Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dear diary,

Today has been a slow day. Oatchi and I had made great progress, but while the Pikmin were transporting treasures, I had plenty of time to sit and think. 

Lately though, I just can’t seem to stop thinking about the Rescue Corps, and I guess I’ve developed some sort of a crush on all of the members. It sounds really dumb now that I’m writing this down, but I just really want some place to put this in the hopes that it will ease my mind. I’m not quite sure what else to do with these thoughts if I’m being honest. But who knows, one day I might-

“Hey, rookie!”

Nik slammed the book shut as someone entered his room, blush clear on his face. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready, come out whenever you’re ready.”

“Y-yeah, thanks Collin.”

As he smiled and left the room, Nik’s heart skipped a beat. Stars, why was he so sweet? Nik put on some slippers and took a deep breath before he also left. The winding hallways gave him a moment of solace before he was met with the bright, happy faces of the crew.

Weeks had passed since he was first sent off in the S.S. Beagle, his main goal was to rescue the Rescue Corps. By now, after a great deal of effort and teamwork, everyone from the crew had been rescued by his hand alongside many other castaways, and he was proud of all he had accomplished thus far. Helping people in need was one of the main reasons he chose to volunteer, after all. 

He sat at the table between Yonny and Bernard, still lost in his head as he was handed a bowl. Collin was the first person he found, not far from where he landed. His rosy cheeks and striking green eyes looked amazing in the right lighting, and he always kept a level head, which was necessary when exploring an alien planet. Shepherd was found soon after at the bottom of a cave, and while she was skittish at times, her love for dogs and the care she gave Oatchi had Nik falling way faster than he’d hoped.

Frankly, everyone had their own quirks that Nik just adored. Russ’s laugh, the way he’d light up when others asked about his inventions. Dingo’s willingness to help out when needed, though he was very reckless. Yonny’s support on the night expeditions, and all the stories from his childhood. Bernard’s speaking quirks and the fact that he never took off his sunglasses, Nik always wondered what was under them.

“New Blood, aren’t you hungry? You haven’t touched your soup.” Nik twitched as Yonny used that nickname again.

“He seems quite preoccupied, kee-hee!” 

Nik hated the way his cheeks started burning, and he looked down at his food. “I’m fine,” he mumbled before stuffing his face.

After a moment of silence, conversation started to pick up again. Nik did his best to follow along as to prevent any further embarrassment, finishing his meal sooner than everyone else. As he walked to the kitchen to clean his dishes, he nearly swooned hearing boisterous laughter ringing out nearby. This needed to stop, these thoughts were bad, liking all these people at once?

—

Later that night, Nik looked through his unfinished diary entry, running his fingers through his hair. He felt bad for distancing himself from the others, especially since Shepherd seemed excited to talk about the history of the rescue pups, and Yonny was happy to have him around while he processed some Bulborb DNA. His feelings were unprofessional, and he can’t just bite the bullet and ask one of them out, let alone all of them. 

It wouldn’t work no matter how hard he tried, so he had to avoid facing them. Nik groaned and tore out the page, balling it up. He blindly tossed it, barely hearing it impact as he hid under his blankets and squeezed his eyes shut.

Chapter Text

SNIFFSNIFFSNIFF

Nik giggled as he woke up to something tickling his face, and raised a shaky hand to bat away Oatchie’s snout. “H-hey, wha-”

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, feeling as if he hadn’t slept at all. Knowing his sleeping patterns, he wouldn’t be surprised. The door was open, and he saw Shepherd standing with her arms crossed. Clearly she had let Oatchi in.

“Rise and shine, Cadet!”

Oatchi yipped and ran around the room as the attention had left him. Nik cleared his throat and fought to get an answer out, getting lost in Shepherd’s eyes.

“Uh huh..”

“...Uh huh. So get up! Collin and I will be waiting for you outside. Oatchi, come here!”

The puppy lifted his head and followed her out. “Oh, what’s this?”

Nik threw the blanket off and slipped out of bed, quickly dressing himself before walking into the kitchen. 

Dingo was sitting at the table with a hot drink. At least he had the decency to refill the kettle this time. He looked over for a moment when Nik poured himself a coffee, but turned away before they had the chance to make eye contact. Weird, but he paid it no mind.

The bitter taste woke up the cadet just enough to feel up to today’s expedition, but the warmth of the sun shining through the window was making that battle just a little harder. Nik put on his helmet and stepped outside, now feeling even more drowsy. He would be fine, he was sure of it, a sleepless night had never bothered him much before.

“Ah, there you are! Ready to head off?” Collin’s voice rang out over the chirping of native birds.

Nik walked over with Oatchi in tow and discussed the next possible landing zone. They eventually decided to head back to Blossoming Arcadia to tie up loose ends and hopefully grow the Pikmin population some more. 

With that, the two were sent off to the paradise of falling flower petals.

The S.S. Beagle landed, and Nik and Oatchi brought out a handful of Pikmin, maybe twenty or so. Nik whistled the small creatures to mount Oatchi as he checked the tablet, finding some treasures floating around nearby. Though this time he chose to walk, he feared that he’d fall asleep if he spent too long near Oatchi’s warmth. 

“Hey rookie, make sure you stay alert out there!” Nik flinched at the feedback buzzing through his communicator.

“Uh huh. M’paying attention.”

Shepherd butted in, “You sound tired, Nik, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, you guys. Alright..”

Nik scanned the area and found a large treasure hanging on a ledge. How could he have missed it? Oatchi charged it and knocked the item down, impacting the ground with a deep thud. He sent the Pikmin to carry it back to the ship, vision starting to blur every so slightly.

As he watched them work, he barely noticed rumbling behind him. Another look at the tablet showed a spiky purple blob, symbolising a hostile creature in the vicinity. 

With a flash of light, the creature finally revealed itself. It was a Joustmite! It approached the working Pikmin and Nik panicked, preparing to rush Oatchi.

“Nik! What the hell are you doing?! You can’t attack them from the front!”  

“Fuckfuck, I KNOW!”

The joustmite reared back, ready to attack Oatchi, and all the Pikmin. In that moment, all Nik could think of was keeping them out of harm’s way. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, the squad about to be skewered. There was only one thing he could do.

Nik sprinted forward and shoved Oatchi out of the way, hearing him yelp in surprise.

SHING

The spear easily pierced Nik’s suit, holding him aloft for a moment. Everything around him fell silent. He felt… cold. The blade suddenly retracted, unceremoniously dropping Nik to the ground. Nik stumbled back and looked at Oatchi, the Pikmin, before everything went black.

—

Nik opened his eyes to see a bright light above him. Is he dying? Where is he? Everything ached. He shifted his position slightly, hissing at the white-hot pain that tore across his abdomen.

“Oh my, awake already?”

The light above him moved and eventually turned off, allowing his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. Yonny was sitting at his bedside, watching beeping monitors and frantically writing notes.

Yonny put aside his notebook and shuffled closer to Nik, taking his hand, “How do you feel?”

Nik barely registered the words that came out the doctor’s mouth, focusing on the warmth encompassing his hand. His brain felt all muddled up, and trying to remember what got him here only managed to give him a headache

“Hhh-hurts, what hap-pened?”

“You took a nasty hit while you were out, we were all so worried about you.”

“Y-you all..?”

“Yeah, even Dingo. He came running and told us you messed something up, luckily Oatchi had the good sense to take you back to the ship. I- we thought we were gonna lose you for a bit eheh.”

Nik couldn’t help but get distracted again having Yonny up so close, speaking so softly, so lovingly, holding his hand and caring about him and— 

He started crying.

Yonny clearly hadn’t been expecting that.

“O-oh dear! Does it hurt? Do I need to get something for you?”

Nik sniffled and shook his head, ignoring how woozy the motion made him. He wrapped his free arm around Yonny and hugged him tightly, crying and ranting incoherently. 

There wasn’t much Yonny could do to break away, so he gently hugged back until Nik had calmed enough to let go.

“You must be so wound up, new blood. Here, have some water and try to get some rest.”

Fatigue had really started to set in now, so he agreed and took a sip from the glass of water the doctor had handed him, before putting it aside.

Yonny brushed some hair away from Nik’s eyes and gave him a sweet smile, “Goodnight.”

“Night… love you.”

Chapter Text

Many ‘Get Well Soon!’ cards were stacked up by Nik’s bedside from the visits by his crewmates. This time it was Yonny, who came in to deliver some painkillers. Nik wouldn’t have been surprised if they were just another sly experiment, but if it stopped the burning pain he woke up with every morning, he was fine being a guinea pig.

“Thanks, Yon.”

“Y-yeah, no worries New Blood,” he muttered, seeming lost in thought.

Nik rolled onto his side and huffed, staring at the doctor.

“As much as I’d like to admire the view, when do you think I’ll be able to get up and about again?”

Yonny tensed and turned away from an unfinished project, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, “Get up? S-stars, you’re lucky that joustmite hadn’t left you paralyzed! I don’t think it’s wise to walk around just yet, for now it’ll be safer to just ‘admire the view’, eheh.”

“Are you sure? Where are the others now? I’m hungry. Can you get me something to eat?”

“You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?” Yonny rubbed his temples before swiftly leaving the room, “I’ll be back with your breakfast.”

And now Nik was left alone in the medbay, that was surprisingly easy. Maybe having a younger sibling to pester helped hone his skills. He sighed, well if he wanted to try walking, now would be the time to start. Though, as he tried to sit up, he noticed how tight the skin of his abdomen felt. Right, Yonny must have stitched him up while he was out, thankfully the full extent of his injuries was obscured by a pale blue hospital gown. He shivered for a moment as he ran a few fingers over his stomach, feeling several layers of bandages. 

Another deep breath, and Nik swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The extra pressure to his midsection was uncomfortable to say the least, did that creature really stab him through? It was truly a wonder that his organs remained intact. 

“Okay, moment of truth,” Nik muttered and he slowly shuffled off the bed.

He took his first steps, trying to stifle his gasp at the pain that shot up his spine when he righted himself. This was a horrible idea, but Nik was either too doped up on painkillers to care, or running solely on the adrenaline rush he got from defying direct orders. Nevertheless, he continued forward, taking a much better look around the room.

Sadly, his exploration was cut short as the door swung open. Yonny stared in disbelief and, lord help him, nearly dropped the breakfast tray. He quickly placed it on a messy bench and helped Nik steady himself.

“I told you not to get up! What were you thinking?!” He gave an exasperated sigh, “If I really can’t keep you down, then let me at least get something for you.”

Nik watched intently as the doctor rummaged around a chest full of various obscure items, pulling out a large decorated cane.

