Work Text:
While Metis and Simon were practicing their sword fighting, babysitting duty fell to Aura. Dealing with children wasn’t exactly her forte, but the princess was quiet and had an ever growing fascination with robots. She made a good enough assistant when Aura was busy building prototypes.
Aura was elbows deep in the aluminum husk of her newest creation, still in its early stages. “Princess, hand me the butterfly wrench,” she demanded holding out a gloved hand.
There was no sound of shuffling feet or metal clanking together as Athena picked through Aura’s toolbox. Aura glanced up. Athena had climbed on top of the workbench, sitting on her knees while her eyes gazed out the window, blank and unmoving. Her hands grasped the edge of the windowsill, nose pressed against the glass.
“Hey!” Aura chastised, pulling her hands from the casing. “You know you’re not supposed to be up there!”
Athena didn’t flinch like most children would, instead her eyes staying fixed outside. “Why is there a boy out there?” she asked curiously.
Aura strode across the lab, placing a steadying hand on Athena’s back as she followed the girl’s gaze. She groaned, “Not this again.”
On the lawn just outside Aura’s window, stood a boy with wild black hair in a black school uniform, shouting loudly towards the front of the Space Center. Above his head, he held a flimsy cardboard sign proclaiming “Pluto Did Nothing Wrong” in a schoolboy’s messy scrawl.
Athena glanced at Aura curiously. “You know him?”
Aura scowled. “Thankfully no.” She eyed the girl, still atop the workbench with wrenches and bolts spread around her like flowers. “Now stop stalling and get off before your mom gets back.”
Athena pouted, but did as told, hopping down to the floor. “What’s he doing out there?”
“Hell if I know,” Aura grumbled. Athena’s eyes widened at hearing the curse leave Aura’s mouth. “Don’t tell your mom I said that.”
Once Athena was safely back on solid ground, Aura picked up the old two-way radio the Space Center issued all employees and dialed Sol’s frequency. “Starbuck, that kid is outside my lab again,” she groused into the receiver.
She narrowed her eyes at the boy outside, his muffled voice just barely coming through the “soundproof” glass. Aura knew from experience that he was a loud little shit.
A few seconds later, Sol’s voice crackled over the radio. “Is his friend with him?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Aura replied, and thank god for that. If this kid was loud, his friend was ten times worse.
Aura stayed at the window, watching the boy like a hawk. If security wasn’t going to do their job and remove him, someone had to make sure he didn’t get into trouble. A mechanical whirr filled the lab as Metis and Simon came back from their training.
Metis placed their practice swords atop her desk, eyeing Aura with the same curious expression Athena wore. “Aura, why aren’t you working?” she asked. Usually nothing could distract Aura from her work, and Metis had to remind the other scientist to eat.
Aura gestured out the window in annoyance. “That kid is back!” she exclaimed.
Metis stepped beside her to glance at the boy outside. “Oh my,” she hummed thoughtfully. “He must be very passionate about the planets,” she surmised.
Aura huffed, clenching her gloved hands. “Passionate my a—” Metis shot her a warning look. “Foot.” Simon chuckled in the background. “I can’t get any work done when some kid is protesting outside my window!”
Metis pursed her lips as she watched the boy. “It’s rather cold out. How long as he been there?” she wondered aloud.
Aura crossed her arms, annoyed that no one seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Athena piped up, “At least an hour. I’ve been watching him.”
The door slid open again, this time making way for Solomon Starbuck. “Is he still here?” he asked.
Aura scoffed. “Of course he’s still here, does he ever leave?” she grumbled, sulking as the others gathered around the window.
“He’s been out there a long time, do you think we should do something?” Metis asked the others.
“Yeah, have Ponco throw him out,” Aura snapped.
Ponco rolled over at hearing their name, colliding with Simon’s knees. “Would you like me to remove the boy from the premises?”
