed embossed words before Joshua read them aloud to you.

“Purposeful, Practical, and Peculiar. That has been my family motto since the very beginning. It’s why the company used to be named ‘Pianissimo’ before it was out with the old, but the rather silly motto still stands. You asked me how my robots are so expressive and I told you how but not why. The basis for such an intent has been passed down for generations, I wasn’t about to let it end with me.”

Joshua leaned in closer to you so suddenly you almost tripped, but he stopped just short so he could fasten the brooch in between the lapels of your collar.

“You look lovely today, Y/N. So I hope you don’t mind my ‘finishing touch.’ Please keep it, as a token of my gratitude.”

It was Joshua’s turn to blush as your face broke into the widest smile he’s seen from you yet.

He almost didn’t hear you thank him, the glow of your happy face made the lights illuminating it seem less bright in comparison making him step back in admiration. Joshua nodded in an attempt to hide his sheepish face as you both sat down to eat.

“So,” you began. “What is this ‘field trip’ that Ani told me about?”

Joshua raised an eyebrow at you as he took a sip of coffee. “You named your companion bot Annie?”

“Ah, yeah…I just thought he sounded like an ‘Ani’ to me,” you said, owning it softly.

“That’s really cute. Well, today I will be showing you the ‘Practical’ side of Hong Co. and give you a better idea of how my business is actually run. I know you have some degree of experience from your time at the Woozi Plaza but you will find that tech headquarters are a bit different.”

“Is it true that Hong Co. is just you and this tower?” You asked before taking another bite of your food.

“How could it not be true is the real question?”

You cocked your head at Joshua in confusion. He looked almost stunned. “My my, you must be the first person I’ve met who doesn’t know.”

“Well I always heard people talking in the plaza but I didn’t really…ingest much of it. I’m sorry…”

“There’s really no need to apologize, I promise to take my time telling you.”

He then placed his hand up to his earpiece, silent before nodding. “Mhm, thanks Sunday. And please have that package brought to the upper loft and unpacked.” Joshua looked back at you. “We’ll depart as soon as you’re finished eating.”

The center of Hong Tower was one long and sleek elevator, surrounded by a steel staircase to follow city safety regulations. Otherwise, as Joshua joked to you once you both stepped in, he wouldn’t even bother with the waste of material. You noted that this central elevator defaulted to being accessed by a biometric scan.

“My home is on the second floor through the sixth floor of this tower. My grandfather began with that and kept building up as the business grew. He had hopes that for generations to come, this building would continue to blossom from the roots he laid down. Our original estate would be a retirement place for each scion’s father to rest when we inherited the tower and well…” Joshua didn’t finish the thought as the elevator reached your destination.

When the doors opened, the most complex symphony of so many sounds hit you, and not one sounded human. When you stepped out onto a platform, you gasped at the hundreds of different kinds of robots performing so many tasks below where you were standing.

It was so fascinating how there weren’t any assembly lines or cuticles, it was just a lot of machines and holographic screens and the constant movement of work surfaces and…oh, a couple of them waved up at you. You and Joshua waved back at the same time. Then you looked at each other, causing you to giggle a bit.

“Every floor serves a general and unique purpose in the many aspects of how I have shaped the company. This is where stock is managed and maintained, receiving materials from above and below. Sunday is in charge of these factory floors, sending me any quirks for me to fix from the study. That used to be a more frequent process when I was still developing Sunday's AI,” Joshua chuckled. “But it has streamlined exponentially since I gave him the ability to control physical forms.”

Joshua led you back to the elevator where he showed you the next floors, “the flight lofts” as he called them. They were where everything from hoverbots to drones to transport pods were developed, managed by Joshua’s other AI program, Wednesday. Clever, you thought, that they were the floors that began to surpass the height of most other buildings in the city.

Since the tower was meant to always be built up, Joshua showed you that the second flight loft was the only place he had ever built sideways so that there could be hovercraft landing pads somewhere.

Your final destination for today’s little trip was a lounge floor almost completely surrounded in Joshua’s signature floor-length windows.

“This is the floor right above the last current factory floor, the upper loft. In his later years, my grandfather found that having a break location to end up in on maintenance check days was necessary. It would constantly change and rise since there could never be a penthouse, so my father inherited the idea as a tradition. It is currently of my own design.”

Joshua brought you to the other side of the lounge where instead of long couches, there were two armchairs. As you sat down in one, Joshua clapped his hands together, summoning a rover bot that placed down a round coffee table between you. A lone Cara-bot floated over with a ceramic tea set.

“I ordered the table yesterday, it’s what was in the package I had Sunday send up.”

You barely heard Joshua say that; you were too busy in awe of the view of the city.

Never in your life had you ever seen it from so high up - And goodness had you also never in your life smelled tea so good before.

Joshua laughed aloud at the face you made when you turned your head towards the teapot. “I like to keep my nicest tea leaves up here. I suppose I’ve always been waiting to share it. Let me pour you a cup.”

“Thank you, Joshua.” Your smile made Joshua blush a little again, and this time you shyly took notice. “I will be sure to savor it.”

You sat there for a bit in silence that was decorated by the sound of an electric fireplace nearby and the raindrops outside catching the neon glow of everything in Sector 17.

Despite the city always being rather dark, during the middle of the day like this it was just bright enough where you could see the towers of the other keystones. You could even see DK Tower in the far, far east, though the drizzle made it appear blurry.

“A great view, isn’t it? The City of Perpetual Dusk…” Joshua murmured, and you turned to look at him.

The look on his face was hard to read. You had a feeling that this was the most he ever truly lets himself relax, which was unnerving. His face when speaking to you was usually wise and cheerful, with rather watchful eyes.

At this moment, his whole form was none of those things, and it made him look a lot younger and smaller than you always picture him.

You watched him turn to look at you back and it wasn’t the motion that startled you, but the subtle diffusion of the glint in his eyes. In the time it took you to think of something to say, you wondered how exactly he saw you.

“If you’re always expanding up, what happens to the order of the floors below?”

“This company is constantly recycling itself,” Joshua answered simply, turning back. “We have a few floors of storage above and below ground, but I try not to have material come in too often. The average lifespan of a Shubot purchased in the city is rather short, so a certain percentage of them end up back here to be repurposed in one of the stock floors. Material left over from renovations and expansion goes back down to be repurposed.”

Practical indeed, you thought, sipping your tea.

You reached out to the Cara-bot still floating next to you and tried petting it the same way Joshua petted the coffee machine the other day, evoking a purr from the robot and a melodic chuckle from Joshua.

Two weeks later came a day where you were tasked with helping Joshua out with gadget orders that required more…personal attention than what was taken care of in the floors above.

You were in awe of how many big names appeared in the list Sunday gave you, a couple of whom you’d seen before at the refuge cafe. Though one unfamiliar name did catch your attention among the rest.

With a quirk of your eyebrow, you looked up at Joshua.

“A large order from one…Arthur Pendragon.”

To your surprise, Joshua cracked the most playful smirk as he chuckled. It caught you very much off guard, so much so in fact, that you felt your face warm up immediately, which only made his smirk wider.

“Ah, Seokmin…still ordering under a fake name after all these years. Well, what would he like this time?”

“Did you just say Seokmin? As in Lee-”

“Mhm, the city ‘bad boy’ as I’m sure even he calls himself.” Joshua interrupted gently, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry, he may abundantly misbehave but in reality, he can’t do anything outside of a certain perimeter. And while I’m not unfriendly with him, I always stay on my far side of the city.”

“Why do you do business with him then, anyways?” You asked as you showed Joshua your screen.

“Are you judging, dear?” Joshua raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t fazed at all.

“Not really," you shrugged. "I just haven’t seen anything here that could be deemed, uhm, shady yet.”

Joshua didn’t answer at first, he glanced through the order before chuckling. “I never cease to be amazed at how funny Seokmin’s taste is. It’s like he doesn’t even notice that I know it’s him. No, it’s not truly shady. Reputation aside, he’s still one of the Sector’s keystones and I have worked too hard to be the only one without a single broken bridge to sour that now.”

Before he could continue, Sunday's bot hopped into view to relay a message. You just barely heard it say “Subject line ‘urgent’, from ‘Lee Jihoon.’ Would you like me to read it for you?”

Joshua’s face turned stony in an instant. “Send it to my watch, Sunday. I’ll return shortly.”

He turned to you with the complete opposite expression, startling you. “Apologies, Y/N. Process more orders to your best ability and we will continue our conversation over lunch.”

You nodded quickly as Joshua rose from his chair and left the study swiftly, holding his watch up to his mouth speaking in a hushed voice. A rover bot arrived to pick up Sunday and left too. Trying not to think on it too much, you returned to your desk and went back to your tasks.

About twenty minutes later, you looked at the time. There was still a bit until lunch, so you gave yourself a moment to breathe.

Where is this weird..feeling coming from…?

“Sunday?” You called out tentatively. You didn’t even know if it would work.

“Yes Miss Y/N, I’m here.”

You looked down at your custom task device. A wavy, holographic sphere that resembled a rising sun had emitted from the corner of your screen. This must be Sunday in program form.

“Oh wow, so I can talk to you?”

“But of course Miss, did the master not tell you?”

You decided not to answer that and hoped that said master wasn’t listening. “Sunday, I’m curious, how long has it been since another human has worked here?”

Sunday pulled up a simple visual with a series of dates. “Since the worker lifts were recycled, Miss. The building became fully automated then.”

But that’s after Joshua’s father passed… you thought to yourself.

“If you don’t have any more questions Miss, I have a reminder from the master to begin heading to the kitchen for lunch.”

“Thank you Sunday, let Joshua know what I’ve been able to wrap up.”

“Joshua,” you spoke, the moment the man in question came into view. He had just sat down and looked at you, eyebrows raised. “Will I be punished for using Sunday without permission?”

Joshua blinked hard. “‘Punished?’ My dear you haven’t been misbehaving, have you?”

It took you a second to realize he was making fun of you and you weren’t sure if you were amused or mortified. Joshua gave you another smirk, leaning you more towards mortified.

“No, you’re not in trouble. Even if it was violating a protocol, I never explicitly said you could or couldn’t talk to Sunday. If you ever do something protocol-violating around him or Wednesday, however, I would know immediately.” He regarded you with the same teasing look in his eyes as you sat down, clearly relishing in how it made you pout a bit.

“In truth Y/N, I had hoped in time I could tell you more and more, but I didn’t want to limit your parameters of interaction in the house. Though to see you can be such a daredevil, well, I’m honestly tempted to keep even more secrets.” You scoffed at the way he shone his teeth at you while putting an elbow on the table, chin up and in one hand.

“So I’m not your prisoner who will be buried with what I do end up being told?” Even with your sarcastic side-smile, you sounded just a tad more serious than you intended.

“My my Y/N, do rope in that imagination. I don’t dispose of people like lil’ Seokmin on the other side of town, nor do I encase anyone like his older brother. You’re free to come and leave however you like, we discussed as much in your contract.”

You were thankful for the food being laid out as Joshua spoke, offering you an excuse to not talk for a little.