“Here, it should help keep your balance.”

Yonny held the cane out to Nik, but didn’t let go when he grabbed it. Instead, he pulled closer, to the point their noses nearly brushed against each other. His voice lowered, almost threatening. 

“Now listen to me, new blood. You are not to partake in ANY strenuous activity. And if you tear any of those stitches, by the stars, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Y-yes, doc.” 

The doctor brightened up immediately after, as if someone had flipped a switch in his brain. “Great! Now leave before I change my mind.”

Nik hobbled out as fast as he could, feeling better with help from the cane. Woah , Yonny could really be scary when he wanted to be, but even the thinly-veiled threats didn’t deter Nik’s thoughts from wandering. Being so close like that, even when he had clearly pissed off the doctor, it was– it felt great. He didn’t want to think too hard on what that said about him.

He passed a window that faced the Corps’ base of operations, seeing Collin, Bernard and Russ. The urge to suit up and head outside was quite tempting, but Nik wasn’t sure he’d be able to without causing further injury, and with what Yonny said, the idea made him shiver. After a quick change of clothes, he aimlessly wandered the halls for a while, looking for any signs of life. Someone would show up eventually.

Funnily enough, he stumbled across Dingo, who nearly jumped out of his skin when they made eye contact. That was before he took Nik in a bone crushing bear hug. Nik yelped as the ranger held him close, it would have been cute if he wasn’t squeezing the air out of him.

“ Haah– h-hey Dingo, ca-can you ease up a little?” he whispered, weakly patting his back.

“You freaked me out, man! I knew you fucked up sometimes, but I thought you died!”

Nik scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, “Yeah, I’m not sure what would’ve happened if we didn’t have Yonny. He’s… not very happy to have me out of bed.”

Dingo made a face at the mention of Yonny, likely having been subjected to his experiments in the past. The two were silent for an awkward moment, Nik tapping his fingers on the cane handle, Dingo fiddling with his blue bandana.

“Sooo, are you doing much today?”

“Well, Yonny… convinced me to take a night expedition while you’re in recovery, so I’ve been napping to prepare for it. Just woke up, actually.”

“Ah, cool cool. Since I’m not allowed to do much, could I hang out in your room with you?” Nik tried to play it cool, even though he felt like he was melting.

“Oh sure, I can put on a movie if you want.”

A voice down the hallway called out Dingo’s name, and he panicked, taking Nik’s arm and dragging him to his bedroom. The door was locked behind them. They waited for the footsteps to fade away before they made another noise, Dingo didn’t want to get looped into another task and Nik didn’t want to be caught in another person’s room, he knew what it looked like.

Dingo’s walls were covered in posters, various bands and movies that Nik had never even heard of. His bed was a mess, it wasn’t surprising considering he’d never let anyone else in his room. He.. had never let anyone else in his room before. Nik ought to hide the blush on his cheeks as he followed Dingo to the bed.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get my tablet ready.”

Sitting on the bed, Nik felt the soft blankets. He had no idea the ranger enjoyed such soft textures, contrasting the tough guy persona he put on around the rest of the crew. It was nice, and Nik quickly wrapped himself in the fluffiest of the blankets.

The two were lying down together watching a low budget action film. It was disjointed and frankly hard to follow, Nik instead chose to focus on how close the two had gotten. He was close enough to see the reflection of the movie in Dingo’s eyes, to see how close their hands were to linking. He wanted to cuddle up closer, but… it was Dingo, he wasn’t sure if he’d be okay with any of that.

Dingo glanced back at Nik and caught him staring. He raised an eyebrow and rolled onto his side to face the rookie, the movie being forgotten at the foot of the bed.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

“You.” Dingo went red in the face.

“W-why?”

“You look happy. It’s nice,” his voice was little more than a whisper.

They went quiet again, still staring at each other, until Dingo finally found something he wanted to say.

“Say, you remember when you.. you know. Has it scarred over yet?”

Oh. Nik looked down at the loose shirt he was wearing, knowing what was underneath. He was too scared to see what was under the bandages, and even more scared of how Yonny would react if he messed with the wrappings. 

He lifted up his shirt just enough to reveal the bandages, looking back up at Dingo, “Are you… sure you want to see?”

Dingo nodded. 

With a sigh, Nik sat up and reached around to loosen the bandages, making a mental note to re-tie them later. Dingo sucked in a breath when he saw the gnarly stitchwork.

“Fuck. That must hurt a ton, huh?”

“It’s not that bad now, the painkillers Yon gave me were pretty strong. Have you ever been hurt this bad?”

“Well I’ve never been stabbed, but I do get cut up a lot, so I’ve got scars all over.” 

He took off his tank top to show them off. Several small marks and healed burns were scattered over his body, around two long scars across his chest that seemed too precise to be from injuries.

Nik stared a little longer than he probably should have, “Cool… can I touch?”

Dingo flinched, “P-pardon?” 

“Uh– nevermind! I-”

“I mean It’s fine if you want to, you just caught me off guard.”

The two were blushing madly as Nik reached forward with shaky hands and traced the blotchy shapes with the tips of his fingers. It felt so warm…

He looked into Dingo’s eyes, the ranger leaned in a little closer. Nik could feel his breath on his face. They closed their eyes, almost near enough to-

Someone knocked sharply on the door. Dingo pulled away and gently removed Nik’s hands, reaching the end of the bed to retrieve his tablet and check the time. He grumbled and got off the bed.

Dingo opened the door, Nik could see who it was from his silhouette alone.

“The sun is about to set Dingo, get yourself ready and—”

Yonny froze, having noticed that the ranger was shirtless. He squinted and peered over Dingo’s shoulder, making direct eye contact with Nik. Dingo noticed that Yon was no longer looking at him, and he started frantically waving his hands in front of him.

“THIS ISN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! W-we were watching a movie.”

“Uh huh. Just make sure Nik is back under my care before dawn, we’ll move the expedition to tomorrow,” he muttered, shutting the door on Dingo.

The ranger panicked and swore under his breath, throwing on his tank top and running out the room after Yonny, shouting: “We weren’t doing anything, I can go tonight I swear!”

Nik figured it was time to go, so he grabbed his cane and bandages and left.

When he sat down on the hospital bed, Yonny walked into the medbay with a knowing smirk on his face. Nik glared at him when their eyes met.

“Not a damn word.”

Chapter Text

Unbeknownst to Nik, word tends to spread pretty quickly when you’re cooped up in a spaceship for prolonged periods of time. That, and Yonny just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. 

Nik walked out to make himself a coffee, and saw most of the crew forming a fishbowl around Yonny. Though, he didn’t see Dingo until he snuck around the counter and found the redhead standing by the kettle, listening to the gossip-fest that was taking place at the end of the table.

“H-hey Dingo, how did you sleep?”

“Mmph.” He clearly wasn’t paying attention, glaring at the others.

Nik shrugged and reached around Dingo to pour himself a drink. He sat at the table, about as far from the group as he could manage. Dingo eventually joined him with a tray of food, he didn’t look Nik in the eyes. 

All eyes were on them as they ate their breakfast, tension almost thick enough to cut with a knife. Eventually, Nik couldn’t take it anymore. He got up and walked out, wishing he could just disappear. Murmured conversation could be heard behind him, likely the others teasing the poor ranger.

He felt kinda bad throwing Dingo to the wolves, but he really just wanted to be alone, back in his own bedroom this time. Nik stared up at the ceiling when he finally made it to his bed, lying on his back. He pulled out his diary from under a pillow, flicking through the pages until he found the torn remains of his most recent entry. Part of him wanted to look for the rest of the paper, but he instead rolled on his side and faced the wall.

Yonny told them, all of them, about what he had seen. Gods, what would they think of him now? And poor Dingo, he didn’t mean to loop him into his mess of emotions. Nik shut his eyes and wished for the bed to swallow him whole.

The door creaked open, and Nik tensed up, too scared to look over his shoulder. “Nik, are you alright? You haven’t come out for lunch.”

He stayed still, hoping that whoever it was would think he was just sleeping. But he didn’t hear any movement until the mattress dipped behind him. A hand rested on his shoulder, he looked up and saw Shepherd smiling down at him. She almost seemed worried.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“Listen, that thing with Dingo, we weren’t– Yonny didn’t know what he was seeing!” He sat up and gave the captain a pleading look, “I know this is so unprofessional, but I can’t afford to lose this job!”

“Take a breath, Nik. I can promise you won’t be losing anything. You saved us, you, Oatchi and the Pikmin!”

Nik was going to argue that he had a lot more help behind the scenes, but he was cut off by the crinkling of paper. Shepherd had pulled out a torn note and handed it to him. It was the diary entry that he thought had been lost to time. 

“I understand how you feel, I really do. We’re all here for you.”

“H-how–”

“Oatchi found it in your room one morning. I was going to give it back to you, but that day…”

That day he had gone out after a sleepless night, wasn’t paying attention and was nearly killed while out on the field. He avoided Shepherd’s eyes, feeling a new sense of shame.

“Yeah…” he whispered.

Shepherd held Nik’s trembling hands. 

“Hey, chin up. Feelings are confusing, I get that. Hell, it took my parents a long time to come around when I told them I also like girls.”

Nik forced a laugh, “Mine never did.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s the reason I ran away and moved to Karut. Small planet, far away, no one asks questions, easier to focus on job opportunities. The rest is history I guess.”

He sat in silence for a moment, feeling bad for just dumping that on Shepherd so suddenly. But she didn’t seem to mind, she stayed still, rubbing the back of Nik’s hands with her thumbs, listening intently. It was nice to get some of that out.

“I’m sorry to hear that. But you’re not alone! While the others may not be so open about it, we all have similar reasons for joining the Rescue Corps.”

“So the others… are like me?”

“Yup! We’ve all experienced a sort of isolation and disconnect from others in our lives, why else would we choose a career so far from home?”

Nik found himself smiling. Until now he had been worrying himself into an endless spiral thinking that him, the real him, would be judged by the rest of the crew. For once he was happy to be wrong, he was so glad that they not only supported him, but truly understood what he was going through.

“Oh, honey…” Shepherd wiped away the tears that streamed down Nik’s cheeks. He was crying?

The captain kissed his hand and draped an arm over his shoulder, laughing when his puffy face turned a darker shade of red. He wrapped his arms around Shepherd’s waist and snuggled closer to the warmth, trying to ignore his racing heart. She patted and gently scratched his head, rubbing his back with her other hand. 

They stayed like that until Nik ran out of tears to cry, having drained all his energy. He pulled back and sat up again, fiddling with his fingers.

“Feel any better?”

“A lot. Thanks Shep.” 

