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Rico grew up an only child. He desperately wished for a bigger family, but unfortunately it never came to be. Therefore, he went around collecting his own siblings of sorts. Enter, Carl and Dizzy.
Carl was weird, for sure, but Rico could always count on his honorary brother to have his back.
Dizzy was like an annoying little sister, who could also kick his ass if she so desired. Which she did.
A lot.
He was grateful for the both them, and an admittedly large part of him was relieved when they were all assigned to the same squad, Razak's Roughnecks. Hah, the irony of ending up under the leadership of their old professor. The universe had some sense of humor, and he wasn't quite sure he got the joke. But still, at the end of the day it was reassuring to see that his pseudo-siblings were okay, surviving yet another battle.
Then along came Higgins. He hadn't realized the boy was assigned to their team at first, thinking he was just some random news reporter that would do a few interviews and be shipped back to Earth. But surprise, Paperboy was here to stay.
It made Rico's blood boil just a little.
The kid never even held a gun, much less shot one before. And they expected him to keep up with them lugging around that camera while deep in enemy territory? What would happen if the kid got separated? What if it compromised his team's safety?
It just didn't make any sense to him.
But hey, he was here as a soldier. And good soldiers follow orders.
Eventually though, over time, Higgins had grown on him in a way he hadn't expected. And when he realized it, it hit him like a freight train. He viewed Paperboy as a younger brother of sorts. Easily distracted, innocent, and too entirely vulnerable. The urge to protect the kid was overwhelming. And Rico knew he wasn't the only one who felt this way.
Dizzy would never say it out loud, but she missed her biological siblings. She already had two brothers in the army, she was the second child out of her family to join. She has two younger brothers, one left at home and one in the Mobile Infantry, sadly the one left home was born with a disability forcing him to stay behind, he would never be able to join the military alongside his brothers' and sister. Higgins probably reminded her of him.
Of what her younger brother could have turned out to be.
It had to be both a proud, and terrifying thought.
Carl always had a harder time than others when it came to forging any sort of relationship. Finding out that his long-time friend and pseudo-brother was some kind psychic wizard made a lot of sense, actually. The blond was always rather quiet, always deep in thought. And while he did act in a way that most people would find weird, Rico never gave it a second thought.
Carl was a good guy, and that's all there was to it.
So Rico was a little surprised to find Carl and Higgins bonding so quickly. Higgins was constantly talking, and Carl was nothing if not a patient listener. It made for an unlikely, but pleasant friendship.
His family was slowly getting bigger, and the thought was both exciting and terrifying for Rico. War can get ugly, and everything you have can be taken away within seconds. They all knew what they signed up for. Didn't make the reality any less easy to deal with though.
Especially right now.
The Roughnecks were sent on a mission to you guessed it, exterminate a nest of warrior bugs. Being on one of the most top-rated squads in the mobile infantry meant they got the fun, dangerous missions. Lieutenant Razak's reputation was impressive, and Rico found himself glad to be under his command.
But of course, it seems like the curse of being on this squad was that they were prone to Murphy's law. Anything that can go wrong, will.
It started with an ambush from the bugs. They somehow managed to separate the squad, leaving himself with Dizzy and Higgins, while he hoped everyone else was still with each other. The three of them managed to escape the nest, but not without a few bumps and bruises.
And of course, Higgins managed to bonk his head. Hard.
Scouting around, Rico managed to spot a small, empty cave and herded them towards it. While he motioned for Dizzy and Higgins to move on ahead, he checked their surroundings, making sure that no bugs had followed them. After he was satisfied that they weren't in any immediate danger, he turned his attention to his team-mates.
Rico took note that Dizzy had ushered Higgins towards the back of the cave, and had forcibly tucked the young reporter under her arm as they settled down against the cave wall. They faced several close calls getting here, so he didn't blame her for wanting to keep their most vulnerable member within reach. He knows he'll be keeping one eye on the kid.
The other one, of course, would be on his sister.
"I'm fine, stop that!" Higgins whined as he tried batting Dizzy's hands away as she frantically tried to check over him.
"I saw your head hit that rock, just let me check!" The girl huffed out, frustrated. It was the same tone of voice she would use back in their football games and practices, when she was seconds away from exploding.
Rico decided he needed to step in before anything... drastic happened.
"She's right, we need to make sure you're alright. But Dizz, you could stop being such a mama bear about it."
Both of his pseudo younger siblings gave him -were those identical?- glares. He suppressed a shudder. Creepy.
"Dizz, why don't you go and shoot off the flare, you're the better shot. Report back in five minutes. And Higgins, I'm just gonna run a few questions by you, okay? Just want to see how severe of an injury we're dealing with here." He ordered, doing his best to imitate Lt. Razak's command voice. He hoped it worked.
Dizzy rolled her eyes but got up and went to do what he told her to, at. Higgins gave a defeated sigh before straightening up, allowing Rico to finally make eye contact with him. The reporter's eyes were slightly unfocused. Rico flashed his helmet's flashlight a few times, causing the younger boy to groan and cover his eyes.
"Gah! What was that for!?" Higgins whined.
