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Almost a month had passed since Henry had returned from space, alone. And yet, not a single person on the base could recall a time where he wasn't seen wearing Charles' spare headphones around his neck. None of them knew him well enough to ask further. Though, most assumed he must certainly have been... close... with the late pilot.
General Galeforce himself tried to reach out to the former thief, to no avail. Henry wasn't much of a talker to begin with, so it didn't come as too much of a surprise to him, though he couldn't help but feel pity. It had only been a few weeks, and the young man barely ate or slept; pushing himself super hard on any missions he was assigned. No matter how much the members of the government base tried, he didn't give them any more than a cold passing glance.
That didn't stop them from trying.
One late night, as the moon illuminated the ocean beneath, Henry sat crouched on the cliffside overlooking Charles' grave. He visited there every single night around the same time with flowers. The epitaph could hardly be read behind the piles of sunflowers and roses, but the former thief didn't mind.
Footsteps approached from behind him and he stiffened, only relaxing a bit upon noticing the general.
"Nice night, isn't it, Stickmin?" he said, nodding towards the recruit.
Henry only grimaced and looked down. His hand tightened around the bouquet in his grip, until he sighed and placed it on the ground.
"Now, son, I understand that things have been… difficult, without Charlie, but you must understand that you're not alone--" Galeforce couldn't even finish before Henry stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking by without a word. He just watched as the younger man disappeared into the night.
The general only hoped that Henry would get enough sleep before the following day's important mission.
If not, he would have to forbid him from going. No, no, he knew that wouldn't work. Even a man as tough as the general feared the look in the former thief's eyes if he couldn't go, "for Charles," as he had signed it the first mission after the incident.
He was hardly recognizable from the selfish thief and escape artist he once was, Galeforce thought.
---
Henry lay awake all night, in what was once the room he and Charles shared. The pilot's spare headphones sat secure on his chest, rising and falling with every breath.
He couldn't close his eyes. He just couldn't. If he did, he'd see him. A pair of arms pushing him to safety, his face pressed up against the window, growing further and further away until, in a burst of golden light, everything was gone. Henry could mentally trace the lines of the cracked escape pod, he had seen this so many times.
He didn't know what he'd do if he saw it again.
He missed Charles. He missed his voice; the way he would stay up late talking about whatever came to mind and Henry would listen in intently. He missed the smiles and thumbs-ups before every mission. He missed the way they hugged; the way Charles looked after finding out he had, in fact, survived the Wall.
His heart ached, and he tried to make his mind go blank.
It didn't work.
By the time the sun was rising, Henry couldn't move, he was so tired, both physically and mentally. Charles would have wanted him to try his best, though, so with a groan, he rose from the bed, headset now around his neck.
He didn't even chance a look in the mirror to see how much darker the bags under his eyes had gotten. Instead he opted to put on his shoes, not even bothering to change out of the uniform he didn't bother to change when he went to bed. It didn't help his refusal to check the mirror that the uniform matched Charles' perfectly, either.
Henry's fellow soldiers stood in the common room, talking amongst themselves. If they were talking about him, he didn't mind. They certainly wouldn't make the mistake of mentioning Charles behind his back, though, after the look he gave them last time.
Almost robotically, he went for the coffee machine and made two cups, black, downing them both within a minute. That was enough to wake him up for the mission, probably.
Henry was characteristically silent the entire helicopter ride to the abandoned Toppat launch site, face blank but mind racing. A few members of the organization had still yet to be caught, though rumors floated around that some had spread out and made base at their former site.
The former thief didn't care what they were doing, or why they were there. He was just angry, and tired, and wanted to put an end to the Toppats, just like Charles had tried to do almost a month prior.
Damn, he was tired.
He was so, so tired.
I have to do this for Charles, he repeated to himself. For Charles.
The helicopter only served as a grim reminder.
Henry kept his chin up and put one hand on his holster as the copter lowered, and soldiers began moving out. He jumped off after them, but he was in no rush to catch up.