Shepherd smiled and kissed his cheek, giggling when he squeaked in response.

“Now let’s get you something to eat, I’ll show you a recipe I learnt on a mission in Flukuey!”

Nik didn’t have the chance to answer, dragged out by Shepherd with a dopey, love-struck expression plastered on his face.

Chapter Text

The sun had long since set, but Nik still sat by the window, watching on listlessly. It was nice getting a break from all the hard work out on the field, but all the time inside was starting to drive him up the wall. All the pent up energy was keeping him from getting the sleep that Yonny insisted he needed. He wanted to heal, he really did, but the monotony of waking up, eating, changing bandages, sleeping, repeated day after day had him itching to at least take one step outside.

It was too dangerous to leave now. He could practically hear the roars of creatures, muffled by the thick layers of metal separating him from the outside world. Everyone else had bid him goodnight, but here he was, still moping around in the light of a dim candle. That was until he heard someone shuffling up behind him.

“Oh. Didn’t think you’d be up at this hour.” 

Nik looked over his shoulder and saw Collin, wearing a navy blue dressing gown and holding an empty mug, heavy bags under his eyes. Seems like he wasn’t used to staying up so late supervising those night expeditions, it was a shame Dingo took such a liking to them.

“Tired?” Nik asked.

“Extremely. I’ve been going back and forth trying to get enough tea in me to relax, but then I think about all the people still out there, then I’m back at square one!”

“Sounds shitty, I’ve been pretty restless myself.”

“Yeah… Do you want me to make you a drink, like tea or hot chocolate?”

“Well with all of you here I think I’ve got enough sweetness to last a lifetime, I’ll take a tea please.”

“A-ah, on it!”

He almost laughed when he saw Collin blush, before he rushed off to the kitchen. Though, the nagging concern for the guy’s health stopped him from getting too smug. Collin did too much, always the one who took on jobs for other people. He was overworking himself, either on purpose or he just didn’t know how much it was wearing him down. Nik pondered this thought for a moment before a hot cup was placed in front of him.

“Thanks Collie, you’re a dear.” He took a sip, savouring the rich flavour on his tongue.

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Nothing? Dude, you’re like the star of the fuckin’ show! You’re the one doing everything for everyone, you deserve an award, like one of those army medals!”

Nik continued his rant, slowly becoming more and more animated, nearly knocking his drink over in the process. Collin just sat there awestruck at how open and confident the rookie seemed in this moment, even as his words began to blend together in an unintelligible mess of sounds. 

He paused for a moment and yawned, Collin following soon after.

“...What was I saying again?”

“You lost me after the award part.”

They both laughed and finished their drinks, leaning against each other. It was nearly pitch black outside, yet they sat there, staring out into nothingness.

—

Collin sighed, lost in thought. He wanted desperately to say something, but his nerves got the better of him, he was too nervous to look away from the window. The view, or lack thereof, brought no comfort. But the heat pressed against his side, rhythmic beating, deep breaths, made him feel like he was melting. He gave in, gently nudging Nik.

“Hey Nik? I need to tell you something–”

When he looked over he saw that the rookie had nodded off, and was now drooling on his freshly washed pajamas. He shook his head and mentally prepared himself for how sore his back was gonna be in the morning. With an arm around Nik, he gently lied down so that he could save himself a bit of pain later on, and held him close. The poor thing was shivering, only wearing a tank top and shorts. Collin untied his dressing gown and layed it over the two of them, before his eyes began to droop and finally fall closed. 

They were found early the next morning by Yonny, who simply stared and smiled.

Chapter Text

Many stories had been shared to Nik about the lab, about the maniacal laughter that echoed through the halls on quiet nights. The nearby area was no man’s land, none of the crew ever set foot near the lab, for one reason or another, except for Yonny and Russ. 

Nik never got a solid answer for why the lab was off-limits, and he wanted desperately to see what all the buzz was about. He hung around the locked doors for hours on end, waiting for a window where he could sneak in unnoticed. The extra energy he had from his lazy days kept him from falling asleep before he had the chance to follow through with his plan, if he could even call this a plan.

The doors suddenly swung open, and Nik tried his best to remain out of sight as the two walked past with linked arms. It was only a matter of time before they returned, so he rushed inside, his cane clicking against the tiled floor.

Several large machines that he couldn’t even begin to imagine the uses for casting long shadows on the ground, bottles and stacked containers of indescribable liquids and minerals lining high shelves. An ominous metal operating table was the centrepiece of the room. Nik looked around in awe at his surroundings, wishing he had known the contraptions that sat unused in the darkness.

He was so caught up in the moment that he barely caught the sound of conversation steadily approaching. They were coming back. Nik froze, quickly scanning the room to find a hiding spot. An open closet was almost entirely obscured in the corner. Perfect!

Nik ran to it and carefully shut the door behind him– just in time, it seemed as Yonny and Russ had closed and locked the door to the lab soon after. He peeked through the gaps and saw them split off and get to work on their own little projects.

Yonny mixed two fluorescent liquids, watching them bubble and swirl, while Russ was heating some raw materials, molding them into blobs of clay before storing them in containers and setting them aside. Nik could barely breathe as he watched the two hard at work, they were so focused. If he wasn’t already crushing on them, the sight alone would have him falling head over heels.

The two made slight conversation between subtly tweaking their experiments. It was honestly nice seeing the two get along together, since Russ always seemed indifferent to everyone else. Perhaps he was just too busy tinkering away with his creations, like Yonny was when making medicines. 

It felt like hours had passed, and Nik felt himself getting antsy after being still for so long. That was, until he heard the soft, swinging sound of music. 

He tuned back in and saw an odd looking treasure sitting in front of Russ. The little box spun a record, vibration from a needle playing a funky tune through a large conical shape. Russ proudly tapped Yonny on the shoulder and presented his creation.

“I saw how enamored you were by Dingo’s most recent find, so I thought I’d make a replica for you, kee hee!”

The doctor gasped and stared, almost entranced by the music, gently swaying on the balls of his feet.

“Oh, Russ, you shouldn’t have!”

“You know how much I like to treat you.”

They stepped closer to one another, leaned in and– KISSED?!

Nik’s face went hot as he watched on helplessly, he shouldn’t be seeing this. Regretting his initial curiosity, he took a step away from the door. He crashed into a tall shelf, hard. Pain shot up his back, and he sucked in a shaky breath before several bottles came crashing down on him.

Glass shattered on his head and shoulders, coating him in assorted chemicals. He cried out as they burnt his skin, stumbling and tripping over his feet, falling unceremoniously out of the closet. The room fell silent, and Nik groaned, too ashamed to even look up, everything hurt.

“Oh! Looks like we had an audience, eheheh.”

He weakly tried to push himself off the ground, only able to wince at the pain. Yonny stopped laughing when he saw the various liquids covering his body, rushing to put on some gloves and help the rookie up. The doctor gave Russ an unreadable look, the latter quickly rushing to find things to clean up the mess.

“How long have you been in there?”

“S-since the two of you left? I wanted to know what was in here–” He winced as Yonny turned his head to assess the damage.

Nik was dragged over to a large sink near the bench Russ had been working at. His arms were pulled under the tap, and a gentle stream of cool water started to wash away the viscous mess. 

Yonny gave him a disapproving look, “You’re lucky you had a shirt on, the damage is nowhere near as bad as it could have been.”

“Yeah. I feel so-” He gritted his teeth, “ so lucky. ”

“Head down, I need to wash it out of your hair.”

Nik did as he was told this time, hoping to get a little relief from the stinging pain on his scalp. The water turned red as it washed down the drain, and Nik tightly gripped the edge of the sink as Yonny prodded around the back of his head. It didn’t take a genius to guess what caused all those cuts. At least they seemed shallow.

Nimble fingers tugged at his hair, pulling out thick chunks of what felt like dried glue, each pull taking a strand or two of the rookie’s ginger locks.

“Have you always been this accident prone?”

“You think I’d join the Rescue Corps if I was– FUCK— oww…”

“Quit complaining, you were the one spying in the first place.”

He heard hurried footsteps re enter the room, and Nik was suddenly pulled away from the sink, saturated from the head down. Yonny led him to the operating table and sat him down, before wetting a paper towel Russ handed him. Nik awkwardly waved at the scientist, getting a bashful smile in return.

“Now can you take off your shirt?” Yonny asked, “I need to make sure it didn’t affect the stitching in any way.”

Nik blushed and looked away, trying to ignore his audience as he removed the stained garment. Insecurity ebbed away in the back of his mind, his judgement of his body making this just that much harder. Yonny’s eyes nearly bore a hole in him as he studied the scar tissue that webbed out from Nik’s middle. He sucked in his stomach as warm rubber poked around the outer edges.

“Russ, check his back.” The other nodded and stepped around the table, out of his view, and started feeling up his back.

This was it, he was going to die, sandwiched between two people he liked. There was no chance of escaping, his cane so far away on the ground, not that he wanted to leave anyway. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Yonny laughed when he saw how much Nik was blushing, the redness travelling to the tips of his ears and even further down his neck. 

“Interesting reaction, don’t you agree, Russ?”

The scientist rested his hands on Nik’s hips and craned his neck around to see the rookie’s expression, he also giggled. Nik held his breath, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The two suddenly pulled away, and he suddenly felt cold. 

His eyes cracked open to see Yonny collecting several spools of bandages, Russ following close behind with bottles of what looked like jelly. The way they were able to communicate without uttering a word made Nik sigh dreamily, he wished he had what they had. His breath hitched when they turned their attention back to him. He was suddenly very aware of his state of undress, this was so embarrassing.

Russ uncapped a bottle and started to apply the jelly to the burns on his arms. The chilly substance made his skin tingle, even more so when Yonny wrapped up the area soon after. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, dressing Nik’s injuries in record time. He wasn’t expecting Russ to also be good at treating burns, but since he and Yonny seemed to be dating, it didn’t surprise him that they shared each other’s knowledge. 

They pulled back again, setting aside the excess materials. Nik looked down at his feet to avoid making eye contact with the others.

Yonny hummed, “Poor you, getting so hurt. What do you think, Russ, should we kiss him better?”

Nik whipped his head around to look at the doctor, who had a mischievous smile creeping across his face. Russ mirrored his expression when he heard Nik stammering.

“W-wait– aren’t you guys-”

“Well, we are. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t open to experimenting, if you are comfortable with that, eheh.”

Nik nodded dumbly. His heart started to race when the two approached, each holding one of his hands. This was happening, this was really happening. He snickered at the ticklish feeling as they started pressing kisses up his arms, volume rising as they reached his neck.