"I think you might have a concussion. Let's do a few tests. How many fingers am I holding up?" Rico asked while holding up three fingers.
The younger man gave him an unimpressed look.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Ugh, three."
"Good. Now state your full name, age, and place of birth." Rico continued, trying his best to remember the medical training Doc had ensured they all got.
This would be a lot easier if they could take off their helmets and check that way, but Pluto wasn't known for its welcoming atmosphere.
"Robert Theodore Higgins, 19, born in New Hampshire-"
Rico's mind blanked out for a second.
"Wait, what?"
Higgins paused, giving the red head a weird look. "Um, did I say it back wrong or-"
"You're 19?" Rico asked in disbelief.
"Yeah."
"How the fuck did you get in the army when you're only 19?"
The teenager squirmed.
"While news reporting is a two year program, I got accepted early because of my grades. I was the youngest to graduate from the program."
Rico wanted to go find whoever the fuck assigned this literal teenager to the front lines of a horrifying war, and beat the shit out of them. He thought that Carl, Dizzy, and himself were young. They were all 21, at least they could drink legally.
And he had known Higgins was young too, but he thought it was only by a few months. Not years, damn.
The sound of footsteps walking towards them jarred Rico out of his spiraling thoughts. It was Dizzy, back from her perimeter check. She kneeled down next to Rico, and shot a sympathetic look towards the Paperboy.
"Sorry for being so pushy earlier Robbie." She apologized to him. Rico tilted his head, since when did Dizzy call the kid Robbie?
Said kid gave her a small smile.
"S'okay Dizzy. I know you were just trying to help."
Her shoulders relaxed, and she plopped herself onto the ground next to him. Looking at Rico she asked,
"How's he looking?"
"He seems sensitive to light and sound, but his memory is still in tact. Hopefully it means nothing serious is going on."
"You know you guys don't have to talk about me like I'm not here, right?" Higgins commented, annoyed.
"Just trying to look out for your best interests, kid."
Higgins rolled his eyes, and immediately winced at the action. Raising a hand to his head he groaned. Dizzy and Rico worriedly leaned over.
"Everything okay? " Dizzy asked.
"I'm fine, I think it's just a headache."
Dizzy and Rico shared a worried look with each other. Neither one of them was a trained medical professional, so if things turned south, well... let's just hope it wouldn't come to that. The rest of the squad would find them. They had to.
In the meantime, the three of them just needed to survive.
The older two arranged themselves in a way that caused Paperboy to be snugly sandwiched in between them. Higgins didn't seem like he appreciated the babying very much but at least he was smart enough to know he couldn't fight it, even if he tried. He just rested his head on Dizzy's shoulder, and closed his eyes.
"Don't get too comfortable Paperboy. We'll be waking you up in a few hours to make sure you're alright." Rico warned him. He had at least remembered that bit of knowledge from back in high school. Sleeping with a concussion wasn't deadly, so it wouldn't hurt to let the kid rest.
Higgins replied with an unintelligible mumble. Rico gently squeezed the shoulder of the kid's power armor.
And with that, the three of them sat in silence.
"You think he'll be alright?" Dizzy asked after a while. She had tilted her neck, carefully resting her helmet onto Higgins. She looked uncomfortable as hell, but didn't seem to mind it one bit. One of her gloved hand's had slipped into the younger boy's, squeezing it reassuringly. Rico found himself doing the same with the other.
"He's a stubborn kid, he'll pull through."
Dizzy went silent again, and Rico thought she had gone to sleep too, only for her to ask another question.
"I heard you guys talking earlier. Is he really 19?"
Rico paused before answering.
"Yep."
"What was Lt. Razak thinking?" She wondered aloud.
Rico found himself wanting to know the answer to that as well.
"I don't know. What I do know is that my anxiety about Paperboy just shot up by like, 1000 percent."
"Same here." The young woman agreed. Taking in a sharp breath she added, "Do you think Carl knows?"
Rico shook his head. Carl wouldn't keep something like this a secret. He would have raised as much hell as himself and Dizzy.
"Nah. We don't keep secrets from each other."
But the more he thought about it, Carl had been a tad tight-lipped about the separate training he had as a psychic. It was probably nothing though.
"Do you think they'll find us?"
"They will. We set off the flare, we're sticking to one place, we got nothing to worry about."
Dizzy seemed somewhat pacified at his answer. She was probably still worried though. He's not gonna lie, he was too. They had heard the horror stories of troopers getting left behind due to the flares not being seen or just simply waiting too long. If they were left waiting too long, he would guess that oxygen depravation would get to them first.
Ah, wonderful. Death by suffocation.
That's a dark thought, even for you.
Rico jerked up straight, spooked by the voice invading his head.
"What the hell?" He spoke aloud, only to be shushed by Dizzy who was trying to make sure Paperboy hadn't been disturbed too much. She shot him a look that was a mixture of concern and confusion.
It's Carl. Sorry to invade your head like this, but we're having trouble finding you guys. Mind helping me out?
"Um, sure thing." Rico answered awkwardly. He proceeded to describe where they were to Carl as best he could. His brother promised him that they would be there soon to pick them up.
Dizzy sent him a pointed look after he was finished.
