Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ace hushed Snipe gently, easing him back against the medical bed despite the brawler's weak protests. “You’re hurt.” His tone leaves no room for protests, his boyfriend wisely heeding the warning. Snipe knows better than to argue when Ace is this high strung, coming off the tail end of a double shift with a recent skirmish over Gale. Not there was ever an ideal time for… this.

Cracked ribs. Master Cyclonis had been furious that the Storm Hawks had foiled yet another plan. It wasn’t even essential, just some experimental device that probably would have backfired in the field even if that boy marksman hadn’t shoved a chicken in the exhaust pipe. Ace hadn’t even gotten around to reading what it was supposed to do, just a summary of the aftermath. Device went boom, Snipe had been completely overwhelmed keeping both the crystal mage and wallop at bay just like he’d been ordered, while Ravess had been so full of herself she hadn’t recalled her unit to come about to provide suppressive fire to keep Aerrow or the marksman at bay. Too adamant she could hold them off alone. Snipe shouldn’t have paid the price. Shouldn’t have paid any price. Honestly, Ace was beyond concerned now. Cyclonis had crossed a line, using her crystals to fling Snipe about the throne room in a tantrum.

Whatever composure she once had is long gone, his Master investing far too much of her time and resources into experimental dream machines than actually tending to her empire. The vultures were already circling, Ace could only hold them off so long… especially when he found himself disagreeing with her orders more often than not. Unlike Ravess, he was a realist. He’d spent too long in the Saharr sands seeing the unforgiving nature of mankind, corpses left in the sands, some buried alive and left for dead. Intelligence was figuring out what would happen next, wisdom was taking steps to avoid the incoming shitshow. Ace liked to think he was wise. 

Once Snipes ribs had been bound and painkillers provided, Ace helped him limp back home. His boyfriend always got so shy whenever his ‘boss’ fussed over him, both relishing the attention while also embarrassed about accepting someone’s help. A quick shower later has Ace curling carefully around Snipe, kissing his temple before nuzzling his hair. It had taken so long for Ace to be this openly affectionate even in private, Snipe loves it. He’d love it more if his boyfriend didn’t have that Look, the frowning furrowed brows one with his lip downturned one side into an almost sneer. That was a Dangerous Thoughts Look. Ace rarely said those thoughts aloud, instead speaking cryptically about making plans, asking seemingly random questions. Snipe may not understand but that was fine, he trusted Ace. Enough to go along with any of his schemes. 

“I think it’s time we leave.” Ace’s quiet words almost seem to echo around the room, both tensing as though that alone would bring the Nightcrawlers down on them. When the shadows stay put, Snipe clears his throat. “Ok.”

Terra Tranqua had so far avoided any casualties by being stubbornly neutral in the ongoing war. Talons regularly settled among the civilians, banks took business from all sides, it also had a nice little seasonal tourist business going in the warmer months. It’s also got a fairly decently priced housing market, allowing Ace to discreetly move his and Snipes life savings to the local bank and purchase their new home with barely any scrutiny. Snipe hadn’t once asked where they were going or what they were doing, half asleep against Ace in the little personal carrier he’d hired to move their belongings. Which mostly consisted of Snipes things. Other than a stack of books, his sword and a small crate of trinkets, there was little Ace was truly attached to. Not enough to risk their lives smuggling it out of Cyclonia. 

He opened the door to the quaint looking house nestled between two stores, a huge window at the front of the house papered over. To the left is a seasonal gift shop long since closed for the year, to the right, an ice cream store, likely busier during summer months. It's the perfect set up for what Ace has in mind. Snipes gasp from the back of the building draws him to the others side, the smaller warrior ducking his head shyly at the look of awe in his boyfriend's eyes. “Is this a bakery?!” See Ravess? Snipe is far from stupid, he recognises a kitchen when he sees one, especially one optimised for his favourite past-time. 