That night, the crew were horrified to hear a third voice join the lab’s hysterics.

Chapter Text

Nik felt awfully cheery today. Even though he had to stay on the ship for much longer to tend to his chemical burns, that night with Yonny and Russ was unforgettable, and he was overjoyed knowing that he did have a chance to get with the crew. They had discussed their relationship status at length, between short breaks for snacks and drinks. While they weren’t so hasty to put a label on it, they were all happy for it to be open, it was experimental after all.

After everything, Nik was thoroughly drained of his energy, as were Yonny and Russ, though they seemed a lot more accustomed to late nights. He pondered the nights he had spent with all the others, and how he and Bernard haven’t had that much time to themselves. Some days he just couldn’t track down the elusive pilot. It was almost unnerving how easily the man could just slip away unnoticed.

With his new found confidence, Nik made it his mission to find and spend the day with Bernard.

…Safe to say, it was much easier said than done. By the time Nik had woken up, far later than usual, the pilot had already left his room, eaten his breakfast and disappeared. The others were all outside, so he couldn’t ask them about his whereabouts. So he just wandered around aimlessly and hoped they’d crossed paths eventually.

Walking around got boring annoyingly quick, and his body was starting to ache from being upright for so long. It took him until then to figure out his next course of action.

Bernard is a pilot, pilots fly spaceships, so he was likely… wherever one might fly the S.S. Shepherd. It was at times like this Nik wished he had a map of the ship’s interior. He shouldn’t be too far away, since he’s just been running in circles around the crew quarters. A little longer then he’d give himself a break, but now he was really determined to track him down.

Just as he was about to give in to his desire to go back and sleep for the rest of the day, Nik found himself in the cockpit. He had no idea how he made it there, since he had been spaced out for more than twenty minutes now. Either way, he was where he wanted to be.

He allowed himself a moment to look around, admiring all the flashy buttons and dials, with two large seats in the middle. Aha! Nik crept up closer to the chairs, noting that whoever was sitting there had kicked up their feet, resting them worryingly close to an important looking switch. Was that snoring he heard?

Nik spun the chair around and, unsurprisingly, Bernard was laid back, fast asleep. Or at least he was until the sudden motion jolted him awake.

“Oh, GOOD morning!”

“It’s the afternoon. Why were you sleeping in the cockpit?”

“I got a little homesick, so I came HERE to reminisce about our past adventures. GUESS I dozed off at some point.”

“Ah,” Nik sat in the chair next to Bernard, eyeing the various controls, “How do you learn to use all of this anyway?”

“It takes a LOT of time to get RIGHT. I’ve spent so MANY late nights studying, and you have NO idea how many MISTAKES I made in my time as a trainee!”

“Mistakes? Like what?”

“Oh DON’T get me started—” 

Nik just smiled and nodded as Bernard went on about his early days, many failed attempts at flight simulations, some of the ship models he remembers piloting, almost crash landing one time. He could continue for hours and Nik would never get bored of his voice, he just had such an engaging way of speaking. Every now and again Nik chipped in with a question or anecdote and Bernard laughed and tacked on a whole new story to keep the conversation flowing.

Their talk went on for ages, the time had flown so quickly. Nik looked out the window and saw the most beautiful sight.

The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky an eclectic mix of pink, reds and oranges, bleeding through the thick foliage. Nik practically shoved the pilot in his excitement, cutting him off mid sentence to urge him to look as well.

Bernard gaped, taking off his sunglasses to take a better look. Nik was immediately distracted by the sight of Bernard’s shining eyes, he was practically glowing in the light of the setting sun. Woah.

The pilot glanced back at Nik, and had to do a double-take when he noticed how far forward the rookie was leaning, staring unblinkingly at him. He looked away and cleared his throat.

“Are you ALRIGHT? Why are you LOOKING at me like that?”

“I want to kiss you.” he stated plainly.

“Ah, really?”

Nik nodded, still staring. 

Bernard smiled and left his chair, and, despite his short stature, was able to tower the other as he was sitting down. He cupped Nik’s face in his hands, rubbing his cheeks with his thumbs. The orange glow from outside made this moment feel like it was a dream, like they were in heaven.

They leaned in and kissed after a moment of basking in the silence. Nik never wanted to pull away, even when he started to get lightheaded.

Approaching footsteps were the thing that made them separate, only to be met with a stern looking Shepherd.

“Really? You’re doing this here?”

“Ah, Shep– it isn’t what it looks like-” Nik faltered.

“I don’t care what it is, just don’t do it in the cockpit! Now shoo, go on!”

Nik took Bernard’s hand and dragged him out, the two giggling like fools that they had been caught by the captain . Shepherd called out after them.

“And next time I tell you to head to your post, I MEAN it, Bernard!”

Chapter Text

“When will I be able to go out on the field again?”

Yonny almost laughed when he heard the question. “I dunno, maybe when you stop flinching at the mere mention of sharp objects.”

Nik looked down at his lap. He was having another checkup with the doctor to observe how his body was healing. His heart rate and blood pressure were stable, his temperature was fine, and at this point he was just about well enough to have his stitches removed.

“I’m gonna be trapped here forever… ” Nik whined.

“Next time I’m sure you’ll proceed with more caution, at least one would hope so.”

He sighed, looking away when Yonny examined the developing scars, satisfied with the progress.

“Are you sure I can’t go outside?”

Yonny gave a noncommittal hum, “Well, there is a possibility that you could leave if you are careful, but I’m putting my foot down on full-blown expeditions.”

He lit up, kicking his feet. Sure, not going on any missions sucks, but he’ll at least be able to walk around and talk to people for once. And Oatchi, oh how he missed his fuzzy companion. 

“I’d like that!”

“I’m not surprised, you always had an affinity for the great outdoors. Just one moment.”

Nik raised an eyebrow when Yonny took off his lab coat and straightened his scrubs.

“What are you doing?”

“I will be supervising, don’t want you to just slip away, eheheh.”

Of course that was the catch. He was allowed to leave, but only under the strict watch of the doctor. Though, his excitement at the aspect of hearing dried leaves crunching under his feet, the wind whistling up above, silhouettes of undiscovered creatures crossing the sky remained. He took the deal, and followed Yonny out like a baby duckling.

As the two were getting dressed up, Nik noticed the extra layer that had been added to the body of his suit. Yonny gave him a sidelong glance, noticing his confusion.

“Russ upgraded your gear after the incident. He was worried, you had done a lot for him.”

That made Nik smile. Having someone like Rus showing he cared in his own way, even if it was just to ensure he’d get his fix of raw materials, it was nice. When he slipped into his suit, he noticed it also felt plush around the middle. The scientist must have thought ahead when making the upgrades, it was almost hard to tell it had been damaged so badly. They put on their helmets and made their way outside.

Yonny linked arms with Nik to help keep his balance while he found his footing. He already had his cane, but it was better to be safe. Nik took in a deep breath, it wasn’t necessary since he wasn’t able to breath in the air on PNF-404 anyway, but it made him happy. He began wandering after the doctor finally let him go, trailing close behind. The first thing he did was greet Shepherd at her post. 

“Nik! It’s good to see you out and about, Oatchi really missed you!”

As if on cue, the yellow space pup came barrelling toward him, stopping just short of running into him. He licked Nik’s helmet and yipped happily.

“Oatchi, it’s so good to see you, buddy! Have you been treating the captain well?”

“He’s been great, if a little glum about your absence.”

The pup was practically glowing, running laps around Nik to the point where he nearly got dizzy just watching. 

Nik did his best to look elsewhere, noticing that Dingo wasn’t at the base. Right, he was out treasure hunting. Though it didn’t seem he was doing the night expeditions with the same vigour as there was a clear pileup of unconscious leaflings, maybe he had a thing about the dark. Part of him wanted to beg Yonny to let him do at least one night expedition, seeing all the bodies just lying there hurt him for reasons he wasn’t fully aware of.

He waved goodbye to Shepherd and briefly chatted to Collin.

“Ah, goodmorning! Were you thinking about heading out with the Pikmin? Dingo never really took to them.”

“Sorry but I can’t, doctor’s orders,” he chuckled, pointing over his shoulder.

Collin made eye contact with him and shuddered. Nik didn’t want to see the face Yon must have made to freak him out that much. After an awkward silence, he stepped away.

The multi-coloured onion towered over everything, and the rookie sighed. It had been ages since he had seen his beloved Pikmin, and after his injury they must be so worried. He figured it would be about time to say hello to them, he was already starting to get overwhelmed and planned to head back soon.

He called out around twenty, like he had on that fateful day. They cheered as they left the onion for the first time in several weeks, getting even louder when they saw their leader looking down at them. 

Nik was immediately taken over by the little creatures, clinging to his legs and climbing up his back. He nearly toppled over, and would have if Yonny hadn’t rushed over and picked them off one by one. They instead took to dancing around the two, cheering and singing out of tune in their excitement.

It was nice, and quite intriguing to see these alien creatures celebrating his good health. He was starting to understand why Yonny wanted to study them so closely in his lab, or why Dalmo was so obsessed with their behavioural patterns. 

He kneeled and held his arms open to the Pikmin, and they squealed, running up and hugging him tightly. 

“I missed you guys,” he whispered, hearing a wave of high-pitched babble in response.

Some of the castaways Nik had rescued previously gathered around and watched him embrace the Pikmin, remembering that they likely saw him arrive back at the base in a bloody heap when the joustmite attacked him. He smiled at them and shakily waved. Thankfully, Yonny pulled him away before he was swarmed and bombarded with questions.

Nik was happy to go back to the ship, hoping to feel the sun through his suit again another day.

Chapter Text

The day had gone by like normal... until Dingo passed out and landed head first in his bowl of rice. He had been working non stop, all day and sometimes all night as well to pick up the slack from Nik’s absence. It was obviously taking a toll on him, and so, the next day Shepherd called a special meeting.

“Alright team. Now I know we’re all tired and overworked, so I’ve decided that any expedition for the day will be called off to allow us time to rest up and prepare for tomorrow!”

Her words got a few shocked reactions, but soon all eyes were on the ranger who just stared blearily. A break was needed, everyone in the crew knew that, especially after what happened the night before. The group nodded in silent understanding, separated and went off to recharge in their own ways. Nik found himself watching on curiously as Dingo stumbled out of the dining room, either to sleep or maybe watch a movie.

As he watched Dingo walk around aimlessly, the ranger, not paying attention, soon bumped into Shepherd. He blushed brightly and stammered when she whipped around to see him.

“Dingo?”