You’d interacted with Joshua enough by now to know when he's purposely leaving out other implications to situations.

Some bites in, you finally began the expected topic at hand, letting the atmosphere grow serious.

“I was about fourteen when ‘the incident’ happened. Everyone around me talked about it for years. I was still in a District 9 facility at the time though, so most of what I know, I learned when I was sent here. I was first told that keystones are where what we need comes from, not really the CEOs yourselves. When I spent those two years at a refuge cafe though, I heard about how the huge Lee Family broke apart, all of the rumors surrounding your family, what District 9 really is…”

You had to pause for a minute there. Joshua, not taking his eyes off of you, waved for a bot to bring iced water. He nodded at you kindly when you looked up at him, as you swallowed heavily.

“There were so many people of varying levels of importance, talking in those bars every night as I worked. I heard about a lot of things that seem like they’d be underground, so I admit I’m rather afraid of what isn’t spoken about in broad daylight. But when you offered me this job, I decided that I would go in not assuming a thing. I’ve seen how it can destroy a person.”

Joshua was a good listener, his gaze was calm and revealed nothing of what he was thinking as you spoke about your life. When you were done, he finished his food before he decided to talk.

“Hong Co. is and has always been a family business. Even from the beginning it seemed that family businesses are always doomed to fail, and yet we were able to stay together through the decades. Er, mostly by trying not to have too many children. The Lees are a modern example of the third-generation curse that only grew worse over time. I grew up with the Lee brothers of Sector 17, though, so I don’t believe things would have turned out how they did if it wasn’t for, well,” Joshua didn’t need to finish that sentence.

“Know that you are not obligated to believe everything I say, though you are only hearing everything from me. When our parents were killed, Lee Jihoon and I had barely turned sixteen. Lee Seokmin came out of ‘the incident’ a completely different person, making any reparation plans they had impossible. He ran off to fulfill his own desires, which left Jihoon to take care of their youngest brother, Chan, who is now the regime’s most valued keystone. Jihoon designed the Plaza system not only to give Chan a larger and connected space to grow up in, but also to gather intel in the same way you've heard things; surface level. He particularly likes my Bitty bots for that. Many of the Lee cousins disappeared during ‘the incident’ so Jihoon has always tried to find them again.”

“Has he found any?” You asked through your hands, which had been covering your mouth for a while.

Joshua shook his head. “Every time Jihoon gets close to finding one, he gets sabotaged by Seok. I really couldn’t tell you why but it is the only thing I haven’t been able to help with. Seokmin may buy my home appliances but I have no way of hacking his own tech. He mastered stealth the best out of all of us.”

Your eyes widened at this. “Has he tried to infiltrate here before?”

“His ego is too big. Even if he did though, I mastered security the best. So I focus on keeping Jihoon from going completely insane, for now he hasn't gone farther than paranoid. His business serves as protection for the city, he sends most of the info he gathers to Chan’s side of the city where plans are made and executed. Chan was always the best with combat.”

At that moment, Joshua received a message on his watch. He let out a huff. “My apologies, Y/N, there’s been a change of schedule. I have to leave for a bit and won’t be able to have dinner with you. Continue with your afternoon tasks and I will see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you Joshua, see you tomorrow.”

For the rest of the day, you got to experience what Joshua’s home must have felt like for the past decade before you came.

It really was lonesome, even with AI to talk to. Well, more like especially with only the Shubots. No wonder they’d been programmed to be so...peculiar.

That night, dinner was brought to your bedroom with a note that said you would be allowed to sleep in tomorrow if you wanted, and to tell “Annie” when you wanted breakfast. Instead of thinking about how that meant you had no clue what Joshua was up to, you laughed at how funny it was that despite being the most organized human being to exist, he was actually not the best with names.

You thought about writing a letter to your old employer, but you weren’t sure what you could possibly send, to anyone really. Had she forgotten about you by now? All you really did back then was wait tables.

Then again, Joshua of all people had noticed you. Other than awkward, what was it like for him when you two first met? You didn’t even realize who he was until he offered you work for a place to stay.

What was frustrating you the most was that you also couldn’t think of why you were only wondering about it all now. Does it matter why now that you’re already here and know half of his life story?

After you had gotten ready for bed, you took out a keepsake box you hid in among your socks and opened it. Inside were your most precious possessions, many of which held little monetary value but they held the details of your past. The most recent addition was the Pianissimo brooch.

As you ran your fingers along the polished opal designs, you felt a small tear escape your left eye as you tried to ignore the unfamiliar sensation of what felt like a pinch in your heart.

The process of you and Joshua learning more about each other spread across the weeks. The distance between you had long become friendly and Joshua eventually programmed Sunday not to interrupt conversations with you for anything other than emergencies.

Years of only having robots and depressed business people to talk to must have piled on Joshua over time because now that he had another human around, you came to learn that Joshua wasn’t just strange but a rather silly person, too. He could be charming and watching him work was fascinating, as he constantly sketched ideas and swiped at so many holographic screens.

He was not only efficient but afforded the luxury to mess with you a bit too, in extremely high spirits. But still at the same time of maintaining an organized work environment. You pretending to feel offended by his antics only seemed to spur him on more.

Then when you asked him why none of his robots were human sized, he chuckled and said “That would be so creepy, I’d never sleep. Besides, it’s bad for business. A handful of people would splurge on something like that in one place, rather than a bunch returning every so often to buy something smaller.”

When you asked why he only ever wore suits, he said he was only choosing the “hottest attire” from a fashion company sponsor.

And when you asked Joshua why Voira was named that, he said “I think the touch of French can make even a water dispenser sound more appealing, don’t you?” and winked at you the same way he does whenever he catches you staring from across the study.

His casual flirting was what actually drove you crazy. It was almost like he wanted to keep you on your toes all of the time after you grew used to his surprisingly playful nature.

Afternoon tea time in the upper loft only happened on occasion, and it was the only time Joshua was anything but playful.

He looked somber, calculating, and a tiny bit tired as he surveyed the city outside of the windows. Only once did he allow himself to tell you of the burden he felt at times.

“Growing up, I was always the one Hong. In a world of Lees, I stand as the common ground.” And now just about everyone, good or villainous, rich or teeming; Shubots of all kinds are used by them in all walks of life.

For you, those days served as a reminder of the large world outside of everything you knew within Hong Co. You seldom left the tower to do anything, even though you knew how to take care of yourself in the crowded city due to your own background.

As you got to explore your new home, you came to realize just how much the estate was designed with the intention of housing a small family. You had no idea why the thought always came to you with a little flush to your face.

It was also during tea time that the little pinch in your chest would invade your heart more bit by bit as you got to know each of Joshua’s sides. It was hard for you to show more of yourself at times, so you appreciated the quiet days just as much as the ones with glee.

Before you knew it, you were watching light snow begin to fall outside as you sipped your tea.

Colder months meant new heating designs for Joshua to make, and according to Sunday, less conflicts between the Lee brothers to worry about.

“We basically hibernate until either Seok or Chan randomly gets up to something in Spring,” Joshua joked. “Even though I already stay out of the public eye as it is.”

“Was it always this way?” You asked, aiming to sound broad. Perhaps a month ago, Joshua wouldn’t have answered. But he spoke freely.

“My father was the least social of all of the men in my family. After my grandfather passed, he no longer had a reason to keep up appearances or go out at all, and then I and the other scions of the city were training up north. I never liked attending conferences with my father anyway, but then suddenly he was gone. I felt terrible letting all of the people he’d hired go, but they served as the foundation for Jihoon’s refuge cafes. And suddenly I had all of the space in the world to build back what I’d been left with. No one watching from the outside or the inside.”

“But no one at all except you,” You didn’t mean to say it out loud, but the look in Joshua’s eyes showed that it was something he always wanted someone to say but there never was anyone else.

“It was the only way I was able to continue my family’s work without sacrificing myself, but that didn’t make me hate it any less. I was never going to be ready to have people around again, though at some point I knew I would have to try. Avoiding how others have failed doesn’t delay your own failure.” When he said that aloud, you could tell that he’d mentally hit a wall. That was probably it for him today, or maybe a while.

You took a deep breath. “I’m glad you were able to try something new, Joshua. For the company, and for yourself.” You put your teacup down and smiled at him, allowing your arm to stretch out to him tentatively.

Maybe it was because he genuinely had no idea what else to say but his hand slowly reached yours. You could tell from Joshua’s flush that warmth was flooding through him, too.

It wasn’t just the first time the two of you touched, it was likely the first time he had touched anyone in a very long time.

Just as his fingers were beginning to wrap around yours, Sunday’s hologram suddenly appeared from Joshua’s watch in between you two, making you jump apart.

“What’s the emergency, Sunday?” Joshua smiled, though you noticed the watchfulness return to his eyes.

“Your heart rate has increased beyond 120 bpm in the past minute, would you like me to send for-”

“No, it's all fine!” Joshua interrupted a bit loudly, completely embarrassed. You doubled over laughing, only making Joshua grow redder.

“Your AI are great,” You said, wiping your eyes. “Maybe I should get a watch, too.”

Joshua scratched the back of his neck in relief that you weren’t judging. “That can be tended to now, let’s head back to the study.”

The next time the two of you touched was when Joshua was showing you how to put on a Shu-watch, since you’d never had anything like it before. He specifically touched one up so that Wednesday would primarily care for you, connected to Ani in your room.

“Now Wednesday can embarrass you too whenever she or Sunday wants,” Joshua said cheekily as he showed you some of the regular features.

The next time would be at dinner the next day, when Joshua would get a little more adventurous by pushing a lock of your hair behind your ear. Even though your legs were about to turn to jelly, you decided you couldn’t let him have all the fun.

“Wow some gentleman you are, boss,” you teased, bringing your hand up to your ears to poke his.

He caught on quickly though. “Oh forgive me, my lady,” Joshua gently took your hand before you could react. He bowed his head down to kiss it. “I was fatefully distracted.”

Forcing yourself not to faint, you met his eyes, hoping he couldn’t see right through you in that moment. “Well I suppose that makes sense since you haven’t wiped the crumbs from your face.”

Before Joshua could grab his napkin, you took your own and got up to wipe his mouth yourself.

The cocky grin on his face when you stepped back was what made you think that at this rate, you were going to physically fall for him before anything else.

The day you did faint wasn’t from a tussle with Joshua, but from dehydration.

The feeling that had built up within you was a source of stress you couldn’t stand after a while. You had finally acknowledged to yourself by then that you didn't want to leave at some point, as was agreed, even if you'd be sent off with everything you could ever need.

You realized that it wasn't what you wanted, and even if you could stay forever, your feelings for Joshua would be there too. For that you couldn't even look at Joshua, even though it wasn't truly his fault you were feeling this way about him.

Quite literally you couldn't stand it; as a distraction, you kept finding reasons to exit the study and poured yourself into tasks, ignoring alerts from your watch about your health. You knew it was wrong not taking the time to figure yourself out but whenever you tried, the feeling in your chest evolved further into a thorough ache.