“I figured that once you’re better, we could do up the place and go into business. The paperwork can’t be that much worse than reports. I’ll handle sales and you can bake all the things you dreamed of.” Ace may be relatively new to this whole significant other thing but he always paid attention, especially to what was important to him. Snipes' happiness was important. Ok, they’d have to wear the chroma crystals near permanently but he’s already in touch with a jeweller to work them into something more subtle. 

To his alarm Snipe burst into tears, grabbing Ace for a hug that threatens both their ribs. Squeaking, Ace endures it for Snipes sake, after checking one thing. “Good tears or bad tears?” He asks, genuinely worried he’d royally fucked up. Thankfully Snipe just sniffles, “Good tears!” Well, that settled that then. Home sweet home.

While Ace had decorated their home, Snipe had gleefully done the maths required for starting up a bakery. What he could make, how much he could make, what ingredients he’d need, what tools, all of the things. Ace had been blown away by how quickly Snipe could multiply or divide in his head once he discovered it, the older Talon blushing as he explained it was an important part of baking. Being able to correlate the numbers with a physical outcome made it much easier for him. Which was why Ace was perfectly happy to let Snipe crunch the numbers while he snarled at furniture as he assembled it. When Snipe was finally well enough he’d joined in with getting their home and new business looking perfect. 

Their home was, well, homey. Considering how the place had been a working bakery for decades before the old owner retired, all they really needed to do was clean it up and add a new coat of paint. Snipe insisted Ace write out all the signs, his boyfriend had the prettiest and most readable handwriting of the two. Before they could open however there was one extremely important matter to handle. Names.

Ace had a love-hate relationship with his ‘name’, he’s fairly certain it’s his birth name as the other orphans of Saharr had mocked him mercilessly for it. Snipe didn’t see the problem, Seth sounded cool. Even when Ace described its relation to some ancient god of chaos he still maintained it was cool, then started some positive reinforcement. Every time he’d call his boyfriend by his birth name Snipe would always offer a little treat, or a hug, or if Ace was in the mood, a kiss. ‘Seth’ hadn’t even noticed it was happening, so adorably shy even now that someone could be so openly affectionate towards him. Snipe had been absolutely thrilled the first time Ace had called him ‘honey’, his boyfriend was just so damn cute! Luckily Ace had no problems being affectionately called ‘babe’ even without gratuitous rewards so Snipe could keep up his campaign to help ‘Seth’ at least tolerate his birth name. 

For Snipe his new name was pretty simple, Wilson. It was his middle name. Considering both were using parts of their legal names they had no problems registering with the relevant authorities to get all the permits they needed to run a business. Snipe passed the kitchen inspection with flying colours, Ace was able to sell a box of Snipes experimental sweet treats to the inspector before she’d even declared them fit to operate. ‘Sweet Stuff’ had its grand opening on a chilly winter's morning, Ace manned the front desk thoroughly charming the many old ladies that bustled through to get a look at the ‘new old place’, selling staples like bread alongside Snipes favoured sweet baked goods like cakes, doughnuts, brownies and biscuits. They’d decided to keep the menu small to start with to see what sold best, as well as a few boxes of ‘sweet surprise’ which had a selection of the various recipes Snipe was experimenting with. It changed every day based on Snipes whims, Ace happily encouraging his boyfriend to try whatever made him happy. They took one and a half days off a week to deep clean and relax, enjoying exploring their new home without the threat of being deployed any moment looming over them. 

Within just a couple of months since its opening, Sweet Stuff had a near daily flood of loyal customers. Snipe had needed to sit down when Ace had gently explained they were making more per month than either had as a serving Talon. He’d been so worried Ace was overpricing their goods, that people were still buying their favourites in bulk and claiming they’d be willing to pay more blew his mind. When he’d discovered Ace was distributing their earnings into individual accounts however he’d been adamant. “This place is only ‘cause of both of us! We should both get everything!”