“H-hi, Captain–”

No way. Nik almost laughed at how flustered the ranger was, his crush on Shepherd was pretty clear from the start, though apparently not to her. It was only when Dingo fainted that the interaction really got interesting. Oh, how his tough persona crumbled when he got close to her.

Shepherd gasped as he dropped, finally noticing Nik standing behind him.

“Oh, Nik! Mind helping me move Dingo somewhere more comfortable? Poor thing must be so tired.”

“Yeah, sure. Does this happen often?”

“It actually has! I invited him out to dinner as a reward for working so hard, but he went bright red and fainted. It was so strange.”

Nik scooped him up as an idea popped into his head. If he could set up a lunch date for Shepherd and Dingo and see how they get along, that or he gets to watch and laugh as Dingo miserably fumbles the bag. He is expecting the latter, but it would be a fun experiment either way.

“So, Shep. If you wanted I could set you two up with some food and you can hang out, I think he’s earned it!”

“I agree, that would be lovely! I hope you were paying attention when I taught you all those recipes.”

The rookie chuckled and propped Dingo up on a couch, “Of course, I’ll get right to it!”

Distracted by the crackling heat of the stove and hissing of liquid cooking in a pot, Nik hadn’t noticed when someone came up behind him. And when they grabbed him by the shoulders, he nearly dropped the pan he was holding, looking back to meet Dingo’s panicked eyes.

“Why is Shepherd telling me to meet her for lunch, like a date? What did you do?!” he whisper-shouted.

“Uh, I’m helping you? You passed out looking at her, you might as well give it a shot.”

“But what am I gonna say? What will I do?! I don’t know how to act–”

“Dude, calm down. You just gotta be yourself, hell, I can be there for support if you really need it.”

“O-okay. Gotta… gotta be myself. I got this!”

“Mhm, now get out of the kitchen before you get a face full of piping hot curry!”

Dingo rushed out and left Nik to his cooking, still shaking like a leaf. It would have been hypocritical to make fun of his childish crush for obvious reasons, so he kept his mouth shut. The food smelt beautiful thanks to the special touches he had learnt from some friends living abroad.

He always felt drawn to cooking, the lovely tastes and textures that he could change at will. Making the perfect dish and being able to share it with people he loved made his heart swell with pride, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, the others were his focus at the moment.

Nik set the table for the two and presented their food, hearing a pleasant thanks from Shepherd, and a grunt from Dingo, who anxiously stirred his curry. He smirked and went back to the kitchen to clean up, not so subtly listening in on their painfully awkward conversation. 

Unsurprisingly, things were off to a shaky start, Dingo barely able to handle more than a single word answer. He did his best to add his opinions and thoughts on certain things, but more often than not he stumbled over his words and cringed before going back to playing with his food. Shepherd, being one of the only outwardly extroverted crewmates, easily carried the conversation, almost oblivious to how clunky it felt.

After a while, Nik couldn’t bear to listen anymore, and moved to the next room to try and distract himself with a movie. It wasn’t like he was abandoning them, the table was still in sight when he flopped on the couch, he just wanted some degree of separation from the tension.

Shepherd began gushing about the rich history of rescue pup training and their many great attributes, while Dingo looked like he was starting to melt into his chair. Maybe their chemistry wasn’t as good as he had thought, no, definitely not. Oh well, now they have some good leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.

He had clearly been distracted for too long, or likely dozed off, as he suddenly felt someone lightly tap his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Shepherd, Dingo trailing close behind her. They seemed a lot more relaxed, and they shared a devious smirk that Nik was too absentminded to notice.

“Hey, do you mind if we join you?”

“N-not at all, I just have a movie going.”

Before he knew it, he was sitting between the two, shoulder-to-shoulder on what admittedly was more of a loveseat than a proper sofa. He was stiff as a board, trying his darndest to keep his eyes on the screen.

“The food was lovely, Nik!”

“Yeah, good one rookie.”

He blushed, “Thanks, I-I like adding my own touch to recipes, eheh.”

They turned their attention to the movie, it was a schlocky mixup of action and romance with so much unnecessary drama. Next time he should really pay attention to what he was picking from. The film was actually quite similar to the one he and Dingo had watched a while ago, just a lot more… energetic?

Dingo nudged Nik’s arm, “Interesting taste in movies, never took you for a romantic.”

The rookie looked up just as the two protagonists leaned in for a horrifically messy kiss. Damn this poor timing! Though, Shepard seemed excited at something he hadn’t yet noticed. She grabbed Nik’s hand and squeezed, pointing eagerly at the screen.

“Oh my gods, Nik, did you see that? They have a puppy! I’ve never seen that breed before, he’s so cute!”

“Ah, um– cute! S-so you like the movie? It’s a little weird.”

“Yeah, I mean look at the little guy!”

Nik was so caught up looking down at their joined hands that he took a while to notice that Dingo had taken his other hand. His face went red, and lord help him he started feeling faint. Right, the movie, focus on the movie, pay no mind to how close they had gotten, how soft their hands were, how they were both intently watching his flustered expression. 

They- they were watching him?!

He spared quick glances to his left and right, and yes, they were indeed staring at him. Shepherd had moved even closer, and Nik couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. He leaned back until he bumped Dingo’s chest, quickly finding himself trapped between the two.

“H-hey there, you uh– you enjoying the movie?” he stammered, trying to look everywhere but Shepherd’s pretty eyes.

Dingo chuckled, “We are, but I think we’ve gotten a little… distracted.”

“Nik, we really do appreciate all the work you do for us.”

“Uh huh, I- thanks?”

The sounds faded into the background when Dingo rested his head on Nik’s stiff shoulder with a smile, and Shepherd closed the gap between them. She cupped his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, hearing a surprised sound come from the rookie. 

Nik was overwhelmed by their attention on him, even more so when the captain pulled away and Dingo kissed his cheek.

When they finally gave him some space to breathe, Nik was left slack-jawed and redder than a fresh tomato. He struggled to find something to say when they stared expectantly at him, he felt light, maybe too light.

“Ah– wuh- woah.”

Shepherd giggled and rested a hand on his thigh, “You’re so adorable!”

“Huh- I’m—”

He didn’t have a chance to protest the compliment or even get up to cool off over a glass of water, as he suddenly fainted, much like Dingo had that morning.

Chapter Text

CRASH!

Nik shot up, squinting in the darkness of his room. What the fuck was that?  

He hesitantly got out of bed and checked the time on his tablet. It was close to midnight, the witching hour as some would say, Nik rubbed his eyes and groaned. Who was causing such a ruckus so late at night?

Footsteps began travelling up the hallway, and Nik swiftly left his room to confront whoever it was. His eyes adjusted to the dim lights lining the hall, coming to focus on the figure, taking quick, small steps. The green hair was a dead giveaway.

“...Yonny?”

The doctor seemed to ignore him and kept walking, heading down to the lab. Nik decided that, before following them, he needed to see where that sound had come from. He walked past Yonny and found a trail of tiny shards of glass. That was not a good sign, so he followed the path, careful not to step on the sharp pieces.

After making it to the kitchen, he saw an open cabinet, and a pile of broken glasses that must have fallen out of it. Nik couldn’t take another step without injuring himself, so he turned back.

On his way to the lab, he paid extra attention to the ground, checking for spots of blood. What was Yonny doing, and why was he ignoring him? He was honestly a little worried to find out. If this wasn’t common behaviour, he may be at risk of harming himself. Nik didn’t want to see what would happen if he was left alone any longer, so he picked up the pace.

The lights in the lab were off, but Nik could hear Yonny shuffling about. He flicked the lightswitch and saw Yon standing by his work bench, holding… something. When he took a step closer, he saw that the doctor's eyes were open, but looked glassy and unemotional. They mumbled incoherently and appeared to examine a scalpel. He was holding a scalpel.

Nik froze. 

“Y-Yon? Are you alright?”

“Pikmin, hello..” he whispered. What is he talking about?

“Can you put the knife down?”

“Th-there are bugs. Creatures… eyes, red.”

He took a step closer to the doctor, flinching as the blade was waved around numbly. Keeping his distance for the time being, he tried to calm him down.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s safe, no more creatures.”

Yonny was almost blind to the rookie’s movements, pausing for just long enough for him to carefully slip the scalpel away from him. After the blade was placed a safe distance away, Nik held the doctor’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. His speech became unintelligible and his fingers flexed and straightened out.

“Yon, are you awake?” Nik asked, raising his voice ever so slightly.

He blinked, but didn’t respond. 

The poor thing had started shaking, so Nik began to lead him out of the lab. Just as they made it to the door, however, Yonny gasped loudly and pulled his hands away in a flash. His eyes welled up with tears and he stumbled back, tripping over his own feet in his attempt to escape. The doctor threw his arms over his eyes, breathing shallowly.

Nik crouched and slowly held up his hands, making no move to approach just yet.

“Hey, it’s just me, it’s Nik. Take a deep breath, okay?”

“N-Nik? Oh my, wha– what happened?”

“I think you were sleepwalking.”

“How embarrassing… I-I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”

“It’s okay, Yon. Come here.” 

He held his arms out and smiled softly as Yonny slowly shuffled up to him. They hugged him tightly as they tried to calm their breathing. 

Nik eventually brought Yonny to his feet, “How about you stay with me tonight.”

“...That would be nice.”

Yonny curled up against Nik’s chest as he fell asleep under the extra blankets. The bed barely had the space for one person, let alone two, but Nik was happy to share. He was content to keep watch over the doctor for the rest of his night, at least until his energy had been thoroughly depleted. The mess in the kitchen was a problem for another day.

Chapter Text

“I think you may be ready for a proper mission.”

“Huh? Really?” 

Yonny kept his eyes on his work.

“Really really. You seem a lot more comfortable moving about without as much help from the mobility aid, and those burns have mostly cleared up.”

A dopey smile crossed Nik’s face as he processed the news. He pumped his fists and jumped up from the operating table, crossing the lab in no time at all to tackle the doctor in a big hug.

“Now, now, don’t get too excited! I want you to take someone with you. Collin should keep you in check.”

The rookie could barely contain his excitement, squeezing Yonny one more time before he made a mad dash out to get suited up.

—

After the long trip crammed in the tiny S.S. Beagle, the pod touched down in the Serene Shores. Nik and Oatchi were beamed out and began calling out the pikmin, while Collin was a little slower to leave, unsteady on his feet.

“Are you sure I’m needed on this mission? Y-you can surely manage on your own.”

Nik just smiled back at him, “Do you really wanna say that to Yonny?”

“Well…”

“That’s what I thought, now hop on!”

