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For the third time that day Alex sets out two fewer plates than usual. Holden and Bobbie are already sat at the table going over munitions reports while Alex dishes out the lasagna. Naomi and Amos are absent again. They’ve been all but buried in the Roci since they’d left the Behemoth.
Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy the two of ‘em have made up. For a while there Alex was sure he’d have to lock them in a cabin and refuse to let them out until they talked things through. There hasn’t been any animosity between them necessarily, but neither one of them are exactly forthcoming and occasionally actual words have to be said to communicate. In the end though they’d worked through it, and Alex is enjoying having his family - plus one - back together.
It still feels surreal sometimes, like he’d open his eyes and everything would be falling apart around him again. He tries not to focus on that too much.
Alex scoops out two helpings of lasagna and carries the plates over to Holden and Bobbie, who are still engrossed in their conversation. He barely gets a nod from either of them, but he doesn’t take offense. If anything it makes him smile a little. It’s good seeing how well Bobbie fits in around here. Of course it makes sense, this being a Martian ship and she an ex-Marine but it’s more than that. She’s as much family as the rest of them. And for Alex, she’s a small taste of the home he wasn’t sure he would ever see again.
The pilot turns back to help himself but pauses, then with a shrug he reaches up into the cabinet to pull out two more plates. He’s sure their mechanic and engineer will realize how hungry they are once they get a whiff of some good food. It's not like he has much else to do at this exact moment. Amos and Naomi are takin’ care of the ship. 'Least he can do is take care of them .
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Alex nearly drops the tray of lasagna as he slides unsteadily down the ladder in the low-g, gripping the rail with one hand with the plates clutched between his arm and his side. It probably would've been smarter to make two trips, but here he is.
He bumps his heels together to engage his magboots - he's nowhere near as graceful as Naomi in low-g - and touches down with a soft click. Amos is half-buried in some thick cables under the floor and Naomi is perched halfway up the wall, tightening some nut or bolt. Neither one of 'em so much as glances over at Alex as he moves away from the ladder. He spots a crate up against a bulkhead and drags it over to the center of the floor, sets the plates and tray down on top of it. Naomi finally looks over and down at him, one brow quirking.
“Food in the engine room?” There’s a mildly chastising tone to her voice that has Alex scowling up at her - albeit good naturedly - and crossing his arms against his chest. “This is the third meal you’ve missed today, XO. You won’t take the time to come up to the galley so I figure the galley’ll have to come to you.”
There’s a grunt from Amos’ corner as the big mechanic hoists himself up out of his hole. He grins amicably at Alex while he walks over to secure his tools. “Didn’t know we had a delivery service on this boat,” he rumbles. “You do room service, too?”
The pilot narrows his eyes, though his lips tug upwards. “More like a babysitting service. You kids can’t put down your toys long enough to eat, so it’s up to me to make sure you get fed.”
Naomi’s boots make a faint click as she touches down. She smiles warmly at Alex as she walks over to the makeshift table he’s set up, reaches out to give him a one-armed hug. “Good thing we have you to take care of us then, ya?” She leans in to press a quick kiss to Alex’s cheek and the pilot feels his face warm. Naomi is smirking as she sits down on the floor beside the crate, her legs stretched to one side. Alex clears his throat and runs one finger along his collar. He’s smiling despite his awkwardness.
Alex leans down to put a slice of lasagna on a plate and hands it off to Naomi. By that time Amos has joined them, so he does the same for the mechanic. He settles onto the floor, trying not to wince at the way his back and knees protest the movement and the hard floor. Not for the first time he wonders if he should take Bobbie up on her offer to… how did she put it? Wage a war on his gut. Alex isn’t exactly lazy but he doesn’t do much more than the bare minimum to ward off muscle atrophy. Maybe his limbs wouldn’t be so stiff if he put more effort in.
Or maybe he’s just getting old.
The three of them sit and eat in relative silence. Naomi has her hand terminal out, going over some technical thing or other and Amos is bent over his plate like eating is the most interesting and important thing in the system right then. Alex’s eyes flick between the two of them and he feels a rush of warmth and affection for this little family he has.
Naomi finishes just as Amos reaches for a second helping. “That was delicious, as always,” she says. Alex shrugs in an aw-shucks kind of way. “Thanks, Alex.” He watches as she walks back to her workspace. She clicks off her magboots and springs up several feet in the air to grab onto a handhold. Alex just shakes his head and exchanges a glance with Amos. Naomi’s like a fish in water in low-g and he knows he’ll never have a fraction of her grace.
The mechanic shoves the last of his food into his mouth, sets his fork down and reaches out to clap Alex on the shoulder. The force of it draws a grunt from the pilot. He’s never sure if Amos truly doesn’t know his own strength or if the man enjoys throwing people off-balance now and then.
Amos stands, pats his stomach with one hand and lets out a hearty belch. “What she said.” Alex chuckles as the mechanic walks away, then rises to gather up the empty plates and tray. He’s still smiling as he fumbles his way up the ladder. He can’t help but think this is what home really is, the thing he’s missed his entire life and didn’t know until he found it. That the same can be said for all of them.
They belong to the ship as much as she belongs to them.