When you started to feel dizzy one day, you tried to get up from your desk again for the nth time, only to stumble. Joshua noticed from his side of the study, but you shuffled away fast.

Wednesday showed at that moment that Shu-watches are (cleverly) programmed with certain overrides and beeped at you to either rest, or drink some water.

“That’s what I’m on my way to do,” you grumbled, trying to dismiss her.

“Miss Y/N, the nearest beverage machine is in the study, please pause your activity and-”

You hit the floor and vaguely registered the sound of Wednesday sending a message to Joshua about it.

When you were finally at a better state of consciousness, you found yourself in your bed with Voira next to you, holding out a cup of water. Sitting up, you saw Joshua sitting at your desk below.

He looked up at you, looking relieved that you were feeling better again.

“Wednesday, how are Y/N's vitals?” Joshua spoke into his watch.

“Back to normal,” You heard from your own watch. Joshua smiled and got up. To your slight horror, he climbed up halfway to your bed.

“How are you feeling otherwise?” Joshua asked you, his gorgeous face full of concern.

You looked away, still upset with yourself. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been taking care of myself lately.”

With a thoughtful “Hmm,” Joshua climbed all of the way up and sat right next to you, making you shrink away more.

“Are you afraid of me, Y/N?” That sure was one way to get you to look at him. Joshua's face was passive, but his eyes were filled with worry over what you might say.

“I...know that you’ve been avoiding me for a bit but I didn’t expect that you would ignore your watch. Poor Wednesday,” he added light-heartedly. Joshua waited patiently for your answer, fighting his own urge to physically reach out.

You let out a dispirited laugh at that. It was hard for you to find words, but you realized that this conversation was going to happen at some point, one way or another.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of you, Joshua…just of...the way I’ve been feeling lately. I am really grateful for everything you’ve done for me and you are a wonderful person to be around, but, well, I…”

You involuntarily reached for Joshua’s hand, and your back straightened at the feeling of his hand accepting yours. You suddenly felt so small but, for the first time, you were safe to say so.

“I’m afraid that I’ve been selfish,” you let out, mellow. “In all of this time I’ve spent around you I keep thinking about everything that makes me different and...unimportant...” You didn’t let him interrupt you there when you felt him shift.

“And I just…who am I to say that I…that…”

You felt him give your hand a little squeeze. Screw it.

“That I like you a lot? I really do care so much about you…you’re so kind to me and you intrigue me very much. I know that doesn’t mean I should feel this way at all, especially since the contract I’m under is temporary. I’m here to work, to help you, and that’s it. So I tried really hard not to think about it…”

You regretted it the moment you said it all, but it was only for a moment.

Because then Joshua used his other hand to cup your face, making you look at him, giving you a kiss on the forehead.

“Y/N, I am the one who should be saying sorry to you. I think I’ve waited too long to tell you that I want you to extend your stay here. From the moment we met I knew that I would like you, so much that I couldn’t bear to watch you leave. I originally designed a new master bedroom just for you, but then I realized that I don’t just want you to stay, I want you by my side.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You were so stunned, Joshua looked away in fear that this time he had overstepped instead. So you leaned up to kiss his cheek, but given the height difference, it caused you to lose balance and Joshua turned quickly to catch you, and your faces were closer to each other than they ever have been, which at this point said a lot. Joshua swallowed nervously.

“Well, Y/N? Would you like to change your contract to one of marriage someday?”

You were sure at that moment most would have swooned or initiated a makeout session, but you instead laughed, giving Joshua the smile he himself had fallen for.

You had no idea where the confidence was coming from but you’d be lying if you said didn’t it come from Joshua, and just like him, you loved it. “Joshua Hong, you may be one of the most powerful people in the whole world but there really is so very much you do not know about women.”

Joshua blushed immediately, but he held his ground just as hard as he was holding onto you. “As long as it’s you, I will do whatever I can to learn. I want you here, Y/N, truly. You're family now.”

Family. Something both of you had lived so long without.

“Well call me old-fashioned but aren’t you supposed to date me first?” you both laughed and Joshua poked your nose, making you gasp incredulously.

“Darling, I’m the old-fashioned one here who was planning to take this slow, but then you fell face first before the ‘talking phase’ could even turn into seeing movies~”

The two of you kept the banter and jostling up until you breathlessly grew quiet again.

“That’s why,” Joshua spoke out of the blue.

“What?” You looked at him, and he brought his hand up to your face again.

“Talking with you, laughing with you, seeing you prove that I really am here, with you." Joshua stroked your face so lovingly you could cry.

"For so long I was alone...It was a harsh reality I never wanted to face, but no matter which way I turned it was the truth. Bringing you into my life was the most frightening thing I have ever done, but it remains the one decision I am most sure of. You make me feel like I am worth everything, and now I rest every night knowing I will see your beautiful face the next day. If you accept my offer of making permanence of this, I promise I will always be here for you, too.”

Well indeed right there you did cry. You were so choked up as he wiped your face, trying not to cry himself, that the only way you could respond to him sincerely was by closing the final bit of physical distance between you two.

You could faintly hear the sound of hundreds of the tower's Shubots in a 30 meter radius clapping and cheering as Joshua returned the kiss with passion, holding you close with both arms, your hearts pounding.

Sharing your first ever kiss only marked a pivotal point in the feelings you had begun sharing long before, which would only continue on to fill every desolate corner that could ever appear in this limitless home of yours, and everything you would continue to work for together.

a/n: "And that, kids, is how I met your mother"

Time for a trip to my dentist because my stars writing that might’ve made a hole in my sweet tooth awwwww 💕;w; At a point in this fic I realized I was expanding the world a little too much so I left out the details of “the incident” the reader and Joshua mentions to try and close a love story nicely. For you all that have reached the end of this amalgamation of my late-night writing, a year in the making, thank you so much and I do hope you’ve enjoyed this fic as much as I had writing it!

#joshua hong x reader #svt x reader #futuristic au #scifi au #ceo joshua #hong jisoo x reader #joshua hong fluff #seventeen joshua #joshua hong x you #tech empire au #sector 17 #cyber au

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yacinthemorning · 3 months

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Gundam Birdie

A Little Birdie

[first] [next]

Summary: Jimmy is a mobile suit pilot and the bad luck charm of his base whom the higher ups are done giving second chances to. It's the old beat-up relic Birdie he's been given or nothing. Lucky for him, the mechanic assigned to get her working is enthusiastic to help, but their friendship leads Jimmy back down roads he'd rather forget.

Ships: Jimmy & Tango (Platonic)

Warnings: War, death, violence, military, guns, fantasy politics, fantasy racism, trauma, alcohol, vomiting

There was something about the hangars that eased Jimmy’s heart. Realistically, they were the calm before the storm, and should have put the fear of the void into him, but he couldn’t help it. The echoes of clanking tools and pistons being tested. The scent of oil and burnt wires baked into the steel beams, the sight of people scrambling, heads buried in their tasks, ready to send machines into the field at the drop of the hat. In that environment, Jimmy faded into a shadow, an afterthought until launch, in the way at worst, a spare hand at best.

It almost made up for how wretchedly hot Earth was this time of year.

“You came back again, huh?” A bored voice drawled.

Jimmy blinked away the stupor he’d lulled into, his neck cracking as he leaned forward out of the remains of his cockpit. The large gash down the shell of the once-pristine Birdie let him see without rising up completely where Martyn tapped his foot on the concrete floor. He didn’t even look up at Jimmy, eyes too busy with his tablet. “That I did.” Jimmy said, leaning against his console. Even if it could respond in its state, the Birdie was already drained. “Should I not have?” He joked.

“Do you want the funny answer or the actual answer?” Martyn finally glanced at him, eyebrow raised.

Jimmy didn’t need either. He wasn’t in the mood, and if he focused he could already hear the grumbling of the mechanics around him. ‘How on earth did he make it back in that?’ ‘Another one already?’ ‘We absolutely sure he isn’t trying to destroy our whole fleet?’ ‘At least it was one of those relics from the basement this time…’

‘Where’s the rest of the squad?’

He wiped the sweat collecting on his brow and shrugged. “What can I say, I specialize in running away.”

Martyn tsk’d him with his stylus. “Unfortunately for you, Blue, running away costs a fortune we aren’t authorized to spend. And might I remind you your debt to the EF is already high enough.”

“Oh, come on Martyn.” Jimmy whined. “Can’t you sweet talk Ren for me? Just this once?”

“Ren’s already stuck his neck out for your first three mobile suits.” They paused as the entire Birdie shifted, the platform below it dropping deep into the ground until Jimmy could heave himself over the edge and drop only a few feet. When he tried to throw his usual goofy grin at Martyn, though, the accountant just shook his head. “Look, Jim, you know Ren sympathises. His parents are Lunarian, he knows what you’re going through.” He sighed. “But you aren’t exactly returning the favour and-“

They were cut off once more as Jimmy jerked forward. The mechanic brushing past didn’t even bother with an apology. Jimmy’s gaze locked with their own disgusted glare as they walked off. Martyn leaned closer in, voice a harsh whisper. “- And you aren’t exactly doing a stellar job of making this all seem like a good idea to the nay-sayers.”

Jimmy laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t be silly. What’s there to nay over about an experienced pilot, who’s an expert on the enemy, controlling a front-line mobile suit?”

Martyn gave him that tired look, frustration wrinkling his youthful face. “I think even if you weren’t a deserter that would be too flattering a description given your results so far. Do you know what it’s like just to convince someone to work with you?” A gesture towards the brutalized Birdie emphasized his words.

“Look, it’s not my fault that I’m sent into the trenches- “

“But it is your fault you keep coming back alone.”

Suddenly the dry summer air seemed like an ice bath. Jimmy was pretty sure he hadn’t meant to so bluntly state what was meant to go unspoken. He could feel the gaze of a nearby worker on his neck, hear the echo of a giggle from across the station.

Martyn took a deep sigh, “I’m sorry Jim. There isn’t another one after this. This Birdie is your last chance. I can assign a specialist to the poor thing, but you have a shoestring budget to work with and if it ain’t operational by next launch then you're going to have to find somewhere else to complete your immigration assignment. That’s the good scenario where they let you go.”

He was screwed. He knew that the second he retreated from the skirmish. All Jimmy could do was agree and sign the papers Martyn put in front of him. When he left Jimmy turned back to the mobile suit and simply stared.

His fate was basically sealed. Jimmy had seen many a machine in his short lifetime. Maybe with a few months and top of the line care she could come back. The worst of it was superficial. But he knew from the struggle back to the checkpoint that the giant hole from a well-placed beam fried her internals. Its not as though Jimmy liked seeing the machines he’d dedicated his life to piloting in such a sorry state. He tried to take care of her just as much as the last half-a-dozen. Each of those multi-billion credit war machines were now rotting in landfills, though, and the prospects for this one were non-existent.

Just the same as his former crewmates.

A whistle broke through his mulling. “You really weren’t gentle with her, were you?”

