Work Text:
[uno.]
You've never liked the space monkey very much. Not really. It's the way that she watches everything, like she's cataloguing everything and filing it away.
Space monkeys, in your experience after all, were never that smart. Never smart enough to understand which bolts went where on a ship that is as massively complicated as a dilapidated Zangyack cruiser, but in the last few days it hasn't escaped your notice: the way she cleans up after herself, the way she makes sure that your tools are lined up.
The one time you wondered where you'd misplaced your wrench, she'd freaked out over it more than you did. As if she was trained to ensure nothing was out of place.
Or else.
Zangyack has always frightened you; but then again, a lot of things do. You're not all near-suicidal bravado like Marvelous, not exactly a calm, trained swordsman the way Joe is; Luka is used to fighting her way out of scraps and even Ahim has a place to latch onto for courage.
Basco frightened you the first time you came on board. You'd only seen Marvelous and Joe and Luka at the time, so seeing Basco skulking in the kitchen and angry because everything was arranged different had sent you scurrying back out onto the main deck.
Tall and angry person with a clear inclination to violence, you had said and no sooner had the words left your mouth Basco was there, right in Marvelous' face, angry and upset that someone had been let into his kitchen.
They are in exactly that same position right now, all but snarling in each other's faces about accusations ranging from "You and secrets. Secrets, Basco! Secrets!" to "Can you leave what is mine alone, for once! You have everything else-- don't kick that! It's falling apart enough already without you helping it along! Marvelous, stop!" and dear observant beings that you never really think to pray to, you have never heard Basco say Marvelous' name... well. That way.
"What do you need with this heap anyway, the galleon is there and we've already established that this thing only flies on the fuel of your imagination--"
"--Well, I am sorry but the galleon is becoming a little too crowded for my tastes--"
"--You know what your problem is, Basco--"
"--Oh, I have a problem? I have a problem?"
"Yes! You do and since this is obviously going nowhere, so we'll just leave you: come on, Hakase--"
You have no time to protest because Marvelous already has you by the elbow and the motion jerks you so suddenly that your tools scatter, but you can't go back because you are already being dragged outside and all you can hear is Basco yelling: "Sally! Sally, what are you doing, stop! Sally! Where are you going?"
And the world somehow comes crashing down.
[dos.]
It didn't take you very long to catch on to the fact that no one on this ship seems to like Basco very much. Even Hakase-san, who is quite possibly the one person who listens to the sullen young man long enough for things never to get out of hand, is afraid of Basco. But everyone else just seems to have a bone to pick with him -- and they are not entirely blameless.
The thing is. You get why he's so prickly. His darkest secret is out and though you weren't around to see what it was like before the members of the crew knew about that other side to their erstwhile barb-tongued shipmate, it is easy to note the fear in their eyes now. The suspicion. The questions of how long before he turns on them.
You know it well. You'd seen the exact same look in the eyes of the prisoners who eyed you and your men when you walked patrols down in the holding cells: All those questioning whys and hows because aren't you flesh and blood and bone? How come you take orders from the monsters who have destroyed our homes? How is it right? Why are you doing this? How can you be one of them?
When Marvelous and Don return with a slightly banged-up Sally, everything clearly goes to hell. Ahim is wrapping bandages and Luka is holding the space monkey still while Gai gently peels bananas leaving Joe to look on with a frown.
You ask Don-san then, what happened, but the flaxen-haired engineer just shrugs and hugs himself, murmuring a soft: "Basco lost his temper," followed by a softer, "I don't think he meant to, though?"
[tres.]
No one hears from Basco for days and the longer the wait the fouler Marvelous' mood gets.
No one has mentioned leaving the galleon to check to see why their comrade has not returned, though you can't blame anyone for being so reluctant. But one evening you come up from your workshop to find Sally's little corner empty and neat with the remnants of the banana basket Ahim put together for her all neat and segregated in one of the bags labelled "bio-degradables".
You would have left things at that and retired to your room -- the thing is, there are only four coats hanging on the rack and these are appropriately colored blue, yellow, pink and green.
[cuatro.]
You are not quite sure what you expected to find when you came over to check up on Basco at the husk of the Free Joker, but baskets of fruit close to going bad are the last of these.