“No, Ponco,” Metis replied. Simon grumbled, rubbing the new bruise on his shin. “I’ll have to fix that bug in your software, apologies, Simon,” she said placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Simon straightened, pretending that he was perfectly fine after being hit by thirty pounds of metal. “I’m fine, Cykes-sama,” he assured. Still, he made sure to put Aura between him and Ponco.
“Shouldn’t he be in school?” Athena asked, standing on her tiptoes to glance out the window.
“School’s out for the day, princess,” Sol replied. Athena glanced towards the clock on Aura’s desk, and found that it was early evening. She’d lost track of time while helping Aura, and now it was early evening.
“Speaking of school,” Metis began, and Athena already dreaded what would come next. “Don’t you have lessons to catch up on?”
“But mom!” Athena whined, stomping her foot childishly.
“Simon will go with you,” Metis assured, glancing to her pupil. “If that’s alright?”
Simon nodded, extending his hand to the small girl. “Of course, Cykes-sama,” he said. “School is important.”
Athena, still pouting, placed her hand in Simon’s. He offered her a gentle smile, and encased her tiny hand in his. She stayed at his knees as they walked side by side. “Will you help me with math?”
“Of course, though I can’t promise to be much help,” Simon replied, before the door shut behind them and their muffled voices faded in the distance.
Metis shook her head fondly. “When I go to fetch them they’ll be watching anime,” she laughed.
Aura rolled her eyes because that sounded exactly like something her brother would do. “Are we forgetting about the brat outside my lab?”
Sol stroked his chin thoughtfully. “It’s past dinner, do you think he’s eaten?” he asked.
Metis frowned. “The poor boy must be starving.”
“Oh for the love of…” Aura growled, throwing open the window in a fit of rage. “Hey, kid!” she shouted.
For one perfect moment, the teenager outside her lab quieted, looking up at Aura with wide eyes. It was the first time someone had acknowledged his presence outside the Space Center.
“Yeah, you!” Aura said once she got his attention. “Shut up about your damn planet!”
The boy shook off his shock and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Does that mean you’ll give back Pluto’s planetary status?”
Aura pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m in robotics, kid! I can’t do shit about Pluto!”
She was cut off when Metis physically pulled her away from the window, slamming it shut. She looked to Sol pleadingly. “Go do something about the poor boy, please.”
Outside, Clay stared curiously at the window the scary woman had disappeared into. He held his sign firmly, decorated with planet stickers and sprinkled with glitter. He was probably going to have glitter in his hair for the next ten years, but it was a small price to pay for his cause. He shivered in the cooling evening air, stomach rumbling.
When a tall man in with unruly red hair approached, Clay steeled himself, prepared to stand his ground. Clay held his sign tighter as the man stopped in front of him. Clay only came up to his chest, he tried to make up for it with a determined glare.
“You can make me leave but the cause will never die!” he proclaimed.
Sol’s mouth twitched into a smirk. “I’m not gonna make you leave,” he said with amusement.
Clay deflated slightly. “Oh.”
“What’s your name kid?”
Clay eyed him suspiciously, wondering if this was some sort of trick. What kind of damage could a Space Center employee do with a name? Sol noticed his hesitation. He mentally applauded the kid for being wary.
“I’m Solomon Starbuck,” he offered, extending a hand.
Clay reached forward, clasping their hands together. Sol’s firm handshake caused glitter to shower over Clay’s shoulders. “Clay Terran,” the boy finally said.
“So, Clay,” Sol began. “You really like Pluto, huh?”
Clay nodded vehemently, more glitter falling into his hair. “Yeah! Pluto’s the best! It’s so wrong what they did to it!”
Sol bit back a chuckle. It would probably be rude to laugh in the kid’s face. “Yeah, I was twelve when it got demoted, and I wasn’t the biggest fan either, at the time,” he reminisced. “Unfortunately there’s not much I can do.”
Clay’s shoulders slumped. “There’s not?”
