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It was hard to watch.
Windy didn’t know who these Fighter Brothers were but something about them had set Magnum off, provoking him into playing far beyond his limits. And Windy didn’t like it; he didn’t like them . Magnum was usually collected, reasonable if not always calm, but something about these two Leaguers had sent him into a frenzy.
“How long do you think he’ll be out?”
Meckel glanced up at him, his usual frown deeper than usual. “A good night’s rest should get him back and up, ready for the game tomorrow,” he said, voice grim. He didn’t seem thrilled about what sounded like good news to Windy. “He shouldn’t be playing at all but I know I can’t stop him,” he muttered.
Windy frowned. “He shouldn’t be playing?”
“No,” Meckel said, packing his tools away. “Those Fighter Brothers are doing something to him. Something I can’t fix,” he said, tapping at his head to demonstrate what he meant. “Until we figure it out, it’d be best if he didn’t play. But,” he said, gesturing to the resting Leaguer widely, as if it to say, it’s Magnum Ace .
An exasperation Windy knew well. He waved as Meckel saw himself out before glancing back at Magnum. It was late; everyone else had gotten the clear and order to go rest, while Ruri and Coach tried to figure out what they were going to do if Magnum couldn’t play.
“You’re too stubborn,” he said to Magnum’s sleeping form, plopping himself down on a berth nearby. He pressed his elbows into his knees, resting his chin in his hands. “What can I do?” he asked himself, knowing that Magnum was going to wake up with those Brothers on his mind, with his thoughts a mess. He wouldn’t talk about it with any of them. Wouldn’t let any of them help.
Windy started letting his legs swing from the berth, restless. “He won’t tell me what’s wrong,” he murmured, trying to think through what he could do.
Maybe simply knowing that something was wrong was enough; Windy sat up, an idea forming in his mind. Something was bothering Magnum – and Windy just had to distract him from it, to keep his mind from whatever was bothering him, to cheer him up even if just for a little while.
He hopped off the berth, filled with purpose. “Okay,” he said, smiling to himself. “I’ll find something that’ll help,” he said to Magnum’s still-sleeping frame, wires and cables attached to him the only evidence that something had been wrong.
With that, he dashed out of the room and into the quiet headquarters, full of hope and good intentions.
.o.
Magnum Ace woke with a start.
He blinked his optics open, his field of vision briefly enveloped in white as his eyes took longer than he was used to adjust to the light. Finally, the off-white walls of a medical bay started to come into focus, a prickling sense of unease buzzing in the back of Magnum’s mind.
He was in the medical bay and on a berth, hooked up to something if the drag on his systems was any clue. He tried to sit up, but a jolt of panic shot through him as he jerked against the binds of the berth; he was strapped on.
Which meant he must have been in a bad way when they brought him in. What had happened?
The thought prompted a flood of memories – the World Cup, a hockey rink and the pair of Leaguers – but those weren’t the only threads of memory being pulled. There was something else, something getting snagged in the tangle of programming that left him half-aware of his past, parts of his history hidden from him.
He let his optics slip closed again, resigned. He would end up letting the team down if this kept up. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t…
“Magnum?”
Magnum opened his optics again, tilting his head toward the sound of Windy’s voice. The soccer Leaguer was watching him with blinking violet eyes, his arms crossed against the berth. He was sitting in a chair that had been pulled up to the side of it; he’d fallen asleep with his helm against his arms, down by Magnum’s feet.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, fighting back a yawn but sitting up and reaching to undo the clasps on Magnum’s wrists. “They had to bolt you in because you were having nightmares,” he added, his mouth pulled into a frown.
Magnum opened his mouth to speak but nothing but static came out for a moment. “I’m fine,” he managed to garble out after restarting his voice box a few times. “Where is everyone? How long have you been here?” he asked, worry creasing his brow as he started to process what Windy being in the chair meant – had he slept there? How long had he been out?
The frown tugging at Windy’s lips pulled taut and Magnum immediately regretted his interrogation. “It’s late,” he said, glancing around for a clock. “Three in the morning, so they’re all asleep,” he said, looking back to Magnum, seeming more anxious than usual.
“You’re up late, then,” Magnum said, thinking he might just be tired. “I appreciate you keeping an eye on me, Windy, but you can go get some rest yourself. I’ll be fine,” he said with a weak attempt at a smile, his memories dragging on his mind like dead weights.
Windy fidgeted. “I don’t mind—I mean, I wanted to make sure you were alright,” he said, huffing through his vents—a sign of frustration. “And—I wanted to help you feel better but there wasn’t a lot I could do on such short notice and Coach didn’t want me to leave HQ so I wasn’t able to get you anything so I thought the least I could do was stay with you and make sure you were okay,” he rambled, his words quickly getting ahead of him.
Magnum blinked and raised a hand to get him to slow down. “It’s okay, you don’t need to do anything,” he said, guilt eating at him. He hadn’t meant to make anyone feel bad, Windy least of all. Had he really been that badly out of sorts? It took a lot to make Windy worry. “I’m just glad everyone else is safe,” he said, glancing around the rest of the medbay and nodding in approval, as it was empty save for him.
“I know I didn’t have to, but,” Windy said, pouting. He turned quickly toward the nearby berth and Magnum thought he might have offended the other Leaguer somehow, but he was back just as quick – with something in his hands. “I went and grabbed this from the common room,” he said, handing the item to Magnum. “It was all I could think of. That maybe it might help remind you,” he started, his words getting caught in his throat as he flopped back into the chair. “Remind you that you’re not alone, or something.”
Magnum glanced from Windy to the item, turning it over in his hands. He stared, the photo the team had taken together after they’d won their first round of playoffs – it felt like a lifetime ago. He scanned across, each team member looking tired and worn out but smiles were spread wide on every face, Windy’s most of all. He stood next to Magnum with a hand on his shoulder, Ruri and Coach out in front with Meckel likely behind the camera. The memory struck Magnum, the happiness of it, how pleased he’d been that they’d gotten as far as they had.
The smell of the sea near Silver Castle HQ, the warmth of Windy’s hand against his shoulder.
The camaraderie between them all, the easy banter and hard-won victories. Looking at the photo, it was easy to forget.
Forget the nightmares, forget the Fighter Brothers.
Windy was staring at him expectantly and if the brightness of his optics was any indication, he might have mistaken his silence for disapproval. “Windy,” he said, surprised to hear his voice choke up. “Thank you. It’s just what I needed,” he said, chuckling as the soccer Leaguer perked up, a smile blooming on his face. “Here,” he said, placing the photo on its stand on the bedside table and scooting to the side, patting at the empty space next to him.
Windy didn’t waste the opportunity; he scrambled onto the berth, careful not to jostle Magnum too much. “And this is just what I needed,” he said as he wrapped his arms around the baseball Leaguer.
Magnum tried not to cough, letting Windy take what comfort he could – they both needed this too, if he was honest with himself. “Me too,” he added, letting Windy settle against him, his optics glancing to the photo on the stand one more time. Such a simple thing, and so simply done. Windy was truly something amazing…
“Thank you, Windy,” he said, and earned a happy sigh.
“Any time, Magnum,” Windy murmured, and Magnum knew it was true. He could count on him any time, anywhere, and that was more than enough to help them all get through this together.