Jimmy spun on his heel, giving the newcomer an incredulous look. It was a mechanic, judging from the jumper, though it was red instead of the typical orange, and a black jean vest covered its upper half. Slightly shorter than Jimmy, but his messily swept back hair tried hard to compensate for it. The beginnings of wrinkles under his eyes gave away his greater age, and that the grin reaching ear to ear was probably a permanent fixture.

Most oddly his pupils were the deep red of Mercurian heritage.

He put out his hand, though he didn’t bother to take his eyes off the Birdie. “Name’s Tango. Been told I’m gonna be giving your mobile suit some personal TLC for the next couple weeks.”

Jimmy squinted, calming the bubble of annoyance in his throat as he weakly shook Tango’s hand. “Jimmy.”

Now they were just treating him like a field of glass. That, or this guy was as much stuck with Jimmy as Jimmy was with him.

If he noticed Jimmy’s sudden tension, he didn’t care enough to take his eyes away from his assigned project. Rather, he seemed completely entranced by the busted heap. His grip fell away from Jimmy’s as almost an afterthought. It instead went to brush against the jagged metal of its shell, and dip in over the exposed reactor in its lower chest just below the cockpit. Jimmy winced. He really had been a hair’s breadth from blowing sky high.

“An MSF-71 Birdie, huh?” Tango practically cooed, like the museum piece was the coolest thing in the world. He moved on to its left arm, where the joint had been jammed by a piece of debris from the consulate Jimmy watched go up in flames. “And the frame’s in good shape besides what you’ve done to her. Man, they haven’t built one of these since…”

“The 36 EvO belt wars.” Jimmy supplied. Jimmy remembered seeing them on the news as a child, the complaints. Brand new and already being ditched for newer models of older fighters. They were made to be compact, light, easily transported with minimal fuel and speedy on the battlefield. What they actually were was incredibly prone to being taken out by the slightest bit of damage, and outpaced by sturdier suits with better propulsion systems. Always the first to go down on the battlefield, and the better mobile suits were screwed without their supporting flanks, so dragged their entire battalion with them.

Tango perked up, “Yeah, yeah! Didn’t even know we had any of these left. Oh, man.” He suddenly hauled himself right over the damage, scampering into the cockpit with his tablet. “The shoulder propulsion was removed and never replaced, though. Even if you’re sticking to land, that's a major disadvantage. And the frame’s got serious compatibility issues with these newer 95 mm barragers the EF’s so fond of slapping on everything. I’m surprised it didn’t straight up tear off the forearm.” He leaned back, a bit of awe in his gaze as it finally landed on Jimmy. “Dude, you’re a miracle worker to get this thing back this intact.”

When considering what that entailed that wasn’t all that high a praise, but it was the nicest thing someone had said to him in a while. Jimmy found himself soaking up the small bit of praise. He placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. “Well, I’ve been doing basically nothing but pilot mobile suits for a decade now. I would hope I knew a few tricks.”

That actually sounded a bit pathetic when he said it out loud didn’t it? Tango just nodded excitedly, however, then pulled out his wrench. “Well, then, it’s your lucky day. Cause I’ve been doing basically nothing but repairing them for two. And this machine of yours, I think she’s got another shot if we crack our heads together.” He patted her side for emphasis.

Jimmy learned well, after his first suit went up in literal flames, not to get too attached to any mobile suit assigned to him. It wasn’t as though he had been very involved in the Birdie’s handling until now, either. There was still a part of him that became giddy, excited to see the poor old thing run again. He gave Tango a cautious smile back, holding out a hand to the mechanic to help him back down. “If you think so.”

“Oh, I know so.” Tango said, and Jimmy couldn’t help but believe him.

“Then what do you need me to do?”

“The main hurdle is our budget.” Tango said around a mouth full of burger. He tapped a sharpened nail against the schematics spread across the cafeteria table. “The right leg hydraulics, the main engine, the control system, and two of the thrusters all need full replacement thanks to those beams and the explosion you said you took. They ain’t big boys like some of the other frames, but they’ll need customization to fit such an old model.”

Jimmy nodded along, shoving another fry into his mouth. “And new guns. She needs something lighter on her joints.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Tango tapped away on his tablet. There was a long list of specs from the catalogues they were given to work with. “Normally I’d say ‘well that’s what laser cannons are for!’ But that’s definitely out of our price range. Besides just generally being expensive, I’m not sure your current reactor is strong enough to keep up with their energy needs, so we would have to get a new reactor too.”

Jimmy yanked one of the schematics out from the bottom of the pile. “And the Birdie’s frame is a weird class size for flanking, it’d need a specialty reactor on top of that.”

“Exactly!”

His chest warmed. Each new subject came with more and more bad news, but Jimmy hadn’t felt so hopeful in a long time. He leafed through the stack of dusty folders next to him, searching for the papers necessary to request test field time. A tablet was held out over his food tray, coming dangerously close to his coleslaw. Several potential lighter weight low-kick guns had been bookmarked, but so had some more unconventional weapons including a wire weapon.

“She’s way too crushable and slow for direct melee combat, but I think a loadout like this might make your life exponentially better. A lot of these are going to have serious difficulty jabificating through even mid range armour, but a Birdie ain’t gonna be sent out alone to begin with.” Tango pulled it back slightly, a nervous quirk in his smile. “Though, they’d take some practice and strategy to make it work. You think you could do that?”

Jimmy gave him a thumbs up. “I’ll adapt.”

The cautious smile stretched into something more devious as he leaned in towards Jimmy to whisper. “Then I think I might have a way to shave some costs off our repairs, if you don’t mind a bit of dubious resourcing.”

Jimmy froze with a fry halfway into his mouth. Quickly he glanced around to make sure no one had heard the mechanic. “Tango, I’m on watch-“

“No, no, nothing that bad. I promise.” The blond waved off. “I just own my own scrapyard- well, it was a family ranch, but I had to sell the cattle off when I inherited the thing. Now the fields are full of spare bits and projects. I think I have these parts that just need a little spit and polish. That’ll save us a pretty penny, I reckon. We’ll just have to dig for them is all.”

“Can we do that?” Jimmy asked incredulously. He was pretty sure if a personal collection of mobile suit parts just sitting out in the open on a ranch would get you shot for treason on Pluto.

Tango just winked. “Ren’ll look the other way, and Martyn won’t complain if it means our numbers are lower.”

“Then that’s fine by me.”

“You really came back again, Blue?” A harsh voice cut into the conversation. With a groan Jimmy turned his gaze away from a confused Tango as a gloved hand shoved against the back of his head. “Would you take the hint and kick the bucket already?” The pilot laughed, his two companions following suit.

Jimmy just shrugged. The laughter died, and when they realized they would get no reaction they grumbled and walked off. He waited until they were across the cafeteria before he let out a sigh, shaking his head, and turning back to the schematics. The energy from earlier had drained a bit, but he tried to bring it back with a friendly smile.

Tango still had an eye on the retreating pilots, claw scraping across his screen as his nose scrunched up. “Some people really got a sick sense of humour, huh.”

“You don’t have to pretend not to know.” Jimmy said. Tango flinched. With a sigh, Jimmy shook his head. “Even soldiers from other bases know about the Plutonian deserter who always comes back alone. Always finds the danger and always leaves everyone else to deal with it.”

“It’s only ‘deserter’ to the Plutonians. On this side it’s ‘asylum seeker’.”

“With all due respect and appreciation, I don’t think I’ve met a crewmate who cared for the difference. When your reputation is having no loyalty, it doesn’t much matter what side you’re supposed to be on.”

“Doesn’t exactly do much to inspire loyalty to begin with, does it?” Tango mused, turning his attention to the last bite of his burger. He tapped the screen of his tablet. A feed came up, familiar to Jimmy but from a different angle. There was the Birdie, in formation with another mobile suit, before it split away from him right towards an enemy unit. It was muted, but Jimmy could still hear his own voice warning about a hidden patrol only he had spotted, and the shout he got back for daring to not follow. It would have cut off, just as the head of the suit was dissolved by an unseen laser cannon in the feed.

Jimmy’s stomach twisted at the sight of it occurring a second time. Why’d he have to pause it there? Tango scoffed. “I reviewed the footage during prep, you know. Not a fire alarm’s fault if people ignore it. It’s kinda hard to be a team player when your team is the smug idiots we got around here, who care more about where you came from than the war you’re both supposed to be fighting.”

“Don’t say something like that out loud.”

“But that’s what’s supposed to be so great about Earth, isn’t it?” Sarcasm laced his muffled voice. “S’why my old man came here, at least. ‘Everyone’s welcome, all those other planets are strict and exclusive. Come back to Earth for unending opportunity!’ Then they turn around on you the second you show up, even while you’re giving them your life.”

Jimmy had heard that all before from other immigrants. Not before he came here, as he did so with the official and doomed mission to break through the impenetrable Karman Defense as an enemy soldier, but he had heard their whispers after. The harsh line between the preached dream and enacted reality. It made no difference to Jimmy – It wasn’t Pluto and that’s all that really mattered – but he did empathize with those tricked into believing they would be more warmly welcomed.

“So, you’re second generation?” He asked, trying to steer the conversation back to something more appropriate, less likely to get them court martialled.

“No, but I was so young I might as well be.” Tango shrugged, the grin returning to him. “You know, it’s a bit chilly but there’s actual real food and jobs, so here I am.”

“Chi- This planet is absolutely boiling!” Jimmy melted against the table with whine. Tango cackled and reached over to muse his hair.

“We need to stick you in the cooler.”

“Genuinely, that sounds wonderful about now.” He admitted. “You deal with this summer thing every year?”

“Only in the temperate zones. Head south and you can experience it year-round on the equator.”

“I think not!”

They both laughed, and while it never returned to the high energy of before, the atmosphere slowly warmed again. Soon they were once more engrossed into plans for the Birdie. By the end of the day they had high hopes and a door-stopping stack of papers to drop on Martyn’s desk. But they didn’t separate yet.

Outside of official work hours Tango dragged him off to discuss the grey area that was the parts in his scrapyard, and to spitball modifications that they most certainly would not get away with. It was quickly apparent that, unlike Jimmy, Tango was exactly where he wanted to be as far as dream jobs went. The man was a bonafide mobile suit nerd, and though Jimmy knew his stuff Tango quickly delved into things far outside Jimmy’s pay grade.

The way he talked… Jimmy could tell he put it out of his mind what they were being used for and more so how they did it. Maybe not naïve or ignorant, but certainly not fully reconciled on the fact that his passion was war machines.

“Well, there’s plenty that are for construction and transportation…”

“But?”

“I mean, you’re not allowed to give a construction mobile suit an arm mounted laser.”

Yeah, he was certainly a little ridiculous. He was so excited to be given the clearance to do pretty much anything he wanted to Jimmy’s Birdie, though. The cogs of his brain were running faster than even his mouth could keep up with. So, Jimmy tried his best to keep up, listen to him ramble while he gently reminded him that even if you could get it to work, a cannon like that was very much illegal across the entire solar system .

“But think of how cool it would be! And I got it all worked out on how to get over the reactor hard cap-“

Jimmy let out a disbelieving laugh.

Part of Jimmy wanted to put a clock or something in front of Tango, see if he pulled it apart instinctively. Like some species of mechanic creature.