You find him in the captain's chair, a pirate hat perched on his head. You'd heard Gai-san's account of that mishap of a trip to Disneyland and though you know that the hat is mostly a souvenir from those places the Earthlings refer to as a theme park, you cannot help but think that it suits Basco just fine.
"Basco-san," you venture, coming around to see him sulking in that chair, a single banana in his hand.
He isn't likely to talk, you know this plain enough. He's like Joe in that respect, all quiet and letting silence speak what words are inadequate in phrasing. You understand Joe-speak well enough though, and Basco-speak is but a variation with more taunts and less deadpanning.
So you wander around a bit, note the place where the lower part of a wall has caved, the steel rusted from exposure. It's not that there's nothing left to make the ship run, because on the contrary, all the important bits seem intact and everything else could just do with a trip to those fascinating places -- junk yards.
"She hasn't come back."
Basco says the words so softly that you nearly miss it and when you turn, his face is that bitter, bitter scowl as he turns the banana over in his hands.
"I heard you grabbed her and threw her back when she as picking up Don-san's tools."
When Basco doesn't reply, his eyes only looking away and off to one side, you know that he means to say. You also know that nothing you can say at this point will make him believe anything but what he believes. So you summon the courage to pat him encouragingly on the shoulder before take your leave.
[cinco.]
You catch up to Marvelous just as he is tripping all over himself on the sandy incline. Sally's silhouette is easy to pick out even by the frail light of moonshine as she hunkers over to the mass of black that is stark against the otherwise inky night.
You get there too late, you think (or maybe actually, just in time) because the moment you clamber onto the ship you can hear them shouting and yelling as if picking up right where they left off.
You almost choose to give up and go home, your bunk is waiting for you back at the ship and you never really had the stomach for explosive arguments to begin with, but as you turn away you see her, shivering in what used to be an exhaust chute and somehow, that changes everything.
They are both taller than you are -- stronger too -- so you know that if things go bad it'll be you that Ahim will be bandaging. But something has to give so that this has to stop and right now, you are the only one with any presence of mind to step in.
(You just really hope it won't cost you a limb.)
Your fingers curl around the two nearest baskets and you toss one each at either man, your lip all but sticking out as you exclaim: "Stop it! Both of you! You're frightening the monkey!" which is oddly effective in rendering both of them mute.
"Marvelous-san!" You feel your heart pounding in your ears. "Basco-san wants the Joker running because it'll be of use to us when we fight against Zangyack. Gai has the equivalent of three ships all molded into one so I don't see anything wrong with one more machine to help clear whatever that mad lady scientist decides to grow next."
"Basco-san!" You puff your cheeks out and hope to whoever looks out for little people like you that you can get this out without offending him. "Sally couldn't come back not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't. We had to make sure she stayed off her ankle or else it would have gotten worse!" You leave out Marv's decree that she was to be watched and seen to, because you know that's never going to go down well, but Marv knows that so you talk faster:
"I don't even understand why you two are fighting anymore! So what if Basco is... erm," whoops, you think, how to phrase this delicately -- oh bother, there isn't a way to do it: "So what if he transforms into a big scary monster that makes him look like he's on Zangyack's payroll -- he isn't and that he can transform that way means we've got extra power on our side."
"And really, Basco-san. You never care about what any of us think so why you're getting so mad over this, I really don't understand. It would be more natural for you to lord over everyone since you can all but break me and Gai in half all at once and still have strength left over to deal with Marvelous and Joe-san and Sid-sempai. And while I mean no offense to the girls, if the rest of us can barely get a punch through, I don't want to think about how attempts to beat you would work."
You breathe in deep and you know you've said too much, but it still doesn't feel enough.
You all but jump out of your skin though, when a hand comes down on your shoulder, but you look over to see Sid-sempai all solemn smiles and you exhale a huff through your nose.
You let yourself get led away at that point, Sally crawling out from her hiding place to slip that one missing wire-cutter into your hand before she scuttles off to all but curl around Basco's leg.
You don't know what happens after you and Sid leave, but thankfully the next day, Marv and Basco are back to normal, snarking over the meal and ribbing each other like they want to break each other's heads wide open.