"Carl's at it again with the freaky mind-powers. Thankfully, they're saving our butts right now." He explained.
Dizzy snorted in response.
"He sure is full of surprises now, isn't he? Wish he'd be more open about it." She added the last part bitterly.
Carl had been growing more distant to them as of late, and Dizzy always took these kinds of things pretty hard. Rico reached over and flicked the side of her helmet, causing the girl to squawk indignantly. They got a few more flick attacks in before Higgins started moaning, probably due to them jostling him around.
The two of them stopped after that, but his sister seemed to be a bit lighter and happier now, so Rico would call it a success.
Several minutes passed by before Rico got a nudging feeling in his brain.
We're just outside the cave I saw in your head.
Rico informed Dizzy that their rescuers were finally here. Dizzy had made sure to collect the Paperboy's camera, knowing how upset he would be to lose all that footage, while Rico had maneuvered the kid onto his back. It was easier than just watching him stumble around and struggle to stay upright.
Carl was the first to greet them, alongside Doc and Razak. The latter two gently removed Higgins from Rico's back and started examining him.
"Sorry to intrude on your thoughts, but I had to know where you were." The blond apologized.
Rico clapped him on his shoulder, Dizzy doing the same to the other.
"Don't ever apologize for rescuing us." Rico told him earnestly.
Carl finally cracked a relieved smile, and let go of the tightness in his shoulders.
Doc and Razak walked over, their assessment of Higgins finally done. The boy was resting on a stretcher Doc must have brought with him.
"Doc finished his scans, and save for a few minor bumps and bruises, the concussion seems to be the only major issue. He says plenty of rest and time off from strenuous physical activity and he'll be as good as new. Good job you two, watching over him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it when he wakes up."
That was the highest praise Rico thinks the lieutenant has ever given them.
"Sir yes sir!" They both shouted.
And with that, they got onto the ship, ready to fly home.
It had been several hours since the three of them had been rescued. Long enough for Rico to shower, change clothes, grab some food, and of course worry. Higgins had been going in and out of consciousness the whole time, and even threw up at one point.
Rico felt himself getting sick. He was supposed to protect his team, and this was a big fat failure in his book. The guilt was eating him alive, hence him camping out in med-bay, watching over Higgins. Dizzy and Carl had been in and out too, and even Brutto and Gossard had checked in on the boy.
The door to the med-bay whooshed open, causing Rico to look up. It was Lieutenant Razak.
He immediately stood up out of his chair and stood at attention.
"At ease, trooper." Razak acknowledged, waving him off.
Rico relaxed his stance. Razak turned his attention to Higgins, as if studying the boy. The redhead found himself feeling fidgety, wanting to ask a certain question but not entirely sure it would go over well. His professor must have been reading his mind, because after a few minutes the man said,
"Spit it out Rico."
"Did you know about... about how old he is?" Rico asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I did." Razak answered back calmly.
The younger man bristled.
"He's so young, why the hell would they send a literal teenager to the front lines? isn't that some kind of sick twisted joke!?" He practically shouted, unable to contain his frustration.
Razak seemed unfazed.
"I'm not going to pretend that I understand the higher ups reasons for the things they do, but just so you know I specifically requested Higgins to be on our squad."
"Why?"
"I'm not fond of someone as young as him being here either, and I didn't think he was going to stick around for this long. I figured we could bring him along on a few missions, and then when the inevitable happens where we one of us is compromised in the field in favor of his safety, that I'd have a good enough excuse to send him back to Earth."
Rico felt like he stopped breathing.
So that's why Razak had been so dead set on sending Higgins back home so early on in the campaign. He was trying to protect him, and Rico was the reason the kid was still here.
And besides, there ain't no way you're going home before me.
Those words he had said Higgins were a jest, that didn't really mean anything. He wishes he could take them back.
"It's all my fault. I told you to give him a chance, to let me train him, and I ruined your plan to get a civilian home safely." Rico said, feeling yet another wave of guilt crashing down on him.
A hand clasped his shoulder. It was the Lieutenant's metal prosthetic, Rico could feel the coldness seeping in through his standard-issued workout attire.
"Higgins is no more a civilian than you or I. True, he's may have not had the same training as the rest of us but that doesn't mean he's not capable. You should check his simulator scores, he's making some good progress. You should be proud of your teaching." Razak told him in a steady, no-nonsense tone.
"How can I be proud when I'm the reason that someone I care about is in danger?"
"War isn't easy. We make decisions without fully realizing the outcomes. I for one, am glad you made me reconsider my decision on the kid. He's been essential to this squad in other ways than just shooting bugs, you just need to get your head out of your ass to see it."
And with that, both the hand and his commanding officer was gone.
Rico turned to look at the boy, considering Razak's words. Higgins was a far cry from being just like any other normal civilian, so it wasn't fair for Rico to think of him as such. He knew the news reporting was an essential part of mobile infantry's recruitment drive, but what else did Razak mean?
Something clicked in his head.
Paperboy is someone for them to protect. To remind them why they signed up for this. After all, if they couldn't save a damn paperboy, what business did they have out here?
He'd do better next time. After all, he's got a team family to protect.