The two hardly noticed until both were being screamed at by superiors that their conversation carried them long past curfew. If Jimmy was honest, it was the first time he almost felt welcome on Earth, like he was more than not-even-tolerated. If at the end of these next few weeks they failed and Jimmy was given the boot, at least he would have one fond memory of the horrid base.

Martyn handed back Tango’s tablet with a shake of his head. “I’m sorry, guys, but I just can’t get this approved. I even pulled in a favour to get the price down, but they said there’s no way they would okay this engine for a beat-up relic.”

“They’re the ones that wanted the thing repaired in the first place!” Tango growled, glaring down at the rejection notice.

Jimmy clasped his hands together. “Martyn please. We’re so close to done and there’s only a few days left.”

“Even if I did pull off the miracle of the century and, like, saved the entire review board’s families from a burning roller coaster or something to magically get them on my side, there’s not way we could get it made and shipped here on time anyways.” He gave a sigh and shrug before he returned to his desk. “I got you so much. Your weird tripwire thingamajig – and dear lord Tango I don’t know what crypt you raided to even find that catalogue, do you know what a wild goose chase it was just to find the company that made it? But there really is no more I can do. You’re well out of luck and credit at this point. I’m not even sure if you could get a bottom-line engine, in fact. I really am sorry, but you’ll have to find another solution.”

Jimmy’s heart sank.

“… Okay.” Tango said.

Both other men turned to him, eyebrows raised. “What.” Jimmy asked flatly.

“Okay.” Tango repeated, hands up in surrender before one hooked around Jimmy’s elbow. “We get it, you won. We’ll rub our noggins together and think of something else to get her up and running. Sorry for bothering you.”

Martyn had never looked more suspicious but nodded anyways. The two men left the accountant’s office and back out towards the hangars.

“Is that really it?” Jimmy asked desperately. In the last two weeks they had done so much work on his Birdie. Literal blood, tears, and sweat were spent to get her to the point she was now at. “What are we going to do?”

“Calm down, bird boy.” Tango patted his arm, leaning into him. “I got a plan.”

“A plan?” It was then Jimmy realized they were not heading towards the mobile suit hangar at all, but towards the trucks. He gave Tango a wary side eye. “What are you planning?”

“We’re taking a little trip to town.” Was all Tango said. Soon enough they were in the biggest truck they could get approved for use and being waved through the checkpoint. Jimmy fiddled nervously with the buttons of his uniform, eyes darting about for any sign they had been followed. Tango? Tango was as cool as a cucumber, humming along to the radio as he slipped on the bright red glasses he always wore off-base. Where he kept them Jimmy had yet to figure out. The song slowly died out and gave way to the news.

“Reports have revealed that the rogue freighter that passed the Lunar Sanctuary last week is housing over two hundred Plutonian refugees and is now currently en route to Earth. Sanctuary has turned them away due to overcrowding and famine amongst their own citizens.”

“Bunch of bleeding hearts up there, they don’t even have space anymore.” Tango joked. “They’re just going to find the other end of the same war if they drop here, though.”

Jimmy nodded mindlessly, watching the farmlands. “Cow.” He muttered mostly to himself as they past a field of black and white dairy cattle.

“President Xisuma has had calls from both sides arguing whether to grant the large group their asylum request. Individuals close to the president, however, report that he is leaning towards approval. The president’s opposition have started to call him out, “President Xisuma’s approved six other groups from Pluto in as many months.” Says one party leader. “He seems determined to let anyone bypass our immigration process entirely if they show up with no shoes and a sob story. By the end of the year Pluto won’t even have to invade, their whole population will be on Earth and aiding the rebels to overthrow the EF.” Mobile suits posted on the Karman Defense are already mobilizing to intercept days before their arrival.”

Tango shook his head. “As on top of things as ever up there.”

“Hard to hide in open space.” Jimmy pointed out. He put his elbow up on the window, palming his chin. “There’s a reason it’s impenetrable despite how thin they’re spread.”

“So how did you get through?” The red glasses fell down Tango’s nose as he tilted his head. “I woulda thought it was shoot on sight for an enemy mobile suit.”

Jimmy felt a shudder down his spine. “It was.” The days Jimmy spent begging for mercy were not memories he enjoyed recalling. He was glad they had not invaded his dreams much, drowned out by other memories not as dramatic but worse in their own ways. “I’m not entirely sure how I managed, to be honest. Dumb luck I survived long enough to get a word in on a good day I suppose. My suit certainly didn’t.” He blinked out at the field where a gangly roan creature pranced along the fence. “Horse…”

A hand came up to his shoulder and rubbed comfortingly. “You must love piloting to go through the trouble of becoming one again after all that.”

Jimmy shook his head. “Not really. But it’s all I’m good at. Well, I thought I was.”

“Hey, planet-side warfare’s nothing like space warfare. I mean neither are good, and I’ve never been in either, but you have to be decent for Pluto to send you all the way to Earth to try and break through the KD.”

A snort escaped Jimmy. He wished it was that cool. “No one else wanted to go on a suicide mission. I’m just the sucker who volunteered… cows.” They were brown this time. Beef cattle. They were almost there.

“We’re here.” The truck pulled up to a gated dirt road. Trees lined the perimeter but far down the path Jimmy could already see the ruddy roof of an old farmhouse. Still, the driveway was long, through acres and acres of overgrown fields, dotted with masses. Some had tarps thrown over them, but other heaps we exposed to the elements, rust creeping into their metal. Jimmy had come here with Tango a few times in the past weeks for some spare parts. His nerves returned, as they pulled to a stop and hopped out. Those were all small bits and bobs, not a full engine.

Tango rambled aloud as he went towards the old red bar. “I thiiink I got something similar to what we wanted out in the north field, but if that doesn’t work I know for a fact there’s another engine just out back. It’d need a lot of modifications to work, though, so I wanna check for the other one first.”

Jimmy helped push the doors wide open and hook up a trailer to an old green tractor. Tango was happy to throw the keys to him and sit on the back, directing him towards their quarry with one arm while the other was slung over the back of the seat.

It was one of his big finds. The entire upper half of a mobile suit was on top of several plastic tarps with several more nailed down over top. It didn’t stop rainwater from pooling under completely, but it went a long way to preserving the important parts. An hour later they had it cracked open and the engine hauled up with pulleys and make-shift cranes.

“This is definitely it. Look at that, those are the exact cylinders on the one we were gonna buy!” Tango squealed, patting the piece of machinery like it was a good dog. Jimmy chuckled to himself as he watched, listened to the engineer part of Tango’s brain take over control of his mouth. Two more hours later the engine was confirmed okay, wrapped up, hauled back to the house, and set inside the truck.

Jimmy relaxed into the rocking chair on Tango’s porch, gazing out at the mess of a ranch fondly. It almost looked like the various vehicles were their own sort of creature being grazed in the fields. Even overgrown the land had its charm. Certainly green grass and bushy oaks were a far cry from the cold landscapes of Pluto.

The porch door was thrown open, Tango shimmying through with a big grin, a bigger platter, and a pitcher of ice-tea. “Afraid I don’t have much in the fridge, so I hope you don’t mind frozen wings.”

“Not at all.” Jimmy replied, clearing some of the tools they’d left out on the table to give the blond room to place his haul. He’d changed fully now, into an oversized red sweater with a fire hazard symbol across the front – a prized possession, Jimmy had learned – paired with well-worn grey jeans and old runners. All of Jimmy’s casual clothing was back at the barracks, but he’d relieved himself of the stuffy uniform coat and heavy boots for a loaned pair of outdoor slippers.

Tango collapsed into the other rocking chair while Jimmy poured the drinks. The engineer took a glance at the glasses and smirked, reaching behind him to pull out a half-empty bottle of rum. “Care for a kick?”

Jimmy raised his eyebrow, lip twisting disapprovingly, before he readily held out his glass across the table to let Tango pour as much as he liked into the drink. Probably a mistake. He got a chuckle, and far more alcohol than he really bargained for. Hopefully it would be out of his system before they returned…

“I gotta say.” Tango sighed, settling into his chair for good now. “Whenever I’m out here, I think I get it.”

“Get what?” Jimmy mumbled past a cautious sip. He jerked back slightly. Definitely way too strong.

A hand gestured out towards the ranch, glowing in the evening sun. “Why everyone is always trying to come to Earth. Out here where there’s no one to bother you, it's beautiful. There’s so much space, so many colours, so much time. Never really appreciated it much as a kid.”

Jimmy smiled. “Yeah.” His eyes fell closed as a comfortable silence fell over the pair for once. The smell of mediocre food and too much rum mingled with the distant rustle of leaves and crickets. And he wondered how he ever managed without this, ever thought the hangar was a refuge from the world when this existed only a few miles down the road…

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. The wings were gone, thankfully taking the brunt of the rum. The sky had turned red before he had even noticed. He sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. “We need to get back soon.”

“Hey, Jimmy?”

“Yeah?” Where had he put his boots?

“Why do you pilot?”

He paused, turning back to Tango who was staring at him from his chair. His arms were folded behind his head, glasses perched precariously on his nose, but his gaze carried an intensity greater than Jimmy had ever seen in their brief time together.

He looked away. “It’s all I know how to do. I don’t have any other skills. So I do this.”

“Liar.”

“Wha-” Jimmy spun back around incredulously. “What’d you say?”

Tango’s glare felt like it was looking right into his soul. “Liar. I’ve seen all sorts of pilots in my time, Jimbo. People who do it for the paycheck, creeps who just want the means to kill. I’ve seen the strangest pilots around, but you… I’ve seen how you are around that Birdie. Like you’re asking something from it. You aren’t some nine-to-fiver about it. You know so much about mobile suits-“

“Not as much as you.”

“But more than most, more than even other pilots!” Tango insisted. “More than you just pick up from work. Be honest, why do you do it? Why did you take up piloting in the first place?”

Jimmy sucked in a breath. Did he know how painful the memories he was asking Jimmy to recall were? Why did he need to know to begin with? The air was cooling rapidly with the setting sun. Tango patiently waited, no intent to let the question go.

Stupid words he should have never said echoed in the back of his mind. If I don’t do something, nothing will change.

With a shaky voice and glazed eyes, Jimmy replied. “I wanted… There was someone- people, that I wanted to help.”

“And piloting a mobile suit was how you decided to help?” Tango’s voice had gone almost giddy, leaning forward in his rocking chair.

Jimmy reluctantly nodded. His fists clenched tightly against his shirt. “No one else would.”

Tango stared for another long moment. Then, a grin broke across his face. He reached over and grabbed Jimmy’s nearest hand before bringing it up close to his mouth like he could whisper a secret into it. “… There’s something special I want to ask.”

Jimmy hesitated, but eventually he gave his mechanic a consenting grunt.

“Have you ever heard of a gundam frame?”

Tango punched in a code onto the lock of an iron vault-like door. It whirled to life, slowly easing itself open. Jimmy could still hear the blood pumping through his ears overtop of it. On the other side was a black, echoing void. Tango took one more assuring glance behind him to Jimmy then walked straight into the darkness. Jimmy’s legs shook, but he forced himself forward.

