Work Text:
Conflict ; I like to call this one 'Ahime and the Troll'.
Ahim doesn't understand how someone like Marvelous could be such good friends with... well, that one.
She's always taken pride in being the kind of person who would try to like someone before she brushed them off as a nuisance, but she's always found it a little difficult to like Basco even when she puts some effort behind it.
He's just not a nice man. And he knows it.
Her hand jerks a little when something flicks against the back of her head. When she looks down, she notes the way her tea has spilled over the rim of the cup she was fixing for Hakase.
She doesn't even bother to hide her sigh of exasperation.
"Is there nothing else for you to do but be juvenile?" She asks when she whirls around, her jaw set.
Basco just grins back at her, draped all over the captain's chair -- the Captain's chair -- a bowl of that snack Gai advised her is called popcorn balanced lazily in one hand.
Hurt/Comfort ; Pre-canon Head-canon.
Basco gives Marv a week of not giving a shit about setting a course for the galleon before he forcibly hauls the idiot out of bed and sits him down in the captain's chair.
Arms crossed over his chest, the taller man looks down at an otherwise blank-faced Marvelous and waits.
For something. For anything.
A full ten minutes pass before Basco gives in and just sighs, hands dropping to his sides before the awkwardness of standing that way compels him to cross his arms over his chest again.
"Okay," he breaks the silence. "I get it. You're depressed. But Boss is dead and I don't know the first thing about running this stupid ship."
Marv stirs then; briefly. A twitch beneath those eyelids, a kind of prelude to a potential rolling of the eyes before he just... looks up at Basco.
Ah, acknowledgement. Finally.
"And what makes you think I know better?" Marvelous sulks.
There we go.
"So the man still breathes." Basco smirks. "Well, Marvy-chan, consider yourself the newly-elected captain, because I'll be damned if you cook while I navigate."
Angst ; my solution to keeping everything in canon.
He was watching from the deck of the galleon with Navi perched on his shoulder when Marvelous took the strange-looking mobirate from the human boy saying, "I'm taking this. This kind of thing shouldn't be in a human's hands."
So really, Basco isn't at all surprised when the rest of the crew return and that same mobirate is held out to him.
For a moment, Basco just looks down his nose at the oddly-shaped bit of gadgetry. It's far clunkier compared to the matching five-piece set that the others and Marv keep on their person at all times.
He smirks wryly and turns his attention back to setting the table. "And here I thought I was the mean one, Marv." He looks up at Don and murmurs, "Hakase. I've prepped everything according to your instructions. Do we go ahead and finish cooking dinner?"
"Basco--"
"Give it back to the boy, Captain."
The silence that settles is palpable. Volatile.
"I already told you once before. I'm not interested."
Dark ; TOEI HURT ME. A LOT. OKAY.
They're all down and beaten to an inch of their lives by Zangyak's Royal Guard when Joe flinches to the horrific sound of Marv's half-choked cry of pain.
He hears Ahim call out for the Dogoumin to stop, but she can't move to stop them, half-buried as she is under a pile of crates that as far as Joe can see, has knocked Luka out cold.
Movement catches on the corner of his vision and Joe grits his teeth at the sight of Don, limping badly, lifting his pistol to take what is clearly a lousy shot.
When the bullet goes wide, Joe feels his heart constrict.
Hakase, don't force it. Don't force that leg.
Don goes down with a single shove and the frustration that all but rips itself out of Joe's mouth encapsulates all that he feels at this very moment.
He needs to move. He can't move.
His ankle might be broken.
He should look to check. He could check.
But he doesn't want to look because looking that way means looking at where Gai is just... very still; where Gai has been very still since the Dogoumin appeared out of nowhere to strike him down before he could even transform.
Stupid boy who wanted to be one of them who might be dead this very instant.
Stupid boy, Joe thinks. Gai, please don't be dead.
It's the crisp sound of a broken neck that has Joe looking up, eyes wide and terrified.
But Marv is fine; its the Dogoumin that's limp as a doll on the ground and Basco -- stupid, selfish, cowardly Basco who hides in the galleon and flips them all off because he can't be bothered to care -- is there.
"Basco ta Jolokia." The last remaining Dogoumin intones. "Bounty Worth: Three Million Zagins. You have been identified as an enemy of the Empire."
Marv is too far away for Joe to hear, but he reads lips just fine.
Basco, run. Take the ship.
