Chapter Text
Rhodes Island Training Deck - Defender Simulation
Bison was not having a good day.
He was already tired from a Penguin Logistics job the night before so he wasn’t fully on his game even before getting bowled over by a Bully simulacrum. Getting put out of the rest of the training by Dur-Nar was just the icing on his failure cake. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough he still had to stay and watch the rest of today’s trainees go through the exercises so he couldn’t even hide in the clinic. He was nursing an ice pack against his arm when he heard someone call out to him,
“Hey Bison! Whatcha doin’ over here?” Croissant’s familiar drawl brought him back to the present.
“Ah, you know. Getting trampled in training sims by things that aren’t even phasing everyone else.” As if to prove his point the blinding light of Bleminshine filled her corner of the training hall, halting a Bulldozer simulacrum. The knight dispatched it and moved on to continue to deflect a shot arrow. Bison wished he could be as strong in battle as her, maybe then he wouldn’t be Penguin Logistic’s odd one out. Was that the reason he felt out of place? Was it even because of Penguin Logistics?
“Aw, cmon ya can’t be an entirely lost cause!” Croissant gave her trademark grin and slapped her forearm. “If ‘ah could build mah muscles from just cartin’ round bawkses then so could yah!”
The thought was...Tempting. Croissant for all her grifting was one of the people in Penguin Logistics Bison could enjoy the company of off-hours, but he also was no musclehead. He never saw the value in building more than his natural strength which was good enough for most jobs. And he did the paperwork most of the time anyway so he wouldn’t need it too often. All reasonable answers right?
Shoving away that though Bison would respond, “Pfft, sure. As if you had to build any muscles, that Forte strength right? I mean for myself, outside of combat my natural strength is more than enough for most cargo jobs.”
“Yah gotta be ready for the unexpected though! I mean, yah nursin’ ya wounds right now? Plus, natural strength won’t cover yah for everything.”
Grumbling Bison would retort, “Yeah well...This is the exception! And what do you mean natural strength won’t cover you for everything, you’re like the strongest person in Penguin Logistics!”
Croissant would laugh as if she told herself a joke only she would get, “Pfft haha! Aw, yer always a hoot to talk wit’ Bison! But nah, I had to build my muscles back after I first started takin’ hormones!”
“Hormones? Don’t tell me that’s another one of your schemes Croissant cus I’m not taking steroids…”
“Pfft, no I wasn’t talkin’ bout those kinds silly! I meant my transition meds, they kill your natural muscle mass so I had to build it back up myself!” Croissant would take the opportunity to slap her arm again. “All me baby!”
That would catch Bison off guard, transition? What’d she meant by that? I mean, Croissant seemed like…
“Sorry transition?”
“Ah, well understandable yah’d be confused but I knew you’re a good kid Bison! ‘Ah knew you wouldn’t be rude bout it, just bit slow on the uptake!”
“Hey!”
Croissant would laugh again, “Ahm just pokin’ fun! But yah, been medically transitioned since I had the money! Had to... shudder , save up money for a while but ah did it!”
“Wait so...You weren’t born a woman?”
“Ah, it’s more common than ya’d think! You know Whishlash wasn’t neither?”
“Her? But-”
“Haha yeah! Crazy stuff in Colombia!”
“I...I didn’t know that was something you could, do?”
“Yeah, s’ lotta work though Bison to get where ah am now, but ah’m way happier now!”
Bison would quiet, he knew Croissant was more of a tomboy but...A small part of him empathized with Croissant. And was jealous. How couldn’t he have figured it out before? She seemed...A natural at it.
“Uhm...So Cro-”
Before he could finish his thought the buzzer rang in the arena and Dur-Nar was telling everyone else to hit the showers. Croissant would turn and give a small wave,
“Welp, mah cue to leave. Still up to join me shoppin’ later?”
Bison would give a half-hearted nod as Croissant walked off to get her gear. He felt like his world got shifted 3 inches to his left and he was off balance. He had lots to think about...And search up.