After all, Henry worked alone.
At least, he did now.
---
It was a long day of unpromising results. Not even a single Toppat was found, nor was there even a hint that anyone had been there for weeks.
Henry himself was ready to call it a night-- maybe he'd be able to catch a minute or so of sleep on the ride back since he was momentarily occupied by the task at hand. But it wouldn't be long before… he came back to mind. He already had one foot back in the helicopter door when a shout from the jungle across from the site snapped him out of his sleepy stupor.
For a moment, at least.
In what felt like a blur, he raced to the source of the call, blinking through the darkness to take in the full extent of the scene before him. It was a bit too far away-- and dark to boot-- for Henry to pick up on most of the details. From what he could gather, though, a few members of the government stood hunkered behind a large truck, armed and ready. They faced a small group of Toppats, who were also equipped with guns and guarding what appeared to be large storage crates.
One of his fellow soldiers nodded towards him, and he ducked behind a tree, grabbing his pistol. It was at that moment that the Toppats started bolting for their launch site, a few taking potshots.
Henry looked expectantly to his allies, who were already piling into the truck. Right, right, he worked alone. His grip tightened around the pistol as he whipped his head towards the group of Toppats. They'd nearly reached their destination at this point. What are they planning to do? he thought. Even if they could get whatever was in those crates secured and locked up in their base, they'd be sitting ducks with the government outside their doorstep.
Wait… that sound… they couldn't be...
Billows of dust poured out and covered the ground around Henry as a large helicopter lowered, and he felt his heart sink for two very different reasons. Only the headlights of the government truck were visible through the smoke. There was no chance he'd be able to signal down his fellow soldiers at this point-- and if he took any shots it would be a very dangerous game.
You know what? Nah. This calls for some bold action.
Henry ignored his growing tiredness as he walked into the dust, covering his eyes that threatened to close any second as he scanned his surroundings. He spotted a few figures moving with crates and grimaced; as far as he was concerned, the Toppats didn't need another close victory.
With a deep sigh, the former thief was just about ready to aim, cross his fingers and hope for the best. That is, until a loud series of booms made his ears pop, and he flinched back. There was a shout, and then another, and when his eyes snapped open again, the ground was littered with debris. The crates.
Did the other operatives get a successful shot in? Did he get a successful shot in without realizing he'd pulled the trigger?
Henry's only answer was another boom, which he saw collide this time as another crate exploded, and cash burst out all over the ground. A voice yelled "up there!" and he had to squint through the dust, which only grew with every explosion, to see it. They were right-- something-- no-- someone was up there. It was the unmistakable figure of a person, but their legs were replaced with a rocket booster. He had trouble picking out any other clear features, though.
As the fog cleared and the government was finally able to surround the Toppats, Henry took the opportunity to look back up again.
And his heart stopped dead in his chest.
The person in the sky? They were wearing a pair of distinct red headphones.
He heard the sound of his gun clattering to the ground before everything turned to static, save for the sound of his own heartbeat. His fellow soldiers and the members of the Toppat clan were nothing more than a distant buzz in his ears. The whole world seemed to spin around him.
Henry tried to say something; anything. He tried to shout, he wanted to, but his throat ached and nothing more than a sob escaped his lips.
The figure made their landing, opening their eyes. One of them had a fluorescent green glow, shining through the dissipating dust like a beacon of hope.
It wasn't until they spoke, only uttering a single "Henry?" before the tears the former thief had been bottling up for a while began to spill.
"Henry!" they repeated, a confirmation. The bright bulb flashed with a dark green exclamation point as a smile spread across their face. "It's-- uhh-- it's been a while, huh? I-I wish I could've reached out and found you sooner, sorry about tha--"
They were cut off by Henry practically launching himself into their arms, able to find his voice at last. "Don't be sorry, Charles," he said, his voice no more than a murmur. The former thief nuzzled himself into Charles' shoulder. "I love you."