That had led to Ace patiently explaining the only joint accounts of that nature were for married couples, followed by the most Snipe-like proposal in history. He’d apparently been trying to plan a big romantic evening for two on Sweet Stuff’s six month anniversary but making sure Ace knew he was loved and valued as his equal in all things took priority. Snipe still had no idea why Ace had thought he was the most romantic fiancé in Atmos for just being his usual clumsy self. 

A little apprehensive about how the locals would take an officially married gay couple living among them (this wasn’t terra Neon after all), they’d decided on an aggressive sales campaign the week following their wedding, Snipe baking all kinds of incredible heart shaped goodies while Ace cheerfully faced the public head on, rewarding anyone who’d gushed congratulations for the couple with discounts and extra treats of their choosing while any assholes were either swiftly ejected or given their order at full price and none of the usual pleasantries. Ace was an expert at conveying ‘fuck you’ without saying the words out loud. Overall it was a resounding success, the town mayor had even requested they run the heart themed goodies again next year during a new couples festival that she was trying to get going to bring in tourists. 

By some miracle Ace had managed to keep his composure when Sky Knights started showing up. Harrier hadn’t seemed to recognise him with the chroma crystal in full effect, his dark green hair and orange eyes seeming different enough to deter any suspicion. His new short spiky haircut might have helped, Snipe loved running his hands through it. All of that flashed through his mind as the pompous prick held up the line umming and ahhing over their chocolate treats selection, to the point where Ace had sharply requested he step to one side while he made up his mind. Some seven customers later, Ace was too busy to give any fucks at Harriers probing questions, offering the Rex Guardian a choice between purchasing a couple of two-tier chocolate cakes buy one get one half price or to get out. Considering the crowd was ready to lynch the Sky Knight for holding up the line, Harrier wisely took the offer and the remaining cakes then scuttled off, letting Ace get back to his regulars. 

Harrier must have blabbed because soon enough they’re getting all kinds of sky knights dropping by. Snipe starts popping out of the kitchen to hug Ace randomly to help him calm down, nuzzling him sweetly while giving no fucks about any customers watching. Oddly enough it seems to work, between Ace staying professional and Snipe being openly affectionate to his husband they’re soon written off as… well… not harmless, but more importantly, not the Sky Knights problem. They still keep coming by, but more often that not it’s the squad members stopping in to pick up an order rather than fully armed Sky knights ready for a fight. They all pointedly refuse to talk about the open secret until Starling stops by almost a year after they’d relocated to Tranqua. 

She’s incredibly lucky all they had to hand was a triple chocolate muffin with sticky caramel glazing, Snipes' aim was still pretty damn good. Considering she’d walked in when they had the closed sign up and the two were in the middle of a rather sweet make out session right before they cleaned up for the night, a muffin to the face was apparently forgivable. Ace had demanded payment when the bitch started eating the muffin though. 

Starling became the unofficial ambassador of sorts, clarifying exactly what the couple were up to, why they’d left Cyclonia and such. Ace was still unfailingly loyal to the Empire, he just loved Snipe even more, so getting answers out of him that were of any use to the war efforts was practically impossible. Thankfully Starling had been sincere in her concern for Snipe after learning what had driven them away, assuring the two that no one was willing to risk drawing them back into the war by exposing them. Especially when it became clear in their absence how little influence on global policies the men really had during their time serving in Cyclonia. Ravess had been promoted (unsurprisingly) but was quickly being outshone by her two new immediate underlings both vying to become Chief Commander. Cyclonis was as erratic as ever, still pouring far too much time and resources into her experimental war machines that shouldn’t have ever left R&D due to being so untested. Cyclonia’s nobility were driving the Talons into attacking every terra on the border whether Cyclonis approved or not…

No one blamed them for getting away from that shit show. As they were officially retired there were treaties protecting them from prosecution, thus Starling extended an officially unofficial truce. Sweet Stuff keeps doing their thing and doesn’t poison them, the Sky knights will only drop by for baked goods. As paying customers, she’d huffed when Ace looked ready to go on a rant about extortion, paying him for the muffin so he’d quit bitching. Also how much would they accept for the other leftover muffins? 