Sol shook his head. “It’s been eleven years. Kind of hard to turn over decisions like that so far after the fact.” Clay’s eyes were mysteriously shiny. Sol stuttered, “I mean, if we called Pluto a planet, we’d have to name more planets because of its size, it’s just not realistic, you know?” he struggled to explain.
Clay rubbed at his teary eyes. “Yeah, but just because it’s tiny doesn’t mean it’s not important,” he whimpered. “My best friend is tiny, but he’s the most important thing in my life.”
Sol was speechless. He’d never imagined he’d make a thirteen year old cry. He tried to think of something that would cheer the boy up. “Is your friend the other kid you bring with you? The really loud one?”
Clay nodded. “You’ve seen me out here?”
Sol smiled. “Even if we hadn’t seen you, we would have heard you.”
Clay flushed and looked away sheepishly. The conversation lulled, the silence only broken by the gusty wind. Sol noticed Clay shivering, one arm wrapped around his torso. With a pang of sympathy, Sol shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the boy’s shoulders. Clay started at the sudden weight, glancing curiously at the older man.
“You should come inside, kid. We can probably scrounge up some food for you,” Sol offered.
Clay hesitated, wondering if it was really wise to take offers of food from strangers, even if they were Space Center employees. Then his rumbling stomach made the decision for him. He followed Sol into the lobby, glancing at the models of rockets and observation modules with wonder, despite having seen them hundreds of times before.
Sol brought Clay into the employee lounge, where he found Athena sitting in Simon’s lap as frantic Japanese spewed from the speakers. Simon quickly slammed the laptop shut, much to Athena’s dismay.
Sol raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying?”
“We were!” Simon insisted.
Sol glanced to Athena. “Did Shinji get in the robot yet?” he asked.
“No.”
Simon sent Athena a betrayed glare while Sol chuckled to himself. He went to the fridge, searching for something edible that he wouldn’t be drawn and quartered for giving to Clay. Seeing another kid made Clay feel slightly safer in his decision, and he relaxed in his seat. He took the chance to examine the jacket on his shoulders more closely.
A loud gasp filled the room.
Sol bolted upright, looking to the boy frantically. “What is it?”
“Y-y-you,” Clay stuttered. Athena flinched, adjusting her headphones slightly. “You w-work for Gyaxa?” Clay asked, touching the Gyaxa emblem on the jacket reverently.
Sol blinked at the boy, now watching him with starry eyes. “Yes?”
“Oh my god!” Clay exclaimed, jumping up from the chair. “Do you know any astronauts? Are you an astronaut?”
Sol rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, blushing at the sudden attention. “Hopefully, one day.”
Clay’s eyes were blown wide as he stared up at Sol like he was the answer to his prayers. Clay held the jacket tight around him with white knuckled fists, fingers shaking. “This is the happiest day of my life,” he said in awe.
Behind them, Simon quietly led Athena out of the room, leaving the two alone. Clay clasped his hands in front of him. “Mr. Starbuck, it’s such an honor to meet you,” he enthused.
Mr. Starbuck. God, that made him feel old. He wasn’t quite sure how to react to the sudden admiration. “Thanks?”
“Please,” Clay begged. “How can I go to space?”
Sol had a feeling that the kid was about to get on his hands and knees. “Well, you have to get a degree first,” he said with amusement.
Clay’s face fell, as he suddenly remembered just how young he was. “Right.” He nodded glumly.
“But until then,” Sol began. “Would you like to see a rocket?”
Clay immediately perked up. “Would I like to see a rocket?” he gasped. “Of course!”
Sol chuckled to himself and began walking towards the door. “Come on, then,” he said, waving for the boy to follow. Clay trotted after him like a golden retriever, all the way across the Space Center.
Later, when Clay reluctantly returned Sol’s jacket and headed home, Sol waved the boy off. Metis stepped up behind him, curiously watching the young boy disappear into the night.
“Who was that?” she asked.
“I think.” Sol paused contemplatively. “That was my student.”