"Hen--" The pilot's voice caught. "I-I love you, too." He sniffled and leaned in to Henry, and the two held each other tight, staying like that for a little while.
Adjusting the headset around his neck, Henry backed away, placing his hand on Charles' right cheek-- the only part of him that wasn't robotic. All he could say was one word. "How?"
Charles laughed nervously. "I wish I could say for sure myself, but, uhhh, I… I must have found another escape pod; I thought I was a goner, but I woke up on an operating table?… I don't remember what happened… it's all a blur from there… next thing I knew, I had all these cool robot enhancements, and I remembered you, and the Toppats, so the doctor brought me near their launch site last week or so; I've been messing with their supplies ever since!" He looked to the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling, huh?"
"It's fine," Henry said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I get to hear your voice, so it's okay."
That got another chuckle out of the pilot, whose face turned red. "Aww-- gosh, Hen, I--" He sighed. "I really am sorry. I probably scared the heck out of you, huh?"
The former thief blinked, incredulous as he gestured at himself. He couldn't help but snicker, though. "Oh my gosh, is this how you felt? When you thought I was… oh damn, Charles, I'm sorry…"
The pilot rubbed at the back of his head. "Well, I'm sorry that you're sorry, uhh, since you don't have to be and everything turned out okay!"
"What is this, a sorry contest?" Henry joked, his face hurting from the smile that played across his face. "Let's just both say we're sorry and be even?"
"Okay…" Charles started, "...buuut I think I'm more sorry though."
"You…!" Henry gave him a light punch on the shoulder, realizing a moment too late that it was metal, wincing. The pilot snorted.
"Whoops…" he said. At that point, wasn't able to hold in his laughter anymore, grabbing Henry by the shoulders as his joy burst out.
The former thief shook out his slightly aching hand as he struggled to make his voice sound as serious as possible. "Whoops?" He covered his mouth. "Really Char?"
"S-see, now I can say I'm more sorry!" Charles wheezed, and Henry lost it, joining him in his laughter.
"H-hey!" he gasped out, feigning hurt. "You'd better… you'd better stop being so…"
"Being so what?"
"Exactly like that! You're teasing me, and it's so damn adorable!"
Charles shook his head, wiping away his happy tears. "N-no, Hen, you're the cute one!"
"Says the one who just called me Hen." The former thief's voice was beginning to hurt after extended use after such a long period of time, but he couldn't care less at this point.
"Nah, look at you!" Charles tapped Henry on the nose. "This is the cutest faaaaaace!"
Henry went redder than a tomato, but he had no shortage of tricks up his sleeve. "Oh yeah?"
That's when he leaned in and kissed Charles on the cheek, watching with smug glee as the pilot's face turned somehow even brighter than his own.
Charles just about fainted.
"Now this is the cutest face," Henry said warmly, tapping his nose in return.
Someone in the distance shouted, "FINALLY!" and the two came to the realization that they hadn't been alone that entire time.
"O-oh-- uhhhh--" Charles' voice was much softer, and somehow, more awkward than usual.
"HEY--" Henry shouted back at whichever government member had said that. His throat started to burn, and he panted in the attempts to get some air. He was struggling to stand.
"Hen, you… you all right there?"
"I'm--" To tell the truth, the former thief hadn't felt better in months, but he was still covered in sweat and dust, voice slowly fading into rasp as his legs shook beneath him. Just thinking about it made his eyes grow heavy. "Really tired," he muttered.
"Oh, no worries!" The pilot lifted Henry into a bridal carry. Now it was impossible to tell whose cheeks were redder at this point. "I've gotcha!"
Henry was allowing himself to slip into his sleepiness, but just a bit, as he couldn't manage to keep his eyes closed for long enough. "Oh, that our heli over there?" The soldiers loaded the Toppats on board the government helicopter, one of them waving over to him. Charles' voice felt distant as Henry struggled to fight against his own eyelids.