Snipe hadn’t let Ace overcharge the Interceptor, quickly ushering her out and making sure to lock the door this time. He’d been happy to look on the bright side, Ace didn’t have to stress so much! “Everything’s working out great babe! It's your plan so ‘course it is.” In the face of his husband's eager praise Ace couldn’t do more than grumble a bit then move on. 

Other than a few minor burns or paper cuts, nobody was suffering injuries on a daily basis. Sweet Stuff was flourishing, Snipe had quickly made a ton of friends and even gotten Ace his own little friendship group of Wastelands and Wonder players! Despite being so busy, their workload was nothing compared to their former careers. Life was good. Waking up every morning curled around each other, sweet kisses or nuzzles throughout the day, having their meals together, planning their next promotion or seasonal theme. Neither would have believed it possible, but they were happy. They had a home.

Piper was desperate, all the Storm Hawks were but right now she was the only one that hadn’t found a side job. With Cyclonia going off the rails the Storm Hawks had been burning through any cash at an incredible rate trying to help all the border terras fend off constant attacks and random inventions of Cyclonis. Stork had started up a radio show, to everyone’s amazement he’d gotten a bunch of sponsors, it seems conspiracy talk shows were actually pretty popular. The rest of the boys had been hired to salvage scrap from the wastelands near the frontlines, brave (or stupid) enough to risk skirmishes with Talons for measly pay… leaving Piper in dire need of income to fund her crystal experiments so she had a chance to keep up with whatever revolutionary leaps Cyclonis was making with her own crystals. 

She’d come to Tranqua on a tip off from Starling, something about places looking to hire for the summer season. Plus if she could get a job here, the guys would no doubt come visit and hopefully find better jobs. Less risky jobs. Jobs that let them actually rest for once. Sighing, she finds herself walking around Nook, a quaint little town at the north of the Terra. Unfortunately she’d arrived toward the end of summer so almost every seasonal position was already filled. She’d just tried her luck in an ice cream parlour only to come out empty handed. And hungry. Luckily there was some kind of bakery right next door.

Stepping inside she’s blown away by the sudden wall of delicious smelling goodies, salivating as she scans the display cases filled with all manner of sweet baked goods. One small corner of a display case seems to have pre-made sandwiches with fresh bread. Checking her purse, the Storm Hawk winces and quickly re-evaluates what’s on offer, looking longingly at the sweet bakery counter before turning her full attention to the sandwiches. There’s a little leaflet stuck to the display case proclaiming a meal deal, small drink and brownie slice with every sandwich purchase. Feeling better at spending a whole gold coin on lunch, she shuffles up to the counter as the only other customer cheerfully leaves. “Hi there, could I get a ham and lettuce sandwich with an orange juice and brownie please?” She’s counted out all her change ready, there’s a lot of copper in her hand that makes her cringe. “To go or eat in?” A vaguely familiar voice asks, Piper wincing. “To go please.” She’ll eat sitting on her heliscooter, it’s cheaper. Sighing, she starts stacking her coins on the counter when she suddenly realises who’s assembling her meal deal. “Dark Ace?!”

He pauses at her squeak, raising an eyebrow before going back to what he’s doing. Heart in her throat, Piper debates running for the door when Snipe comes out from the back with a tray of fresh cream eclairs. “Hey babe! How’s the lunch rush?” Ok, his hair is purple-red but that is definitely Snipe. Who’s kissing Dark Ace. Holy helix crystals what is happening?!