The rookie leapt onto Oatchi’s back and patted a spot behind him, untouched by the squad of pikmin. He hesitantly pulled himself up, and quickly found himself scrambling for something to cling to when they started moving. Various adorable chirps and laughs came from the pikmin as Oatchi picked up the pace, almost throwing him off when he took a sharp turn.

It was at that point where Nik finally noticed his struggle. 

“Hold onto me, ‘kay?” he offered.

Collin hugged Nik around the middle and looked away, ducking his head so they didn’t bump helmets. He blushed at how close they had gotten, though the other didn’t seem so affected, too busy tracking down a faint glimmer in the distance. 

A cloud of sand followed behind them, the faint crunching was barely heard over the rippling and splashing of the surrounding bodies of water. Most of the creatures had been wiped out, and all the cave had been explored but the tablets still picked up on hints of sparklium. Yonny had suggested they go back to some more charted territory to get back in the swing of things, these last few treasures being the best place to start. Plus, after Dingo’s reckless behaviour, the pikmin numbers had begun to dwindle.

Oatchi suddenly skidded to a halt and Collin lurched forward. His and Nik’s helmets loudly clunked together, and frankly they were lucky they hadn’t cracked. He mumbled out an apology as they dismounted and reached up to rub his aching nose, only to be blocked by the same glass dome. Nik stayed focused with a blue pikmin in hand, ready for any surprises as they reached the treasure.

He watched in awe as the rookie effortlessly threw the pikmin to the treasure. It must have taken such strength to do so, but it wasn’t like he had much firsthand experience.

“Do… Do you want me to do anything?”

The redhead glanced over his shoulder, “Hm? Oh, I suppose so. Oatchi can sniff out some more treasure. Follow him, and take some of these little guys, just in case.”

Collin shakily nodded as a small portion of the pikmin were sent to his side. He could do this, he’s done a lot harder things in his life! And getting to prove his worth on the field, to Shepherd, to Nik… He shook his head and ran off after the space pup, dutifully tracking the scent. 

Eventually they stumbled upon another lake, where a hidden treasure was guarded by slippery little creatures and a larger, far more prickly one. While they weren’t the biggest, or really threatening things he had ever seen in his time on the planet, they warranted enough concern for him to avoid wanting to engage in combat. 

He was extremely inexperienced in fieldwork, and hadn’t actually handled the pikmin outside of maybe picking one up a couple times. Unlike the others, he certainly didn’t feel fit enough to throw the pikmin very far, at least not accurately. And the water was very deep and likely too difficult to wade through quickly, the creatures could pick them off easily if he tried.

Clearly, Oatchi had become fed up with his hesitation. He threw the crew member onto his back, before charging himself and the pikmin into the enemy territory.

“O– OATCHI?!”

Collin held onto the pup’s collar like a lifeline. The blue pikmin cheered and rushed ahead, making shockingly quick work of the creatures. It was almost embarrassing how long he had waited at the lake’s edge, when they clearly knew what they were doing. Why Yonny thought he’d be a good match was still a mystery.

Before he could get too engrossed in the negative self talk, he remembered the task at hand. He whistled the pikmin away from the bodies and sent them towards the large submerged fruit, a vibrant pale green sitting amongst some greenery. They picked it up without a fuss and started marching back whence they came. 

He and Oatchi followed, and when they left the water, Collin breathed a deep sigh of relief. Even after such a minor altercation, he felt so tense, but at least they got the treasure they wanted. 

A soft buzzing came up from behind him. He looked around and soon found that it was the survey drone causing all the noise. The thought of Nik having the heart to check up on him made him smile. He gave it a little wave, and the drone chirped in response.

“I’ll be back at the base soon! See you there?”

Beep!

With that, the drone flew up and away, leaving Collin tempted to give chase. But Oatchi seemed tired of him already, and he didn’t want to end up buried in the sand. They trudged along, keeping a close eye on the working pikmin. 

Before he knew it, his mind began to wander again. He remembered that night with Nik, seeing him wide awake at ungodly hours in the night. Sitting in comfortable silence over cups of hot tea, cuddled up oh so close to each other. Finally having the courage to talk about his feelings… only to find that the other had fallen asleep. Sleeping on the floor would mess him up for days, but he was more than happy to stay there with Nik, even when they had a fair crowd watching them the next morning.

Collin was practically thrown off when Oatchi made it to the base, rolling across the sand until he landed at Nik’s feet. He looked up at the rookie and gave a shaky thumbs up, awkwardly clearing his throat.

“I-I got the fruit!”

“Great! The treasure gauge isn’t ticking anymore, so I think we have everything, with so long left in the day too…”

They offered Collin a hand, which he gratefully accepted. When he was back on his feet, he looked around, “So what else is there to do?”

Nik grinned, “I have an idea.”

Collin yelped as he was suddenly dragged towards the large sandy structure that towered over them.

—

“It’s… very high up.” Collin winced as he looked over the ledge.

Nik hummed, and set the base at the top of the castle, “A beautiful view though.”

“You can say that again. You really explored all of this?”

“Mhm, that one cave was my only real issue.”

The rookie sent the pikmin back into the onion and dismissed Oatchi, letting him sniff around the base freely. He walked up to Collin and put a hand on his shoulder. They had hours until the sun started to set, but even now, the sight before them was breathtaking. All they needed to do was pass the time until then, so they filled in the silence with some quiet smalltalk.

“So what’s life like on Giya?”

Collin chuckled, “A lot more boring than people let on. There was plenty to do, of course, but it was all related to work or education, not much in the way of hobbies.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, especially in my college years. I took on so many jobs just to pay it off, most of my peers did as well.”

“That sucks,” Nik leaned on the sandy wall and sighed, “I never really got that far in school, but that’s what happens when you move to another planet.”

“You mean Karut isn’t your home planet?”

“Nope. Moved away soon after graduation, never looked back.”

Collin was taken aback, his shocked expression made Nik laugh, “Gods, man, you’re acting like I killed someone!”

“That’s not- I mean– I guess we’re all full of secrets, heh.”

“It’s what makes people so interesting,” Nik muttered.

He looked into Collin’s eyes, noticing how red he had gotten. Surely the suits weren’t that hot, hell, the sky was even cloudy. They continued to stare at each other until Oatchi barked at them, rushing to their side and looking past them.

“Oh, what is it boy?”

Nik followed the puppy’s gaze and saw the sun finally setting over the horizon. 

This was so much better than when he was sitting in the cockpit, the sky was so much clearer, only a few tall trees getting in the way. The warm gradient was just about the prettiest thing to grace their eyes, even Collin seemed impressed. A few stars became visible, small specks that seemed so insignificant from afar, littering what looked like a giant watercolour painting. 

The area around them was bathed in orange, a sign that they’d better leave soon lest the Beagle leaves them behind. But right now, they were just living in the moment, one that they were awfully glad they could share with someone else.

Collin flinched when he felt Nik reach over and hold his hand. He was no longer looking at the stars but him, taking in every detail of his blushing face. Neither said a word, neither looked away. They weren’t sure whether they were red or it was an illusion from the evening sun. Their hearts were pounding, not just from the looming danger of nightfall.

“Collie, I don’t mean to spring this on you but–”

“I think I love you.”

They both spoke at once, making the moment much more awkward than it should have been.

“Wait, you like me?”

“You like me?!”

Nik couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of their situation. He took Collin’s hands and gently squeezed, rolling his eyes.

“I guess I shoulda told you sooner, huh?”

“Yeah, me too.”

They smiled at each other, and slowly shuffled closer.

Clink!

…Right, they forgot about their helmets.

Nik shyly pulled away from Collin and took him to the rescue pod, Oatchi following close behind.

“How about we continue this, er, conversation back in my room?”

—

Collin woke up early as usual to start his morning routine only to find that, for one, he wasn’t in his bedroom, and two, something.. really heavy was resting on his chest. He looked down and  saw Nik splayed out on top of him. 

“Ah.”

It killed him to stay in bed when he needed to get up and work, but Nik looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to wake him. He begrudgingly accepted his fate, wrapping his arms around the sleeping rookie and kissing his forehead.

Chapter Text

With everything that had happened during his time with the Rescue Corps, Nik’s feelings had gotten even more confusing than before. After he, Yonny and Russ got together, after his night with Collin, he felt much more confident around the others. But it still felt cheap, selfish to want all of them at once, and he had no clue how to approach asking any of them out. 

Forming such close bonds with everyone was biting him in the long run, and the longer it went on, the more he feared upsetting them. 

That’s why he was sitting in the lab, brainstorming ways to come out about this all with the help of his partners. First, Russ offered up the idea of going around to each of them separately, but it was shot down, as Nik felt bad about going behind everyone’s back, and was likely to mess up the explanation. 

Yonny hummed, “Well, if that’s what you’re worried about, why not tell them all at once?”

“And embarrass myself? No way!”

“Then what else is there to do? It’s better to get it out and face rejection than beat yourself up about it, eheh.” 

Russ nods. “I agree. We hate to see you so stressed about this, it greatly affects your performance.”

“You’re on his side?!”

“Of course! You doubt yourself too much. If you’re really worried, we can be there with you, kee-hee!”

“...If you insist.”

—

The shrill sound of a whistle echoed through the early morning quiet. It usually signalled the beginning of a team meeting, but this time it wasn’t Shepherd that blew the whistle, it was Nik. He fiddled with his fingers as he waited for the others to arrive, feeling a warm hand rubbing his shoulder. Even with the doctor at his side, he felt like he was moments from passing out.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

Footsteps soon approached, and the familiar sight of an exhausted Collin and Bernard arrived at the source of the sound. Dingo was a little late to get out of bed, and Shep, he hadn’t a clue where she was.

Collin yawned, “A meeting, this early?”

“Where’s the CAPTAIN? No way she just up and DISAPPEARED, right?”

“Aheh, yeah,” Nik nervously scratched at his chest.

They sat down at the table together, giving quiet greetings while they awaited the captain’s (and Dingo’s) arrival. 

Nik felt like he was going to be sick, already playing out the worst scenarios in his head. From facing rejection and judgement from the rest of the crew, to being fired and left jobless and penniless. The supportive smiles he got from Russ and Yonny weren’t doing much to comfort him now that his thoughts had spiralled this much. He just tried to find the right words to use.

Eventually, the ranger arrived, clearly not having the energy to straighten his bandana. It was cute, but he didn’t have much time to dwell on that. Another door shot open, and Shepherd removed a lead from Oatchi, before removing her helmet and holding it on her hip as she noticed that all eyes were on her.

“Captain, why did you call this meeting then just… leave?” Collin asked.

“What– I didn’t?!”

Nik slowly held up his hand, “A-actually, it was me.”

