Work Text:
Theron made it to Odessen, where Nine and Lana had decided to build a base, as fast as he could. Not as fast as he had hoped but at least Lana kept him informed of (almost) everything that had been going on. Having to drag the information that Nine had been skewered on a lightsaber out of her when she acted strange was ...something When he understood what she had just said Theron thought he would have a heart attack and die on the spot. He didn't, of course, and Nine got back on his feet eventually, even if it was far too quick for Theron's peace of mind.
Meeting Nine again had been strange. It had been five years, six months and seventeen days (not that he had been counting) (much) since they last met. For Theron.
For Nine it had been a few months.
Nine was as tall, dark and good looking as Theron remembered but he was also thinner and paler, with a gray tinge to his blue skin. Managing to show off as he brought Nine his present, Theron worriedly studied him as Nine's ship swooped in over the docks just as he had hoped it would, before landing in the area Lana had set aside for it. That unguarded look on Nines face when he saw his ship again was more than worth all the time and all the work it took to find it and get it flying again. Not to mention the effort to keep it hidden until he could give it to Nine. Nine was nosy, of course he was, so hiding the expenses had been interesting.
Theron didn't want to press Nine about emotions or the whatever-they-had when Nine was both ill and clearly under pressure so he tried to leave after the ship was delivered and make his way to Lana to start working. Preferably before he jumped Nine right there on the docks and tried to kiss him. The guards looked overprotective and might mistake it for an attack.
Nine stopped him with a touch on his arm.
“I read your letter” Oh stars! He read it.
“Oh?” Nine still made Theron tongue-tied just by existing.
“I.. I want to continue where we left off. If you still want that?” Nine stuttered? He never did that.
“I..yes. Yes!”
Nine smiled then, and it was that smile. Theron felt giddy when he walked away.
They had talked (kind of), about emotions. Or about the whatever-it-is at least. And it's an it-is not an it-was. Nine wanted it too.
Theron tried not to grin like a fool as he took the elevator up to the base.