“Storm Hawk? Storm Hawk!” She blinks rapidly as Dark Ace’s scowl comes into view, the man huffing as he waves a paper bag in her face. “Your order.” Shakily, she takes it from him, blinking as he just rapidly counts her money then stores it in the till. Realising she’s still there, he just raises an eyebrow. “Did you want a receipt?” It takes way longer than was polite for her to respond, shaking her head timidly. Other than giving her a weird look, the Talon goes back to work, tidying up behind the counter while Snipe restocks the eclairs. They’re both in the middle of lamenting turning down delivery orders to the next town over when Piper finally plucks up the courage to clear her throat. “Erm… excuse me?” She cowers when they both look at her expectantly. “Uh… if you’re… I could… deliver stuff? If there’s a job? Like, erm…for hire…” 

Thankfully Ace had years of deciphering stupid. “You’d like to apply to be our delivery driver?” He speaks bluntly, easing up when he feels Snipe rubbing a hand between his shoulders. Summer lunch rush was incredibly stressful, so many tourists apparently couldn’t fucking read the posted deals and needed to be told in detail exactly how much shit cost. Which admittedly wasn’t the Storm Hawks fault. Sighing, he checks the time again. Fuck it. “Flip the sign to closed. Snipe, would you mind bringing our lunch through?” It wasn’t the first time they’d had a working lunch, Snipe giving him a brilliant grin for being nice. Ace’s version of nice. 

Securing everything, he grabs some paperwork then waits for the kid to do as he asked, letting her pick which of the two booth tables to sit in then settling opposite with space for Snipe. “Ok, we have a price list already written up. We had another employee but she was skimming stock and messing with inventory numbers so we had to cut back on deliveries. What sort of times are you available?” He arranged the papers to scan over this week's requests. A lot of elderly customers were hopeful they’d offer deliveries again to save braving the tourist crowds. Really he’d felt bad when they had to suddenly cut the service because Karen got caught with sticky fingers. Bitch. At least with a Storm Hawk if they tried anything he could land them in shit with his other sky knight customers. 

“Oh, um… I guess… the next couple of weeks? I mean… I think.” She looked so sheepish, at least the teen was aware how much of a pain in the ass an unreliable employee could be. Still… “Ok, how about a trial run? We’ll pay you for every delivery you make, but if someone more permanent comes along don’t be surprised if we go with them, ok?” It’s generous but he’s in a good mood, Snipe made bbq pulled pork for lunch and he’s been looking forward to it all day. Said husband quickly appears, handing Ace a plate with a cute nuzzle before settling beside him to dig in. Admittedly, living in a bakery had some effect on their physiques. Snipe was still one of the strongest humans in Atmos, slaving away almost every day lifting heavy trays, kneading dough, mixing by hand, it all did wonders to keep him in shape. Ace was still just as fast and deadly, adamant that he keep up his daily sky fu routine, except he only saw his abs when he flexed these days. Downside of having delicious leftover stock each day. Their new sandwich supply on sale was an attempt to help keep them from just snacking on sugary treats whenever hungry. 

With a small break in negotiations for lunch they’d settled into a somewhat pleasant silence. Piper was notably impressed by her sandwich, something that had Snipe grinning smugly. Ace just rolled his eyes, unable to help his own smile. Snipe loved seeing people appreciate his food, even now it was still super endearing. Once they’d all finished and cleaned up, Snipe took the lead. “We got a huge list of people all over Tranqua askin’ for stuff. We keep a list just in case but so far we haven’t had a chance to go deliver. You’d have to pick up payment before handing over the goods, and it ain’t as simple as going to who’s closest, got it? Eclairs melt fast even in a cool box, and they get squished, so you’d have to drop them first then do the other deliveries.” It was that exact kind of strategising that had Ace doing the bulk of deliveries before Karen was kicked out. Luckily the kid didn’t seem too put off by it. 