Just as he entered the void there was the sound of a heavy switch being flipped, and light blindingly filled the room. Jimmy had to squint, hand raised to block out the harsh fluorescent lights until he could get his bearings. He could hear Tango fast walk past him, the steps echoing infinitely into what must have been an enormous room.

When he finally dropped his hand the first thing he was greeted with was an enormous metal face. Jimmy felt himself stop breathing. A mobile suit, but not just any. It stood eighteen meters tall, a whole third taller than the Birdie, and most of it an unpainted grey, though Jimmy could see chips of yellow and blue left here and there. Its face was strikingly human compared to most other frames, looking much like a pilot wearing a mask itself, except for a sharp protrusion along its brow. It was too pointed to resemble the bill of a helmet, more like the beak of a bird, and in some small way reminded him of the Birdie’s profile. Despite that, it was otherwise unlike any mobile suit Jimmy had ever seen.

In front of them was a gundam.

… And it was encased in a giant bunker under Tango’s farmhouse.

Jimmy jerked his head towards the mechanic, who was messing with a control panel to bring everything to life. Looking around, the bunker lacked much of the professional equipment of the base, and even the mobile suit station looked almost cobbled. The corners were filled with more spare parts like the fields above, gutted and cannibalized and left under tossed-over tarps to wait for further disassembling. While the gundam itself was clearly old, its various parts were a mix of ages.

“Have you…” Jimmy swallowed. “Have you been repairing it?”

An enormous mischievous smirk stretched across Tango’s face. “Me, and my old man before me.” His hand found Jimmy’s shoulder as he approached the consoles, holding the stunned pilot stable, and gazed affectionately up at the mobile suit. They found themselves in a lift, slowly raising them up to its chest. “He came here two years before us to prepare the farm. While he was digging he found something peculiar. It took most of my childhood for us to dig this out. Lot grander father-son project than some old car, eh?”

“I’ll say.” Jimmy’s voice came out breathy and shaking. His hand brushed against its body as they came to a stop, to see if it was truly real. It suddenly jerked into motion, chest pulling open until its cockpit was fully revealed.

Tango took Jimmy’s hand and gently guided him inside the frame. “You thought your Birdie was old? This baby’s straight out of the Three-Year War!” He spoke fast, giddy as a kid in a candy store. “It’s almost fully functional, too, with all the repairs me and pa did. The only problem is… Well…”

Tango nudged his head towards the main console, guiding Jimmy’s hand towards it. Confused and more than a bit terrified, Jimmy’s hand hesitantly grazed across the dusty screen. It suddenly illuminated, and like a chain reaction so did the rest of the cockpit. The buzz of its reactor surged down Jimmy’s spine. Beneath his fingertips displayed a start up screen, system information pouring in too fast for Jimmy to read, except one piece. A name.

“XXS Gundam…” He muttered as it appeared. “Alpha-13… Canary?”

His hand pulled away as he looked to Tango for answers. The mechanic stared down at the console with breathless awe, before that same look was turned on Jimmy.

The pilot jumped at the elated shriek that escaped Tango as he wrapped an arm around Jimmy’s shoulder. “Look at that! She likes you! You really got her to respond!”

“Wh- What?”

“All this time neither me nor my pa could get her to wake up, but I knew it. I knew she’d like you! Canary, huh? I don’t think I’ve heard-”

“What are you talking about?” Jimmy squeaked. “What do you mean she likes me?”

Tango finally paused, though he could not wipe the smile off his face. “Have you ever heard of ‘the ghost in the machine’?”

Jimmy hesitated, then nodded. “I… Think so?”

“They say there’s one in every gundam frame, that they have a mind of their own. Not just anyone can pilot a gundam, only someone they choose. I know, I know! It sounds like superstitious mumbo jumbo, but we tried over and over to get her to respond to us. We never got nothing! But now- Jimmy.” Tango’s eyes widened once again in awe. “You got her to wake up. She likes you .”

Jimmy had no idea what to do with that information.

“So what now?”

They’d switched back into their proper uniforms, finished tying down the engine to the truck, and started back towards the base.

“What do you mean?” Tango asked, a chipperness to his voice that told Jimmy he knew exactly what the pilot meant.

Jimmy pouted. “Tango, you have the Mona Lisa of war machines in your basement and according to you it apparently ‘likes me’. What does that mean, what do we do? Are you going to tell the base? How illegal is it?”

“Shoot, that might be a good point.” He said, still in that tone. He didn’t elaborate.

Jimmy puffed up his cheeks. “A good point! You’re bloody right it’s a good point! So what do we do now?”

Tango hummed, making a show of tapping his chin. “Right now? Head back to base and get some shut eye. We gotta install this engine into your Birdie tomorrow morning, after all.”

“Tango-”

“It’s all fine, Jimmy!” He grinned. “We’ll come back out and do some more tests once you got your job secure.”

“More tests? On our own?”

“If we tell them about Canary right now then they’ll stompy-stompy their way in and take her away. Then neither of us will see her again. You really want that?”

“Tango I can’t pilot a gundam, I’m about to lose my ability to pilot at all.”

“You really gonna let someone else pilot your gundam?”

“It’s not mine , and you said it can choose a pilot for itself.”

“Well I chose you, and she agreed. So that’s that. I ain’t letting no one else pilot her.”

Jimmy wanted to argue but it died in his throat, unsure what he could possibly say. He leaned back in his seat instead and let out a deep sigh. “You’re something else, Tango.”

A maniacal giggle escaped the engineer. Jimmy couldn’t help but smile.

Martyn turned off his tablet. “Your machine’s been approved for duty.”

Jimmy and Tango cheered and high fived, a display that got them an eye roll from Martyn. Ren leaned over his desk with a chuckle. “Congratulations, my dudes. You're back in service! I’ll get you scheduled for a few tests and local missions as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, Ren.” Jimmy said as sincerely as he could. “We really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

The director just waved it off, but Martyn raised an eyebrow. The two higher-ups exchanged a glance before Ren spoke up. “Actually, there was one more thing. A caveat of sorts.”

“This is still your last mobile suit.” Martyn continued for him. “If you bust this one up you’ll be put on standby again until it’s repaired, or let go. We would prefer you to exercise more caution than you have been, regardless, but understand that your situation is still precarious, Jim.”

“I… understand.” Jimmy bowed slightly. “I’ll do my best to be careful.”

Martyn snorted, shaking his head. “Well, now, we can’t exactly trust that after your track record, now can we, Ren?”

“No.” Ren propped his chin up on his hands with a smirk. “No, we most certainly cannot, Martyn.”

Jimmy swallowed hard, a stone weighing down his gut. “What-”

“So, Tango.” Ren didn’t let him speak. All eyes turned to the mechanic, who flinched at suddenly being the centre of attention. He dumbly pointed to himself, to which Ren nodded. “Since you did so well once already, we’ve decided to permanently assign you to the upkeep of Jimmy’s Birdie.”

“Lord knows the poor thing’ll need it.” Martyn muttered.

Tango blinked, then blinked again, then turned to Jimmy who was just as shocked. The taller shuffled his feet nervously and stuck out his hand with a small smile. “Um, well, if you’re okay with it, I’d certainly love to keep working on her with you.”

Tango grabbed his hand with a bit too much force and shook it enthusiastically. “I’ll absolutely be your mechanic, of course!”

Ren clapped. “That’s great! Cause you didn’t actually have a choice. We’ve already done all the paperwork, you see. So, it’d be a real bummer if not.”

“Jumped the gun a bit on that one.”

The four men all had a laugh before Ren started going into what it all entailed. Jimmy couldn’t quite fully listen. His chest swelled with warmth, mind buzzing with excitement. For once he felt almost eager to get back on the field, to put what they had made to the test. He snuck a glance to Tango, who gave him a thumbs up and huge grin- he was just as excited. And for a brief moment Jimmy thought perhaps things were finally looking up, that maybe he could not only survive, but thrive.

Jimmy leaned back in his Birdie’s seat, taking in a deep, calming breath.

“Excited?”

He let out a squawk at the voice almost right in his ear. “You trying to scare the life out of me?”

Tango quirked an apologetic grin for only a half second before shoving his tablet in Jimmy’s face. “Ran a few extra tests and compared them to the last week’s worth of missions, since you got here so early. She’s all ready to go.” His head tilted in amusement. “Must be nice to finally get off-base with her again.”

“It’s just a patrol.” Jimmy insisted, though his fingers vibrated with too much energy.

“You probably like those, though, right?”

“… It is better than just glorified tests.”

They both let out a small laugh. Tango reached over and ruffled his hair, patted the side of the cockpit, then pushed off to climb back down and start up the launch. They exchanged a thumbs up, everything ready on both ends, and the machine whirled to life around Jimmy.

The seal closed. Screens lit up at the same moment, allowing Jimmy to see out at all angles. Each system slowly came online while he adjusted their settings and conditions. Finally, he slipped on his helmet – a far cry from procedure for space flight where he would be yelled at for not already dawning the obnoxious thing by the time he reached his mobile suit. Really, on land he didn’t need it at all, but it was a comfort.

As soon as he did Tango’s voice, distorted by the crackle of radio waves, once again filled his ears. “Hey, by the way.” Jimmy could hear his grin. “Got the whole long weekend off. Mercurian holiday. When you’re done with your patrol you should come out to the ranch and celebrate with me.”

More Tango code for ‘let me talk your ear off about gundams as I try to convince you to crawl into one’ . There hadn’t been a day in the last week he didn’t ask, with varying subtlety. Jimmy shook his head, huffing into his mic. It swiftly transformed into a proper frown as a thought occurred to him. “Hang on, why’re you still here this morning, then?”

“I wasn’t gonna miss my little buddy’s first real mission launch!” He replied incredulously.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. Of course. “Yep, my very first mission in ten whole years.”

“Ahahaha. Get out of here. And bring both of you home intact this time, why don’tcha?”

“Yes, dear.” Jimmy said with a snicker. “See ya.”

The comm clicked off, replaced by a robotic voice that matched to the text on a side screen narrating each step of the launch. Birdie rattled beneath him as it was moved into place. Hangar doors opened, the path was cleared out, and the clasps that kept his Birdie in place released. Jimmy pushed forward slowly, making sure all systems were warmed up.

Across the runway two mobile weapons and a suit, a Gorgon II Custom, waited already. Three connections linked to his Birdie.

“Took you long enough!” Cleo said, the Gorgon’s signal lighting up. “I was about to break out some tea.”

“Tea sounds lovely right now, actually, and I’m pretty sure you’re here early.” Jimmy replied. “But sorry.”

She turned her Gorgon around and started up propulsion towards the north Gate. “Just don’t fall behind on the patrol or I’ll ditch all of you.”

“Sure thing.” His face pulled into a frown. He’d almost forgotten.

“Then let’s get this over with, babysitting you is way too beneath my pay grade.” Was the last thing she said before she rocketed off.

One of the mobile weapons Jimmy wasn’t familiar with snickered through the comms. “She’s just salty about her punishment.”