"I think…" he mumbled, not even honestly sure what Charles had said and hoping he had guessed right.
"Oh, just thinking out loud, rhetorical question! Sorry Hen, you can sleep if you need to! I understand you've had it super rough lately and--"
"No…"
"Huh?"
"I-if I close my eyes you're… you're gonna disappear again--;" Henry was barely audible at this point.
"What? No… no, I'm not going anywhere, okay?" The two met eyes. "I promise, Hen. When you wake up, I'll be right there."
"Okay-- you promise?"
"I promise." Charles repeated. Henry felt the ground leave them as the pilot climbed onto the helicopter. "Now please get some sleep, okay?"
The former thief found himself relaxing in his arms. He was thankful enough to cry that he would be able to sleep soundly (at least, decently so, he hoped) after weeks of not being able to.
I guess I wasn't wrong about being able to sleep on the ride back…
He drifted off to the sound of Charles' voice, as he made almost too casual of a conversation, given the situation, with the members of the government.
Yep, he thought with certainty. He's the adorable one.
---
Henry woke up to a soft, "Good morning."
He and Charles were in their bed, the sunlight leaking through their window and onto their eyes. Their.
Tears built up in the former thief's eyes once again.
"Aww, hey… don't cry," Charles gave a warm smile and reached over to wipe the tears from his face, the early morning sleepiness clear in the pilot's grin. "I'm right here."
"Sorry…" Henry muttered. "Just… so happy. It wasn't a dream…"
"Nope, haha!" Charles knocked on his chest of literal steel. "I'm right here, I'm real."
Henry yawned and leaned in towards him, putting his face against his chest. "Yep, this is real, all right," he hummed, muffled.
"Pffffft--" Charles snorted. "Cuuute."
That got the former thief to lift his head, which was mere inches from Charles' at this point. "We went over this, you're the cute one."
"Mmmm, I dunno, look at those cute lil cheeks…"
Henry planted his face back into the pilot's chest. "You have helicopter jammies!" he mumbled incredulously. "And cute lil cheeks!"
"Yours are still cuteeer…~" Charles said in a sing-song voice.
"Nooooooo…" Henry groaned.
The pilot giggled. "Oh, hey, now that you're awake, can I ask you somethin?"
"Ask away…"
"Are we… dating now?"
"...Not gonna answer that…"
"Hey, I'm serious!"
"Oh, my goodness, you're serious." Henry sighed as he turned around to face the pilot again. "Hell yeah, we're dating!" Charles gasped, arms flapping with excitement.
A fond smile played on the former thief's lips. "Cutie."
Charles blew a raspberry, then laughed, and Henry joined not too long after.
"Love you...~" Henry sang.
"Aww, love you too!" He leaned down to give him a kiss on the forehead.
"Hey… you butt… " the former thief said. "Anyways, now that we're, well, dating, you wanna try... going on a date?"
"Oooh, where are ya thinkin?"
"Weeeell, there's this pretty big museum not too far from here… heard they got a new exhibit… a real expensive one..."
"Hen, no!"
"Hehe, only kidding." He reached up to place a hand on Charles' face. " Well, to start, I know someone who probably misses you a lot. Besides me."
"Dad-- er-- General…" Charles felt a tiny pang of guilt.
"Bingo."
"So a date on base, huh? Very romantic, Hen…" The pilot smiled.
"Hey, we're both tired, and it's not like I have any better ideas…"
"No, no, I'm serious!" Charles' eyes lit up as he spoke. "There's, uhh, a certain helicopter that I've been missing for a while… and a certain someone I've been wanting to give a ride in it…"
"I'm so down…" Henry closed his eyes and relaxed. "There's a place I've been meaning to show you as well, Char."
Charles hummed something about a greatest plan as he adjusted to a cozier position for both himself and his boyfriend. "Oh?" he asked.
"Well, there's a cliffside, overlooking the ocean..."