“I can do that! Just give me a map and I can figure it out.” That was promising. Sharing a look, Ace puts forward a map along with a list of today's orders. “Here, the prices include delivery costs. If anyone gives you trouble just tell them you’ll let Seth know. That should sort any issues.” Snipe suddenly jumps in, bouncing in place. “Oh! Wait! Coupons! If anything gets kinda squished or they’re real nice then give ‘em a coupon. I wanna get people in for the Beach Batch next week.” Bustling off to grab the coupons in question, he leaves Ace to explain to the startled looking teenager. “He likes cycling through different themes every week or so based on how he feels or what events are coming up. Beach Batch is all sea or tropical themed things, usually with pineapples, crab shaped croissants, that kind of thing.”

She has so many questions, Ace can see it. Sadly this isn’t the time. He can already see a line starting to form outside, luckily it’s the regulars who know better than to barge in. “Anybody asks, I’m Seth and he’s Wilson. We’ve been here for over a year already. Starling knows, so does half the Sky knights in the quadrant. Come back once you’ve made your deliveries and we’ll talk. Alright?” Thankfully Piper (who clarifies her name) just rolls with it, feeling energised after her lunch. Snipe comes back with a huge filled delivery cooler to be strapped to a ride, carrying it out for Piper and helping her attach it to her heliscooter while Ace goes ahead and opens up for post-lunch business. 

Snipe checks she’s got the map, list and coupons before waving her off, then makes a point of stopping by to hug Ace between customers. “Starling wouldn’t have sent a dud, don’t stress too much, kay?” Karen’s betrayal had cut deep, his husband could hold a grudge like no one else. Keeping Ace focused on the here and now was a full time job, but it was one Snipe was happy to take on. 

Sighing, Ace kisses Snipes cheek, humming quietly in agreement. “Thanks honey.” Things will work out. Hopefully. If the Storm Hawks could disrupt an entire army, delivering some pastries should be easy. Right?

Chapter Text

Piper quickly ran into trouble on her first ever delivery run for Sweet Stuff. Her first delivery was a box of cream eclairs for a Mrs Janet on the other side of the terra. With a gorgeous house so far out of the way it’s no surprise that a little old lady would have a hard time reaching the bakery. Cheerfully declaring ‘delivery’ once Mrs Janet opened the door, Piper maintained her cheery tone all throughout consulting her list on how much was owed. Mrs Janet was lovely, paying for her pastries and even giving Piper a tip! 

Except… she was too lovely. Five minutes later Piper is still trying to extract herself to go do her other deliveries. This lady would not stop talking! Squirming anxiously with her smile definitely plastered in place, it’s only when Janet mentions all the great deals Sweet Stuff keeps running that Piper recalls the coupons. “Oh! Actually, Sni- erm, Wilson said they’re selling Beach themed things next week. Here’s a coupon!” While Janet was cooing over the discount, proclaiming her need to fetch her glasses, Piper swiftly thanks her again and makes a speedy exit. 

When faced with yet another chatty old person she once again uses the coupons to extract herself, soon reaching a nice little flow. She’d arrive, take payment, offer the goods with a coupon then flee while the customer was reading. Suddenly she understands why Snipe said to give out the coupons to people being nice. It's kind of weird to think about Dark Ace of all people talking nicely to so many sweet old ladies that his store has such a dedicated following. Considering how the Storm Hawks had been convinced the warrior had died in action and all, Stork was going to be so disappointed when his conspiracy theory about Dark Ace dying being covered up while Cyclonis reanimates his corpse gets proven wrong. Then again, if even Starling knew where Dark Ace was all this time then maybe it was best to keep his whereabouts to themselves…

Between super talkative customers and having to zig zag across the terra to deliver the more fragile baked goods first, it takes Piper almost four hours to finish up. Not exactly ideal… but she’d only needed to give out one coupon to appease a slightly grumpy customer for their slightly squashed brownies, so she considers it a win. Pulling up outside the bakery, she edges in then takes a seat while Dark Ace (Seth?) finishes with the last few customers of the day. It's relatively easy as it’s just selling off the last bits of stock at discount, the locals well aware it's first come first served and when it’s gone it’s gone. 