And now everyone was staring at him. He wished he hadn’t said anything, but it was too late to turn back now. The room was silent and the others seemed shocked that he had the gall to call a meeting without the captain’s permission. He stood up and pulled at the hem of his tank top.

“I wanted to… discuss some-something important, to me at least- I er–” he took a deep breath, “I know I’m very new to this– whole thing and we’re, uhm, very close. I-I–”

They just kept staring. He couldn’t breathe. He was shaking so much. At least they were listening? Though, he couldn't quite read their faces, were they already upset?

“S-so, I… I guess what I’m trying to say is, oh my god this is embarrassing– I want to have a relationship, with you all, a-and you don’t have to want anything like this, but I- me, Russ and Yonny were talking for a while about relationships, and we wanted to experiment and I do really care about all of you and- and I–”

Everyone at the table looked stunned. Now he really regrets his decisions. This was a bad idea. Look at them, they’re all judging him. Gods, he is so selfish. He shouldn’t have joined the rescue corps, he shouldn’t have moved away, he-

He ran away.

Now look at him, curled up against his bedroom door in tears. The others didn’t have time to process what he had said, or even protest his sudden escape. He wanted to bury himself in a hole and never come out, maybe the leaflings weren’t all that crazy. Even if he wanted to stop crying, his shaggy hair kept getting in his eyes, and more frustrated tears followed. It had been ages since he had a haircut.

A few people had knocked on his door, to which he brusquely told them to leave him alone. He hated that his partner’s sweet talk wore him down, now there was no way he could face any of them. That was, until a certain voice called out from the other side.

“Darling? Are you alright in there?”

It was a voice he hadn’t heard often, and if he was any more upset he would have told them to leave as well. But he was so tired, and threw his head back against the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Puddle, can you let me in?”

Nik groaned and let out a deep sigh, but he eventually stood up and weakly opened the door, still wiping his eyes. At least they were a castaway, so he didn’t have too much to fear. The bag they were holding had him a little worried though, it looked quite heavy. He let them inside and left the door open a crack to let some more light in.

“I thought you needed a bit of a freshen-up, your captain requested I see you.”

He avoided their eyes, “I guess, my hair has gotten pretty bad.”

“Not bad, not at all! Just a little unkempt.”

Puddle sat on the bed beside him and started to look through their bag, pulling out a few spray bottles, combs and scissors. Though, they also pulled out a small weighted blanket and some towels.

“Now, I heard that something a little rough happened this morning, and you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but I’d like to hear your side.”

They put the heavy blanket on Nik’s lap and laid out the towels to catch the stray clippings. Nik looked down at the floor as they started brushing through his knotty hair. Of course there was a catch, there was always a catch, he should have known there was no avoiding that horrific meeting.

Puddle kept working in silence as he stumbled over his explanation, only offering some soft hums and friendly advice. It was relaxing being able to get some of it out, even though the guilt was still fresh on his mind. 

“...I just can’t help but feel like I messed it all up.”

“I don’t think you messed up. You know, there were a lot of red faces when I was on my way to your room, I don’t think they’re very upset at all.”

“Wait, really?”

“Keep facing forward honey. But yes, they all seemed pretty flustered when I asked around, and you know I love a good story!”

“Th-that you do.”

Nik felt up the texture of the blanket on his lap, thinking about what Puddle had said, while they rubbed some product through his curls. The others… weren’t mad? Weren’t upset at his selfish desires? Maybe they weren’t so selfish, maybe he was just doubting himself too much, like Russ had said. He felt stupid crying for so long when they would have likely been accepting.. no, he panicked, it wasn’t something he could control.

The stylist clipped away the annoying hair that tickled his ears and finished cleaning the back.

“You know, they’re all pretty worried about you. I think you should see them.”

“Maybe…”

Puddle held up a mirror to show off the fresh haircut, “There we go, looking spiffy!”

Nik wasn’t quite sure he agreed. Their work is always amazing, of course, but the mirror gave him a clear view of his face. His cheeks and neck were all blotchy and red, and his eyes were squinted and sore. He looked like shit, and his new style didn’t help at all. Puddle seemed to notice how upset he was, and rummaged through their bag for some wet wipes. Gods, they really packed everything, huh?

They gently wiped his eyes, swiping away the tear streaks. The cool feeling brought relief to his hot skin. Nik sighed.

“I really look like crap, don’t I?”

“Nonsense, you’re gorgeous! In fact, I’m not sure I should say this, but I think you’re one of the prettiest clients I’ve ever had. The rest of your crew must agree too!~”

The rookie looked away, rubbing his eyes. Puddle had a point, he wouldn’t have gotten that close to the others if they didn’t like him too. But thinking he’s pretty? They didn’t think he was pretty did they?

“How do you know all this?” he whispered.

“Oh you have no idea the things I’ve heard on this ship! I know all the details.”

Nik flushed. Right, he wasn’t exactly subtle, or really that quiet. It wasn’t a surprise that the stylist had learnt of these relationships so quickly, especially since they have been the local barber for all the castaways they had picked up on PNF-404, words always get around.

“A-ah… well, thanks for checking in on me.”

“No problem dear, now if you don’t mind helping me pack up my things…”

He wasted no time in folding up the towels and blanket, stuffing them back in Puddle’s bag while they put away their equipment. After that fiasco in the morning, and getting the chance to unwind and come back to himself, he was glad to feel some of his confidence returning to him.

Puddle zipped up the bag and made to leave, turning back with a soft smile.

“Come to me if you need anything!”

“Okay, bye!”

The door closed, and Nik was left in the dim bedroom, feeling a massive weight lifting off his chest. It was probably gonna be weird for a while, whether the others accepted or not, but at least he wanted to go out for some food. All the energy expended running away made him kinda hungry.

Nik stood up and, but as he approached the door, he heard whispers on the other side. Perhaps whoever it was heard him and Puddle talking. But who was it? He was about to find out.

Reaching for the handle, he took a deep breath, and opened it to see– 

The entire Rescue Corps crowded around him.

Before he had the chance to even greet them, he was pulled into a group hug. It was more than a little awkward, but being caught in the middle of them all, Nik couldn’t be happier. When they finally pulled away, the rookie was practically glowing. (Metaphorically and literally, he was bright red)

“Y-you guys—”

Yonny stepped forward and cupped Nik’s cheek, “Seems like today’s your lucky day, new blood!”

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Nik had been hugged, kissed, and stolen away more times than he could count. He had never felt more at peace, and the boost in morale greatly affected the rate at which he progressed through new areas. Knowing that he would be coming back to his loved ones at the end of every day made the time out exploring feel worth it. And the quiet, tender moments they all would share helped him unwind and feel ready for the next day.

Though, the affection they would share never left the crew’s quarters, as they had to stay professional while out on the job. What they did in private never got in the way of their work, and it was honestly surprising that they were able to find a good balance so quickly.

Everything was going great… until he woke up one morning to blood on his sheets. 

Nik groaned, rummaging through his bedside drawers for something to quell the churning in his gut. He had been taking medication so that his cycle wouldn’t get in his way, but of course he had run out, that was just his luck. All he could do now is take some painkillers and try to cope with the ache. 

He showered, put on a pad and stripped the bed, grumbling all the while. The laundry hamper was already full, since he had been a little slack about doing chores in his spare time. Great. More to add to his list of jobs.

The rookie picked up the hamper and stopped by the kitchen to grab a snack on the way, finding Erma sitting at the table with a cup of tea. She was staring at the cover of a magazine, Oatchi having a nap by her side. He snuck up behind her and saw an article about an up-and-coming Koppaite botanist.

“She’s cute.”

“GAH–” Shepherd dropped the zine and choked on her drink. “Nik! Stars, you scared me.”

“Eheh, sorry!”

“It’s pretty early, are you doing okay?”

“Oh I’ll be fine-” He winced at a sudden stabbing pain in his gut, “Ugh.”

The captain gave him a look of concern as he hunched over the table and dropped the laundry hamper, wrapping his arms around his middle. She stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

“What happened, a-are you hurt?”

“No, just cramps.”

“That’s no good. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Nik hummed, “Maybe a heat pack?”

“Well…”

Turns out they didn’t have a heat pack, or really anything else that could help him. Erma was nice enough to let him have some chocolate she had hidden away, but sweets weren’t going to do much in the way of pain relief. So he was sent to the lab to wait while Russ worked his magic.

The scientist offered to make some weird gadget to help, but it had been half an hour and it seemed that zero progress had been made. Nik was curled up on the operating table. How come Dingo was able to go on a mission? He wanted to go out so badly, but the others were so adamant to keep him on the ship that they nearly had to hold him back. That was certainly an experience.

Russ eyed him over his shoulder, “Really hurts, huh? I should be done… soon enough, kee-hee!”

“I feel like I’m dying.”

“Well I would call Yonny but he’s quite busy, so you’ll just have to wait a little longer.”

Nik just whined and rolled onto his other side. He tried his best to focus on the ominous machinery instead of the growing ache and gods, it wasn’t helping. The pitiful display must have gotten through to Russ though, as he sighed heavily, put down what he was working on, and walked over to the rookie.

“Stand up, you can watch me work this time.”

He helped Nik stand up and led him back to the work bench, before resuming his craft. Getting up close, the rookie noted that, yes, he had been making progress, it was just hard to see from afar. Now he felt bad about complaining.

The heat pack seemed to be almost complete, so why was he working on something else? Nik hugged Russ from behind, resting his head on his shoulder to get a better look at what he was working on. A hushed gasp came from the scientist when he leaned on him, but he kept his head down, a faint blush dusting his pale cheeks. As long as he was able to watch, he was fine waiting.

Russ gently shook Nik awake. Oh, had he dozed off? 

“I’ve finished! You alright there?”

“Hm? ‘Mfine.”

He chuckled and dragged Nik back to the operating table, clearly not an easy feat, and sat him down. Nik blinked when two items were placed by his side. What looked like a hot water bottle and a… patch? Whatever the latter could possibly be used for was lost to him. 

Surprisingly, the first thing Russ grabbed was the patch. He gave Nik a smile.

“Now, this patch should help reduce the pain, can you pull up your shirt for me?”

Nik nodded and did as he was told, shivering when the cold patch was stuck just above the waistband of his shorts. He immediately felt the nagging ache ebb away, and he sighed, placing his hand over Russ’. The scientist’s expression was hidden behind his thick glasses, but the blush on his face was very much apparent.

“Oh that’s nice .. How did you get the idea for this?”

“Ah, well Yonny told me all these stories from their childhood, he and Dingo would go through hell and back when their periods came. So with their medical expertise, we worked on the first prototype. Truly fascinating how it works, but I, er, don’t want to bore you.”

