Chapter Text
Rina was glad to be home. She sank down into one of the stern lounge chairs and shut her eyes. The redhead hoped everyone would be too busy at their mission debriefing or whatever to come to the break room too soon.
She felt a twinge of guilt for leaving her team to look after things for a little longer, but only a little one.
She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her knee, "Stars above Phanan! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She narrowed her grey eyes at him, silently daring him him to say something sarcastic.
The pilot grinned from where he was crouched in front of her. "Well wifey, I thought you'd like to know that in a few minutes everyone will be piling in here."
"Fake wife!" Rina growled, referring to the false identities the Wraiths and she had assumed to sneak onto the planet of Storinal.
Ton wiped away a faux tear and clasped his chest in a parody of extreme emotional distress, "You want a divorce? What about the children?"
Rina blushed and stuttered.
Phanan took pity on her and whispered, "Also that Bastra boy said something about spooning you that I just couldn't believe! I thought you saved that for me." He winked and sat back on his heels.
She groaned and stood up, nudging Phanan's shoulder with her hip, 'accidentally' knocking him back onto his rear, "Didn't your parents teach you to share your toys?" She said tiredly, nerves still on edge from the shuttle ride back to the Night Caller.
Being shot at by angry Imps was not something she wanted to go through again any time soon.
Ton scrambled up with as much dignity as he could muster, "Hambly?"
She paused mid-flounce. He looked uncharacteristically nervous and rubbed a hand through his hair, ruining its habitual neatness. "Did you want to come by my quarters before you carry on being mad at me? I uh picked something up on the mission and I wondered if you wanted to see it."
Rina smiled a little. Those flyboys were all after one thing - admittedly the were seldom interested in her, or even aware she was there.
"Oh Riiinaaaa!" Bastra's voice sang out from the far corridor.
"Okay, you win Mr Medic. Let's go see your souvenir." Rina grabbed Phanan's sleeve and practically ran out of the lounge.
---
As Ton fussed with a covered box, Rina perched on the edge of his bunk, uncomfortably aware of the situation and how much of a big step this was for her.
A part of her, the mentor voice, was shouting at her for being ridiculous and to make excuses to leave. Rina quashed the urge to run; mainly because she was tired and Jayce Bastra would doubtlessly be waiting for her outside her room with the wooden spoon she'd put him in charge of.
"Right!" Ton turned to face Rina, "Close your eyes and hold out your hands." At her look he held up a placating hand; the other still behind his back. "I promise nothing inappropriate will be done unless you ask me nicely."
Rina fought the smile that threatened, it wouldn't do to encourage him.
She obediently held out her hands, palm up. Something feather light was placed onto her palm, she felt it move and her eyes flew open. She squealed as she came face to face with a large, crystalline insect.
Ton began to laugh until she spoke, "It's so cute!"
Ton sat beside her, "So that wasn't the reaction I was expecting..."
Rina let the little creature wander over her hand and wiggled her fingers at it, giggling as it waved its own mantis like forelimbs back at her. "Where did you get him?" Rina asked, clearly besotted with the beautiful critter.
The pilot smiled wryly, leaned in and said in a low voice, "From the mission where I was fortunate enough to meet your friend Princess Stabby."
"Tracer didn't mean it. She's just a bit rough around the edges and-" she trailed off as Ton held out his hand and the bug wandered onto the larger platform. "How is your leg anyway?"
"A bit stiff." He avoided looking directly at her as he gently put the insect back in its cage.
"I always wanted a pet when I was little." Rina said, watching the animal with a wistful look, "We just never stayed in one place long enough to put down roots and I would drive my father mad by bringing home strays constantly."
Ton promptly squirrelled that nugget of information away, this was the first time she'd told him something about her past without being a little bit tipsy.
A small part of him felt pretty smug; usually of was Face who found out the bits of their girl's past during their sessions.
"Tell you what; when I'm off on missions, could you look after him for me?"
"Really?"
"Sure." Ton smiled crookedly, "I was going to ask Face; but he'd probably kill it and being my wingman he'd most likely be coming along too."
Whatever reaction he expected; it wasn't what happened next. Rina threw herself at him and hugged him; hard. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She was practically delirious with excitement. Still refusing to relinquish her grip, Rina asked, "Can I name him?"
"Absolutely not." Ton chuckled, "You're rubbish at naming things."
Rina decided to let that one slide; for now. She was feeling comfortable for the moment. despite Phanan's slender 'bony' physique; he was a surprisingly good cuddler. If she hadn't been quite so tired, she would have been worrying about the indecorous way she was practically draped across his lap.
Phanan rested his cheek on the top of her head, surreptitiously enjoying the scent of vanilla and some sort of fruit that he associated with the cosy armful of girl currently attached to him.
She murmured something in a sleepy voice that sounded suspiciously like, "Best pretend husband ever." before her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.
As he slowly lost the feeling in his good arm, Ton found himself breaking his own rule by thinking about what had happened between them in the Storinal hotel room. If he was honest; nothing actually completely happened.
They'd gotten a little tiddly on the minibar offerings and talked for the entire time Kell and Tyria were escorting Stabby McShiv (he refused to acknowledge the slicer who stuck him in the leg with a bone spike by name; it made it far too real) to Wedge's group across town.
Somehow they'd ended up in a similar position then too.
She'd been upset about some family thing and being almost a decade older than her, he'd tried his best to be comforting. Face had been nagging him for weeks to try being nice.
Regardless, she'd looked at him with those damn kicked puppy dog eyes and he wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't have kissed her if their teammates hadn't conveniently returned.
Ton yawned and pulled his blanket over Rina's legs. As he debated having a nap as well a sudden thought lanced through his mind, 'Would it have been so bad?'
---
Fifteen minutes later, Face knocked on his wingman's door; wanting to talk to him about the germ of an idea he had to find out who the prankster plaguing the squadron was.
He pursed his lips thoughtfully when there wasn't an answer. Shrugging, he tapped in Ton's code and walked in; they were quite comfortable practically living in each other's pockets anyway.
Face stopped dead on his tracks when he saw the perpetually anxious cook sleeping peacefully in the arms of his friend.
More surprising was the small smile on his sarcastically acerbic wingman's lips.
Not one to ever miss an opportunity; Face snapped a few photos for blackmail purposes and slipped out; leaving the pair to it.