Work Text:
It was another quiet day on the Bebop. Ever since you had snuck onto this ship they seemed to just wander around in space. Apparently they were bounty hunters, but it seemed like they weren’t very good at it… They had caught a few guys, but they would always complain about the lack of food and money. At least they had something. You had always had nothing. You were constantly hopping from ship to ship as a stowaway, always running. It had been so long that you could barely remember why.
Today, you had to get food. It was hard always sneaking around, but there was no choice when it came to food. You couldn’t just starve to death. You had already come too close to that fine line before.
You thought everyone was out searching for another bounty when you finally made it to the kitchen. You had barely opened the fridge when you heard a voice behind you.
“Well what do we have here? You’re not Faye, yet you look just as hungry as she always is. How’d you get on our ship?”
You spun around, seeing the guy with the fluffy dark green hair behind you. You flinched backwards, and dropped to the ground, curling into a ball. If he hit you like everyone else did, it’d hurt less this way.
“Umm, what are you doing?” The guy peered down at you, very confused. “All I did was ask a question, it’s not like I’m going to hit you or something.”
You lift your head up a little to peek at him. He doesn’t seem like he wants to hurt you… You uncurl your body a little more. “I’m sorry sir, I was just hungry.”
“Hey now. Sir is way too stuffy for a guy like me. Just call me Spike. And what’s the name of the lovely lady who’s trying to eat my food?” The fluffy haired guy, Spike, teases, reaching over you into the still open fridge for an apple.
“My name is (Y/N). Sorry about stowing away on your ship, I have nowhere to go.”
Spike hands you the apple he had taken from the fridge. You hesitantly grab it, then devour it, core and all, in a matter of seconds.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you were hungry. How long have you been hiding away here?”
“Um, a couple of weeks…” You hesitantly answer him, stomach still growling at how long it’s been since your last meal.
“And you haven’t eaten that whole time? How are you even still standing? No wonder you’re so skinny.” Spike grabs a few more apples, holding them out for you to take. You tentatively reach for them, not knowing why he was being so nice to you when you were just a stowaway. The only way to know for sure was to ask. Here goes nothing.
“Um, thank you… Why are you being so nice to me though? I’m just a random stowaway on your ship.” You nervously asked him.
“Well, everyone has rough points in their lives. I’ve certainly had lots of times when I was close to death or running away from something, or someone. And while we don’t have much here in terms of food or money, as long as you’re not annoying, which considering no one's seen or heard you until now points to you not being so, you’re fine in my books! And if you’d rather continue hiding, I can always find an air mattress or something for you to sleep on, and bring you whatever's leftover from dinner.” Spike thoughtfully replied, probably thinking back to one of his own memories of starving and running.
“I’d really like that. Thank you Spike.” And for the first time in a few years, you genuinely smiled.
~~~
After that, Spike brought you to a room that no one ever used, along with his spare mattress. And every couple of days he’d stop by to see how you were doing and get you some food. You were really grateful to him and appreciated the human interaction that you could finally have. It had been lonely hiding from everyone for months on end by yourself. Plus Spike was a great conversationalist. You had gotten pretty close over the weeks he took care of you, close enough to call yourselves friends even. But all good things had to come to an end. They always did for you…
It was like any other day on the Bebop. You were hiding in your room, reading a book while waiting for Spike. He was supposed to come visit you with food today, but was late. You were starting to get worried. There had been a commotion in the morning, but it had been quiet ever since. You just figured that the pouty woman who was on board started a fight again and then flew off like always. Spike was always complaining about how annoying she was.
But still, it shouldn’t be this quiet, even if they did fight. You were going to have to go check on them, otherwise you’d never be able to relax. Good thing you were a pro at sneaking around.
The hallway was empty outside your room, as it always was. In the month or so that Spike had let you use it, you had only ever heard one crewmember pass by it other than Spike.
Sneaking down to one end of the hall, you peered around the corner, and upon seeing no one there, continued onward. You were heading to where you had first met Spike; the kitchen and lounge area of the ship. You didn’t pass a soul on the way there.
Peeking into the lounge, you were surprised to see the Bebop crew all tied up and one guy with a gun watching them. This was bad, you couldn’t let them hurt Spike! Ever since you met him he was like your savior, he had been the only one willing to help you ever since you had first run away from home. And he would always have a special place in your heart…
You heard a radio, talking about finding the engine room and a bomb, and the intruder turned away to reply. You took your chance, sneaking into the room and approaching the guy. Not even the Bebop crew seemed to notice you until you karate chopped the man's neck, knocking him out instantly. You then went to untie everyone, starting with Spike.
“Boy am I sure glad to see you (Y/N), I didn’t really feel like getting shot today while trying to escape.” Spike teases, smiling warmly up at you. You blush and carry on untying everyone else.
“...You were late so I was worried about you. Are there more bad guys on board? I heard something about a bomb.”
“Well, we were trying to catch some bounties, and it somehow ended up like this. Want to help stop them?” Spike was talking as if he got tied up every other day and it was no big deal, but the other members couldn’t stop staring at you.
“Are you Spike's girlfriend??” The kid asked, circling around you with the dog.
“Uh, um, what!?” You could only sputter in shock, blush covering your face and ears.
“Haha, we should talk about this later. First priority should be our would-be kidnappers, don’tcha think?” Spike interjects, eyes sparkling in laughter. You could only nod your head, dreading yet looking forward to what that conversation might entail. Then everyone went and stopped the bad guys and the bomb, saving the day and somehow losing the bounty they wanted once again.