“Maybe she should have thought of that before she went totally berserk in Hermiton.”

Jimmy shuddered. The images past around of the incident were damning, even if he never quite got the details. He’d not worked with her much at all in the year he had been on earth, but he heard things. One of the EF’s current longest lasting pilots, a talented one at that, able to pilot anything given to her, who nevertheless somehow had a combat streak about as victorious as Jimmy’s own.

Until Hermiton, that was. More than a little hesitantly, he followed after the Gorgon.

A half hour later they reached the border and began their patrol proper. Jimmy flipped on the autopilot, linking onto Cleo to test if it was functional again. In the meantime, he pulled up their route on his main screen. They’d be back by 10:00 if they did as they should. A smile crept onto Jimmy’s face as he examined the last leg of the route. They’d be close enough to Tango’s ranch that Jimmy might even be able to see it. Maybe he could take a picture for the mechanic. Knowing him he already knew they were coming and had his own camera set up. They could exchange them once Jimmy went home.

“Eyes open, Blue.” Cleo said. “You’re drifting.”

“Sorry.” He quickly snapped autopilot off again and flipped his cameras out fully. As soon as he did so the detection systems pinged. Up in the skies something descended from space. Zooming in, it was a long cargo ship. He nearly bit his tongue. Jimmy didn’t need the ID tags to recognize a Plutonian craft. “South-East, in the stratosphere, there’s a Plutonian ship.” He called.

There was a brief silence as the other three searched. “Oh, that?” Cleo replied. “Didn’t you hear the news? Those Plutonian refugees are touching down today. They must have just descended through the KD.”

“Look at that, Blue. Soon we’ll have a whole troupe of runaways for you to cry with.” The first mobile weapon sneered. Jimmy tightened his grip on his controls, keeping his lips sealed as they continued on.

An annoyed grunt escaped Cleo. “Focus on the mission!”

“Relax, Cleo, it’s just a patrol.”

“I don’t care if it’s wiping your arse. You will concentrate on the mission or get left behind.”

Jimmy, lowered their volume, focused on the descending ship instead. It was shockingly close. He was vaguely aware of the spaceport it must be landing at. No one had mentioned to him that they would be touching down in the vicinity, though. As rudely as it was said, there was a small part of Jimmy that warmed at the thought of more Plutonians being nearby, at least for a while. Maybe he could go and ask…

“Blue!” Cleo’s shout broke through his mulling. “You’re drifting again!”

“Sorry.” He squeaked and turned his attention back to the route.

Then the screen went white. Jimmy blinked, got as far as opening his mouth to alert Cleo before the ground began to rumble. His Birdie shook, then nearly toppled over as a blast punched into the patrol. His head smacked into the side of his chair, and the rumble of the metal machine drown out the mobile weapon pilots’ shouts. Two more barrages hit one after another, until Jimmy’s whole body felt scrambled.

Everything slowly settled around them, more voices joining in on the shouting both from their squad and base. Jimmy reoriented himself and his cameras. There, on the horizon they were just gazing at, were three enormous plumes of smoke. His comm squealed painfully, forcing his attention on readjusting it.

“-spaceport, reroute immediately!” An operator shouted.

“On it!” He heard Cleo say back, already turning. Jimmy and the mobile weapons followed soon after. The plumes expanded as they approached, smaller explosions joining in. Across the tarmac was the scattered remains of the ship, the station behind it completely crumbled. Staff and refugees alike darted around, confused and scared. Some other mobile weapons were already there, firing in on the ship. Out from within its haul rolled out mobile weapons of their own, far more familiar to Jimmy, and began to fire back. Stray beams and bullets were going everywhere, unsure who was enemy in the maze of smoke and panic.

Part of the ship where a dozen refugees hid lilted forward. A sickening series of metallic pops filled the air. Jimmy darted his Birdie forward, propelling its foot into a spin to slide around the screaming group and stretched her arms out wide. The wall finally collapsed, smashing into Birdie’s back. Jimmy was jerked forward in his seat, and he could hear the poor mobile suit’s brand-new light armor crunch under the wall’s weight.

There was no time to worry about that, though. He flipped on his speakers and shouted, “Evacuate the premises, now!” The terrified group hesitated at first, but two soon took charge and the rest followed them like a herd to the edge of the tarmac where others were gathering.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Shouted Cleo as she rolled the Gorgon up beside him and lifted the wall with ease. “You’re supposed to be my flanker, don’t rush in!”

Jimmy grunted, pushing his Birdie to stand back up and regain his bearings through the sirens now blaring across his console. “You wouldn’t have made it in time.” He muttered.

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t have tried. Look at you!”

Taking in his alerts for the first time, she was right. Though not a large barrage, his Birdie had taken fire pushing into what was now clearly becoming enemy lines that they were now both deep within. Gorgon had also taken damage, more hits but far fewer penetrating its heavy armor and shield.

“Sorry…”

“Stop apologizing and start doing your job right!”

“Cleo look- AUGH!”

The comm fuzzed out just as an explosion burst behind them. Both mobile suits twisted towards the wreckage. Jimmy sucked in a breath at the sight of the mobile weapon, an axe splitting the machine open like a log. Fire and choking smoke flared out from the fatal wound, only a small puddle on the concrete below giving any closure to the status of the pilot within.

A heavy mechanical foot slammed down into the destroyed mobile weapon from beyond the smoke, the axe wrenching up and out to swing high before it slowly descended onto the shoulder of a silhouetted figure. Slowly it pushed forward until the red face of a mobile suit emerged fully.

Through the static on the comm was a pitched voice, distorted and cold. “-im-y?”

Jimmy’s blood ran cold.

No…

“Enemy mobile suit on the ground!” Cleo boomed, raising the Gorgon’s shield and laser gun. “All units mobilize immediately. Surround it. Jimmy, flank to my left!”

Jimmy sputtered, “Wait- Cleo!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, if you won’t do your job then get out of my way!” She raced towards the enemy suit.

Jimmy lurched after her, “Cleo, that’s not a normal mobile suit, that’s-“

It was too late. Gorgon fired her laser gun on what would have been a point-blank shot. But in the time it took her to press down on the trigger the enemy suit was gone – beside her with its axe raised. In one swift motion the axe tore down on its target, and the Gorgon’s head split from its body.

The world seemed to quiet down to only the blood pumping in Jimmy’s ears. His hand shook, staring hopelessly at the scene as Gorgon’s body slowly slumped to the earth, unresponsive. He could see the comm connections going wild out of the corner of his eye, but the only words that managed to penetrate through the hazy cloud in his mind were the ones he was too slow to speak

“-dam planetside! I repeat, the enemy Plutonians have released a gundam!”

Then, his console was bathed in red. An unknown connection rang once, twice, and then opened – at first he thought on its own before he realized his hand hovered over the accept button. There, within the suffocating confines of his cockpit, he came face to face with a smiling face, framed by long brown locks, and a scar running down one of two soul-piercing eyes.

Her smile widened into a grin. “Well would you look at that. It really is you, Jimmy!”

“Pearl…” He was barely able to stutter out. He thought his heart might beat straight out of his chest. “What- What are you- How did you get through-”

“Sorry to interrupt you, buddy.” Her voice was ever chipper but echoed with a familiar void. “But I’m on a very important mission right now.”

“You-”

“Although…” The grin on her face twisted. “I bet if I brought news of you being alive back, I’ll get quite a reward. Or maybe-”

“Die!”

Jimmy had no time to even take note of the second mobile weapon racing forward, firing its cannon towards Pearl. In that span she had already yanked the arm off of Gorgon which still clutched its shield and blocked the beam before her axe was flung into the mobile weapon. It hit the reactor, and the entire unit burst. Through the video feed Pearl had hardly taken her eyes off Jimmy, still staring through him with a terrifying sparkle in her gaze.

“Maybe I’ll just bring you back myself.”

He didn’t stop to think. Birdie’s controls were yanked back until the machine spun completely around, and he bolted. At top speed he went straight off the spaceport and out into the open fields. He could hear his allies screaming at him and Pearl letting out a whine, but he shut down all current comm connections and just ran. Whether it proved them right, whether they resented him, he couldn’t care about anything other than getting away.

Sensors blared at him, telling him everything he already knew- That several parts were damaged to a dangerous degree, that his reactor was wearing thin, that there was an unknown target giving chase -

Jimmy kept running.

He was so focused on running he barely noticed which direction he had gone in, nor did he notice the incoming connection until it actually opened on its own this time. Suddenly, Tango’s face, of all faces, was plastered over his console, eyebrows knit in a hard look. “Jimmy?”

Jimmy blinked in shock. “Tango? Wha-“

“I saw what happened. You’re heading south-east, right?”

A glance at his navigation board confirmed the mechanic right. South-east. South-east? That was towards…

“Meet me at the ranch.” Tango nodded.

“I can’t go there, she’s-”

“You have a three-minute head start on her. She stopped to fight the rest of the mobile weapons at the spaceport and was communicating with an off-planet signal. You’ll be here long before her if you keep going at your speed.”

The other mobile weapons…

Jimmy’s eyes went wide. He felt bile at the back of his throat. There were other mobile weapons – there were civilians! – and he’d ran away. Ran away with the only mobile suit. His words came out strangled, “Tango, I-”

“Don’t think about it right now!” He quickly interrupted with a shake of his head. “Just get here! I’ll have everything ready by then.”

“Everything? What everything?”

“You’re gonna get back in there on a level playing field.” Was the last thing he said before the comm died. There was only one way for Jimmy to interpret that. With a shaky breath he pressed onwards towards the ranch.

His Birdie barely made it into the yard. When he forced open its cockpit and practically fell to the ground in exhaustion Tango was already there, waiting, and caught him before he face planted into the dirt. “Hey! Are you okay?” He squeaked in a panic. Jimmy’s helmet was yanked off.

Part of Jimmy was so relieved to know that the mechanic was also terrified of his state that he let out a chuckle into Tango’s shoulder. “Yeah, I don’t think I have much more in me.”

“Well, find your second wind! If we don’t stop her who knows what’ll happen.”

Tango began to drag him towards the side of the house where the hatch to the underground bunker was hidden. Despite the battle Jimmy just escaped and the looming threat of it chasing him, the ranch was as peaceful as ever. He smiled. “I’m sorry…”

“Huh?” Tango’s head twisted to look at Jimmy, not stopping his speed walk. “What for?”

“I said I’d bring Birdie back home intact.”

He snorted. “Well when you left I didn’t think you would be fighting a gundam with her-”

“Owl.” Jimmy explained. “Gundam Owl. She’s- It’s one of Pluto’s greatest weapons. It’s singlehandedly how they kept the Martians from invading Io. Only Pluto’s top pilot is paired with her.” He let out a shudder, trying to block out more memories than were needed to explain to Tango exactly how screwed they were. “And that’s Pearl.”

“Do you know her?”

“It’s hard to not know her if you’re a pilot.”

Tango didn’t look convinced but nodded anyways and focused on leading the way. “Here we are.”