But Basco doesn't run. Instead, something shimmers in the air.
"Looks like the Royal Guard isn't any smarter than the last time I saw you louts."
Something goes cold inside Joe. This isn't right, he thinks numbly as Basco's eyes go from their familiar dark brown to ruby red and suddenly, everything that their comrade appeared to be is gone; replaced by something else. Something less human and more alien -- humanoid but not flesh and blood like the rest of them.
The Dogoumin is finished in less time than it takes for it to prep it's charge. It's just. Dead. Dust. In two seconds flat.
"What are you..." Marv's voice is surprisingly loud in the warehouse in spite of the words being barely above a whisper. "What are... what the hell are you?!??"
The creature turns around then, slowly; and Joe cries out, adrenaline rushing through him as he attempts to drag himself towards Marv.
"Soldier Boy."
It's so wrong to hear that... that thing with Basco's voice. So wrong to hear it sound... defeated.
"Stop making that leg worse. I'll go bring the ship 'round before Prince Imbecile realizes his father's precious envoys are yesterday's trash."
Crack/Humor ; Brain-breakage, can has!
As far back as anyone else can remember, no one (except Navi) has ever been spared from being tagged with one of Basco's ridiculous pet names. Marvelous is Marvy-chan Captain Ahoy, Luka is Miss Molly Pickpocket, Joe is Pretty Soldier Boy, Don is Sir Tinkerhead, Ahim is Her Highnessness or Princess Tea Time.
So when it's fairly obvious that Gai is now an in-training member of the crew, Luka runs a betting pool on all the potential nicknames that their resident troll might ding on the overenthusiastic little boy.
Ahim tells her it's not very nice, but Luka smirks when she reads the slip of paper that lists 'Rainbro Dash' before snickering: "Your addiction to that human show is showing," which earns her a cheeky smirk in return.
It's Marv who wins the pot though, which is why Luka ends up sulking on the couch, her face all scrunched up as she mutters: "My idea was better. Sentai Fanbrat is totally legit, okay."
Everyone just swallows their laughter as a booming "PUPPY FACE. OUT OF MY KITCHEN OR I WILL ROAST YOU FOR DINNER. MARV. HOUSEBREAK YOUR PETS BEFORE YOU BRING THEM ON THE SHIP," comes from the galley.
Speculative ; I love taking liberties with universes that aren't mine.
The mug of steaming cocoa clicks on the table in front of Don and he looks up to see Basco looking down at him with one of his rare not-a-smirk smiles.
"Hakase, your burning the candle on both ends."
"Just upgrading the Galleon Buster." Don murmurs quietly as he leans back in his seat, eyes falling once more on his invention. "Marvelous said the trigger's been sticking. I had to clean it out."
Basco says nothing at that. Instead, the taller man just walks around to the other side of the table before he crouches down low to study the weapon.
"Where does it go?" Don ventures. He's not sure why he's asking, he just knows that no one else is going to talk about last week's incident. The one when Basco showed them all his true form.
"Mm?"
"Your shape. Your..." Don shifts awkwardly. "Your other self." He lifts a hand and gestures lamely. He already feels like it was stupid to even ask.
Basco notices, of course, and that familiar smirk comes right on cue. Only this time, its more self-depracating than anything else. "Have you ever heard of the term..." There's a heavy sigh, then Basco's voice pitches low and soft as though embarrassed.
Don catches it though. It's not a pretty word.
"You..."
The veteran pirate shrugs. "Maternal unit was," he waves a gesturing hand at Don, "as fleshy and as fragile as you lot. The other half. Well." Basco lets out a laugh. "Let's just say I'm glad I don't have to wear that face all the time."
Wild Card
It's always amusing to see Gai try to "educate" the crew on the whole gamut of history that is tied with Earth and the Super Sentai teams, but Basco draws the line when he has to get involved.
"Basco-san! I found it! I found your copy!"
The twitch on his upper lip ticks but he manages to put on an earnestly surprised face when he turns to see the little human all but shove the damn file at him.
"I don't know how it ended up in the dumpster behind the grocery, but at least you have it back now."
Next time, Basco thinks, I'm looking for one of those office thingers. What was it called? I know it made me think of swiss cheese -- oh yeah, shredders.
"Why thank you, Gai. You're very... determined. When you put your mind to it."
He takes the book between his thumb and forefinger before tossing it on a nearby table.