“It wouldn’t bore me, I like hearing your science talk!” He looked over at the hot water bottle, “What about that one, is it magic too?”

“Not exactly, but it retains heat very well! Here.” 

He pulled his hand away and gave the heat pack to Nik, who gratefully took it and hugged it tightly against the patch on his lower abdomen. The rookie sighed contentedly, shutting his eyes as he savoured the warmth. Russ gently patted his head as he took in the cute sight. His mother would be so proud knowing how much he was able to help!

“Comfortable?”

“Mhmm.”

“Great, because now I need to clean up the bench. You’re fine sitting here?”

Nik pouted as Russ took a step back. He looked up at the scientist with the saddest puppy eyes he could manage in his tired state, making grabby hands at him. That look always worked a treat with the captain, but all he got this time was an unamused huff.

“...Really?”

“Pleaseeee?”

“Fine, come here.” he muttered, holding out his arms.

The rookie jumped at the chance and latched onto him, like a pikmin clinging to the back of a bulborb. Russ sighed and rubbed his back, grunting as he turned back to the mess he left at the workbench.

“You have to hold yourself up though, I still need to use my hands.”

He giggled and held on tighter. It seemed that Russ was a lot stronger than he looked, as he was able to maintain a fairly straight posture with relative ease, even while he was carrying a whole person. And, while he couldn’t see much, he heard the scientist throwing out some scrap parts, and the clinking of his tools as he stored them away.

With a sleepy smile, he kissed Russ’ neck and mumbled an ‘I love you.’

“S-stop that, you’re distracting me.”

Nik smirked, just out of his field of vision. He figured he could push his luck a little longer.

Chapter Text

For some reason, Nik had just been so drained recently. It might be because of all the night expeditions, because of his sudden illness, or the hunger streak that followed soon after as his appetite had been ruined. Either way, he wasn’t able to do much other than get himself out of bed, and if he was really lucky, make it to the couch and sleep there until late in the day.

Several checkups with Yonny came up squat, so all he could do was stay in the ship and take care of his basic needs, with a little help here and there. The other crewmates had taken shifts in being caretaker for the day excepting Collin and Dingo, as they were busy running daytime exploration. It was so unlike Nik to be so drained like this, and he was very unhappy to be holed up in the ship again, but it wasn’t like he had the energy to protest all too much.

Today though, Bernard had taken responsibility for the rookie while the others were out mingling with the castaways. Nik was slow to even wake up in the morning, and if he hadn’t been incessantly prodded to wake up, he probably would have just rolled over. But alas, he needed to at least try and be a person.

So they were cuddled up together on the couch watching some trashy reality show. Bernard was lying on his back with his head propped up on the armrest, Nik curled between his legs, resting his head on the pilot’s chest. It was about the comfiest position they could manage, even though Nik swore he could feel an arm falling asleep. 

The people on the TV droned on about some petty crap, and Nik found himself tuning it out, instead focusing on his partner’s rhythmic breathing and the faint beating of his heart. On the other hand, Bernard was intently watching the screen, eating up all the drama like he’d never hear it again. He took a sip of one of those all-in-one meal drinks, and Nik suddenly remembered that his late wake up probably disrupted the pilot’s breakfast. 

He hated it, feeling like a burden. No matter what the others could say, even though he knew they all loved and cared about him, having others put their own lives on halt just for him made his chest hurt. It was better not to think too hard about it, the last thing he wanted was to tire himself out crying.

The corners of his vision got blurry, his eyelids drooped, and before he knew it he was falling asleep again.

“He did WHAT with her BEST FRIEND?!”

Nik awoke to rumbling, almost growling coming from Bernard. He slowly lifted his head and whispered, “ Hhuh?”

The pilot looked down and smiled, “Hah, sorry to WAKE you Nik. Just got a little FRUSTRATED.”

He glanced around the room. Oh, right, they were on the couch, how had he forgotten? He nuzzled up to Bernard, ignoring the puddle of drool seeping into the poor man’s shirt, and turned his attention to the TV. There was some argument between a couple, something about cheating. Yikes… no wonder he was so annoyed. The longer he watched, the more upset he got too. Their voices were all so grating, and they just kept whining!

Something else caught his eye though, the half empty bottle that had been dropped by the foot of the couch, that meal-drink-thing, Nik couldn’t be bothered remembering the brand of it. Bernard must have forgotten about it, clearly having gotten invested in the lives of those celebs, it was really odd seeing him so interested in such things. 

Curiosity got the better of him, and he shifted his position and nabbed the drink, giving the mystery liquid a whiff. It smelled… interesting to say the least. What would it taste like, he wondered. At least he didn’t have any food allergies.

He brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip before Bernard had the chance to snatch it away from him. Oh wow. It tasted very strong, of what, he could not tell. Noticing the face he made, the pilot chuckled, taking the bottle back.

“Not a FAN, huh?”

“Mmrgh…”

“Need some water, then? I’ll get ya a COLD glass if you LET me!”

Ah, he had forgotten that he was still on top of him. Nik blushed and shakily sat up, cringing at the pins and needles in his arms. Once he was free to leave, Bernard stood and kissed Nik’s cheek before walking to the kitchen.

“WON’T be a moment.”

“O-okay.”

Nik rubbed his sore arm and tried to quell the redness of his cheeks, all in vain. The only thing that managed to break him out of his flustered daze was a person getting slapped on the screen, the loud slap catching him off guard. He giggled at the absurdity of the situation, breaking down in a fit of tired laughter.

As promised, Bernard soon came back with a cool glass of water, noticing the state Nik was in. His concern quickly faded when he saw that the tears were from laughter and not pain. He sat down and offered the glass, which was gratefully accepted.They sat there quietly while Nik quickly downed the water, happy to wash down the weird taste of that drink. 

Once he was finished, Bernard wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, cuddling up together as another episode of that junk show came on. Nik felt a lot more energised after his impromptu nap and actually paid attention to the show, becoming engrossed in the people’s horrible decisions.

“Oh no she DIDN’T.”

“Oh, she ABSOLUTELY did!”

Chapter Text

Things started getting hot, really hot. Nik had spent so much time in direct sunlight, in such a thick suit, handling fire no less! It was overwhelming. The only relief he could get was sitting a giant leaf on his helmet for shade or running under the sprinklers once in a while, but neither did much, and once the pikmin shut them off he knew he was fucked.

He cut the expedition off earlier than he probably should have as the constant heat was starting to make him dizzy. Olimar was the first to greet him when he returned, followed by Collin and Shepherd. 

“Ah, Nik! Back so soon?”

“Mmh..” he groaned, pushing past his partners to enter the S.S. Shepherd.

No one really wanted to stop him, they saw the look on his face. Pale, sweaty, looking moments away from passing out. He needed some time alone, and a bucket full of water. 

At a certain point he must have blacked out, because the next time he opened his eyes he was on the couch, stripped down to an undershirt and boxers. His suit and helmet were haphazardly strewn about on the floor, and he heard some monotonous buzzing somewhere beside him. 

Wait, was someone talking?

Nik cracked open an eye and was immediately aware of the throbbing pain in his head, a blurry figure fussing over him. As he felt the leather of the couch sticking to his bare skin, something cold was placed on his forehead. Water dripped down his temples, and he made a vain attempt to sit up, unbelievably confused.

“Ugh- wha–”

His vision cleared up and focused on the person standing over him. It was Yonny, keeping a small hoard of water bottles, towels and fans. So that’s where that buzzing was coming from. The doctor began fanning his face with a handheld fan, reaching somewhere behind him to wet another towel. The cool air made him sigh, dulling the ache ever so slightly.

“Hah, you’re awake! Stars, I was starting to get worried, eheh.”

Yonny offered a bottle of water, then draped another towel over his shoulders. The rookie gratefully took it and started chugging it, soothing the dryness in his throat and mouth. He lowered the bottle when it started to hurt, looking up at the doctor.

“...What happened?”

“It appears you’re suffering from heat exhaustion. Your body is struggling to regulate its temperature, so it is important to stay here where it’s cooler.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. I’d lay back down if I were you, heh.”

Nik was too tired to protest, so he did as he was asked. More towels were laid out over his arms and legs. It was so nice, that paired with Yonny’s one-sided conversation was nearly enough to put him to sleep. But he knew that if he closed his eyes again he’d probably freak out the poor guy.

He sunk into the couch, unable to do anything but glance around the room. The windows were just out of view, but since the other crewmates seemed to be away, he figured that it was still the afternoon. Phew.

“How long have I been out?”

“Not awfully long. The captain asked me to check on you when you left in such a rush, and I just found you here.”

“Ah.”

Yonny hummed and leaned against the edge of the couch, taking in the breeze from the fans. They sat there in silence for a while, coming down after a long day, at least it certainly felt long for Nik. 

The rookie tapped and scratched at the leather under him, cringing at the feeling of sweat still sticking to his skin. At least he feels less hot, he supposes. No, actually, he feels like shit still. A cold shower would definitely do him some good.

“Hey, Yon–?”

The only response that he got was quiet snoring. Ah, he must have been having trouble sleeping again. Part of him wanted to offer up his bed if it helped at all, but with the heat it would likely be more unpleasant than anything, even with a fan on full blast. It was cute, but also a little concerning how little sleep he got, though it wasn’t like he’d have any inclination to fix it.

Nik sighed and slowly sat up, trying to avoid a headrush. The doctor murmured in his sleep and rubbed his cheek against the couch, and suddenly he wasn’t so desperate to shower. Instead, he slipped off the edge and plopped down beside Yonny, putting an arm over his shoulder. 

He leaned in closer, in awe at the adorable expression on his partner’s face. Fuck, he must be the luckiest man in the universe, getting to see such beautiful sights. Though, the moment was cut painfully short when Yonny stirred, nearly butting heads when he suddenly sat up straight.

“O-oh? Nik, did I-?”

“Yeah, it’s cute though,” he teased, kissing Yon’s nose.

“Hey- you stop that!”

Nik pulled him closer, “Come onnn, you’re like, the cutest!”

“Ugh, you stink! Back up!”

“Hm. Make me.”

Yonny blushed and tried to pull away from Nik’s tight grip, “Seriously, y-you should shower.”

“Then shower with me.”

“Wha–”

Did he just say that? Did he really just say that? Man, the heat must have really gotten to him, well, it’s not like he would be opposed or anything–

Yonny suddenly pulled him to his feet and dusted himself off. His face was likely as bright as Nik’s at this point, but he grabbed his hand and started dragging him somewhere.

“If you insist…”

Oh, so this is really happening, huh?