Canary was fully stood, its limbs secured into the launch belt surrounding it. Tango rushed over to the launch console to disconnect the last of the wires and tubes still feeding the thing. Jimmy would have to remember to interrogate Tango later on exactly how much equipment he’d managed to ‘scrap’. For now he stared down the gundam, unable to step up into the loading platform.

Tango had just finished his preparations when he noticed. “Jimmy.”

“It’s not going to work, Tango.” He muttered. The mechanic’s hand found its way to his shoulder in comfort, and Jimmy had to choke back a small breakdown. “I’m not joking about Pearl or Owl. They’ve never lost a fight. She got through the Karman Defence! I’m just a mediocre pilot who can’t even keep a machine intact. A coward who runs away while everyone else dies. Hopping into a gundam isn’t going to change that!”

“Jimmy, look at me.” His face was suddenly yanked down, his forehead bumping a little too roughly with Tango’s as he brought them eye to eye. Jimmy looked as asked, and he saw what he’d seen so far; Tango’s brow was pulled down, eyes energized, and jaw held stiff with some sort of determination. But there was something else there. His lip almost imperceptibly quivered, his eyes were wide and reddened in the corners, and he was breathing far too harshly through his nose. Even his hands that held tight to the side of Jimmy’s head had a vibration in the tips of his fingers.

Fear. Tango was scared.

“I know it’s a slim chance, I know it’s dangerous.” Tango said, and now Jimmy could recognize the slight stutter. “But nobody else is here to help. If we don’t try to do something, nothing will change.”

Jimmy felt his heart stop and start, any reply he had dying immediately. A shaky, calming breath escaped him, and he nodded ever so slightly, the motion rubbing their foreheads together once more. “Alright. I’ll try.”

Tango’s scowl turned up into a grin. “Yeah, we’ll try.” And then he yanked Jimmy onto the loading bay.

It took Jimmy a second to process that Tango was still there as they rose up to Canary’s level. “ We ?” He pipped.

The cockpit opened up, and Tango handed him his helmet. He pushed him into the seat before hopping back into the small space beside the chair he had stood on the first day he showed Jimmy the Canary. “Well, I figure I’m the one who’s been tinkering with her for the last three decades, I know more about how she works than you do.”

Jimmy whipped his head around, trying to take in both Tango’s words and the systems that were rapidly starting up. “But you could die!”

“So could you. We might all die if we don’t stop her.”

Tango’s hand was once again on Jimmy’s shoulder, and somehow it felt oddly centering. He was able to take a deep breath and slowly figure out what was in front of him while Tango continued to speak almost right into his ear. “We can still run away, if you want to.”

Canary’s screen filled the cockpit with a bright blue light. The enemy knew they were here now. He shook his head. “No.”

There was a brief pause, during which the alert system flared to life, informing them that Pearl was thirty seconds away. “Jimmy, why did you become a pilot?”

“I wanted to help people.”

“It’s the same for me, but for you.” Tango leaned forward, a strained smile on his face. “It’s what a mechanic is for. I know you can do it, Jimmy. I’ll be right here to make sure you do. We can run, but I know you’ll hate yourself if you do. But whatever you choose to do, I’ll be right here either way. I’ll help you.”

Sonar pinged Pearl almost right on top of them.

Jimmy felt his lip trembling. The small noise he made was supposed to be affirmation, but it came out more like a choke. He placed a hand on top of Tango’s. “If I try to run, stop me?”

He broke into a wide grin. “Got it.”

“Then let’s do this.” He mustered all the determination he could manage.

Canary seemed to respond immediately, bringing up everything he needed on its own. It startled him for a half a second, but he brushed it off as a thought for later, instead smiling appreciatively at the screens. Then it brought up a strange camera angle, revealing Owl towering over the farmhouse, turning its head in confusion.

“Hey, that’s my security camera!” Tango whined, pointing at the feed.

It immediately blinked away, reappearing on the other side of Jimmy. He laughed while Tango grumbled. “Ready?” He asked. There was no extra seat or buckles to lock the mechanic in, so he would just have to hold on tight to the ceiling handle. Tango gave him a thumbs up.

The ceiling above opened up and Canary was launched full force to the surface. Both men braced themselves as the cobbled launcher rattled, practically throwing the mobile suit into the midday sky. Right in front of them was Owl, who jerked around to reveal its rounded face as they appeared behind it.

It was a mobile suit Jimmy had known well, as all Plutonians did. Though Pearl had it repainted a crimson red that matched both her and Owl’s moonish eyes, the frame had changed very little over the years.

Twenty meters tall and top heavy in design, specialized propulsion decorating its upper back to move it near-silently towards Canary at top speeds. But Jimmy pushed hard down on Canary’s controls. The lighter frame built by Tango for planet-side combat twisted out of the way with ease from the space-specialized loadout of Owl. Canary was fast, faster than Jimmy was expecting, and he found himself propelling almost all the way to the edge of the ranch without intent.

“She’s a smooth flyer, even on solid ground. Keep an eye on those thrusters.” Tango warned, pointing out the problem causers on the diagnostics. “Her frame’s lightweight beyond belief. Don’t toss yourself around like you would in a heavier suit, use more precision.”

“Got it.” Jimmy reoriented his handle on the controls and pushed forward. It went smoother this time, able to spin right around the Owl to its left flank behind its axe. “Where’s the weapons?”

“She ain’t got much firepower right now.” Tango admitted guiltily.

“What do you mean?”

“Look, it’s fine. See that field?” They shrieked as Owl’s axe nearly sliced Canary in half if not for a quick-thinking duck. Tango tapped his finger against a particular camera feed where a large heap sat in the grass. “That’s an old melee unit, it has a blade still on its back.”

“A blade?” Jimmy squawked incredulously even as he started towards it. “I haven’t done any melee combat in years, Tango. Is it even a good idea with the Canary?”

“It’s what we got!”

“Jimmyyy…” The owl’s speakers blared across the farmstead. “When did you get a gundam frame? I’m so happy for you!”

“Then maybe you could let me be happy for a bit and go away!” He shouted back as he landed on top of the scrap heap and began to dig.

“Oh, you know I can’t do that. I have a mission to fulfill.”

A shadow fell over the feed. Jimmy spun Canary around in time to see Owl, axe held high, falling down towards him. He yelped. It chopped into the scraps, just barely grazing a piece of Canary’s leg armor off. Owl heaved back up, glaring down at the tumbled mobile suit.

“And you’re getting in my way.”

Tango shouts, “Now!”

Canary lurched forward. Metal screeched and wired split as a long blade pushed straight through the joint of Owl’s left shoulder. Jimmy heard a gasp over the speaker. Something vital must have been skewered, because when the blade was yanked back out Owl’s limb went limp, dropping its axe to the earth.

For half a second Pearl seemed too shocked to do anything. Jimmy took advantage of the moment and rushed back in, slicing through part of her other shoulder before the old, decrepit blade gave out and snapped. Canary stumbled back away, turning towards the fields once more.

“What else is there, Tango?”

“Um, uh- gimme a second I’m trying to-”

“We don’t have a second!”

“Jimmy!” Pearl shrieked, the speaker peaking at its volume. Jimmy shivered. Owl stuttered forward, its pilot’s rage leaking out into its movements. “How. DARE you.”

He immediately started to stutter “Pearl, I-”

“How dare you hurt Tilly!” And then the gundam was back in their face. Jimmy had no chance to react before the limp arm was swung like a flail across Canary’s face. The mobile suit stumbled, but was grabbed before it hit the earth by angry claws that lifted the whole suit straight into the air.

This was it. They were going to die. Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut and reached out for Tango’s hand once again.

“Pearl,” A static-laced familiar voice broke through Pearl’s speaker. “That’s enough.”

The world stopped. A flood of far too many overwhelming memories flashed through Jimmy’s mind. Suddenly death didn’t seem so bad, compared to hearing that voice again.

Owl jerked back. “But he-”

“ENOUGH!” The voice boomed. “You’ve failed your mission. Return to orbit now before the EF mobilizes and you lose the Owl to your incompetence too.”

Jimmy could feel Pearl seething, but she backed off. “As you would, Scott.”

Tango let out a sound like air being let out of a balloon when she sped off, but Jimmy couldn’t move. His mind swirled and spilled over. He knew his body had begun to shake but his control panel had become a blur.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed between her retreat and being able to think once again, but as he came back Tango’s concerned face took up his vision. “Jimmy? Jimmy, you there?”

Jimmy gaped like a fish, intending to reply but never quite being able to. His stomach rolled. In a panic, he punched the button to pop open the cockpit and crawled out. Tango shouted after him, but Jimmy didn’t stop until he nearly fell off the side of the still kneeling Canary. Hands reached out to grab him and pull him back before he slipped. Nothing could stop the bile from rising up his throat but he did his best to lean out over the edge before it could get on the Canary or Tango.

A hand rubbed soothingly against his back through the heaves. For once, Tango was quiet, and Jimmy greatly appreciated it as his mind and body tried to recover from the violent episode of dissociation. Through ragged breaths he could hear the distant sounds of vehicles. A glance to the horizon indicated the arrival of other surviving EF units towards the ranch.

“A bit late.” Tango joked. He helped Jimmy back towards the cockpit, where he commanded Canary to lower far enough for them to get out safely. On the ground now, Jimmy clung to Tango’s hand while they waited.

A hysterical laugh escaped him. “I can’t believe we just did that.” He croaked. Exhaustion began to roll over him, and he leaned into Tango’s shoulder.

“Dude, I told you. You’re a good pilot.”

“I’m not sure I would call that good piloting.”

A hand came down on his hair, a sound of disbelief escaping Tango. “You fought off a gundam, Jimmy! As far as I’m concerned, you’re amazing.”

Despite everything a smile creeped onto Jimmy’s face. “Well, it’s all thanks to you.”

“I barely did anything buddy, that was all you.”

“Don’t you start-”

Their conversation was cut short by a mobile weapon rolling up, the barrel of its cannon pointed directly on them. Several more followed, aiming up towards the motionless Canary. A speaker screeched to life. “Jimmy Solidarity and Tango Tek.” A deep, flat voice demanded their attention. Both men stood back up on shaky limbs, hands tentatively raised. “You are being arrested for treason against the Earth Federation. Turn yourselves over calmly and swiftly. Do not resist.”

“What?” Tango shouted back incredulously. “What do you mean treason, we just saved your butts!”

“With an illegal mobile suit you have unlawfully hidden from the state. I will say this one last time, do not resist.”

“Tango…” Jimmy begged before the enraged mechanic could say anything more. Tango’s nostrils flared, but he begrudgingly did as told. Soon they were surrounded by soldiers and led away from the ranch. Cuffs were placed on them as they were shoved into the back of a jeep. Tango continued to glare at his former coworkers, but all they received in return was a scoff and words muttered just loud enough for Jimmy to hear.

“This is what we get for trusting a Plutonian.”

#tangotek #jimmy solidarity #rancher duo #team rancher #mcyt #traffic series #hermitpires #fanfiction #fanfic #crossover #alternate universe #scifi au #sharing a slice of cake

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