“You mind if I block the door? Apparently tourists can’t read.” Ace waits patiently for Piper's response, the specialist definitely appreciating that all that stands between her and freedom is a mop propped against the door just enough that dumb tourists make one attempt before seeing the huge ‘CLOSED’ sign in front of their faces. Seriously, Dark Ace in a customer service job? It feels like there should be more bodies lying around. Ace seems pleased that she’d taken the initiative to write down what everyone had paid upon delivery, especially as it made keeping track of tips much easier. 

Ace quickly goes through Piper’s list while consulting his own that listed the cost of each product, organising the money she’d collected. To her amazement he slides a substantial stack of coins over before scooping the rest into a bag. “That's yours.” He clarifies, heading over to the till to begin organising today's earnings. Blinking in disbelief, she ‘subtly’ checks the paperwork he’d left on the table. He’d given her all of the delivery costs, plus tips?! This was more than the guys made in a week! 

“Did anyone give you trouble?” She’s snapped out of her thoughts, looking a little sheepish when she realises Ace is watching her freak out over her earnings with more than a little amusement. Clearing her throat she tries to speak in more than just a squeak, “No! No it was fine! Great! Absolutely no trouble!” Judging by how he raised his eyebrow, he didn’t buy it. “…erm… everyone was really nice… but, the er, a bunch of people kept wanting to talk. A lot.” She braces herself, fully expecting to be lectured for messing up somehow. 

Ace just snorts, “Let me guess, the coupons distracted them long enough for you to escape?” Ok so maybe she was more transparent than she thought. “It’s Snipes' idea. He's good at that sort of thing. People.” He shrugged awkwardly, finishing up writing the days earnings. Piper stares for a moment as it sinks in, the coupons were Snipes idea? Specifically to manage the nice old people? Then again she couldn’t really imagine Dark Ace having the patience to politely tell people to back off. Or… be polite at all really. “Will you be back tomorrow?” Once again she’s caught being distracted, mentally berating herself for letting her guard down around someone so dangerous. Ish. Was he still dangerous?

“Yeah! I’ll be here!” Not that she could head back to the Condor as she had no idea where it was right then anyway… she catches the Talon watching her, that calculating gaze extremely disconcerting. Just like every other time they’d clashed with the man she feels like he’s seen right through them…

“Do you have anyplace to stay?” See? He just knew stuff! It was creepy! “Erm…” Once more he didn't need to wait for an answer, letting out a little huff. “Wait outside.” Feeling awkward she does as she’s told, waiting out by her heliscooter. For a moment she debates calling in to tell the others what she’d discovered, but right as she thinks of grabbing her radio Ace steps out then gestures for her to follow him next door to the gift shop. To her amazement the middle aged woman (Lisa) agrees to let Piper stay in the flat above her store for a great price! Considering that Piper will only be sleeping there and all. It didn’t stop the teen from being surprised that Ace was actually willing to negotiate some baked goods on her behalf, maybe this whole delivery thing meant way more to the bakery than she thought? Either way, she now had a place to stay, somewhere to eat and better yet a job! 

She’ll give it a week then call the others. Starling said she’d drop by, right? Everything would be just fine!

So it turns out working for a bakery was a lot harder than it looked. Most people wouldn’t place their orders until late morning, so Piper found herself with a fair bit of free time on her hands. At least until Snipe had noticed then asked if she wanted to help out with morning prep. He was surprisingly nice when he wasn’t trying to ‘smush’ people, and he was definitely the mastermind behind Ace not scaring off their customers. It's so weird, but at the same time kind of sweet seeing the two (former) Talons together. Ace would actually melt against Snipe whenever his burly husband pulled him into a hug, and Snipe always got a super sappy look whenever Ace called him ‘honey’. Piper certainly loved how they’d got their bakery processes down to a fine art. Ace was a stickler for having rules, thankfully they were always important and easy to follow. As long as Piper showed she was trying to learn he was a surprisingly patient teacher. Snipe was an excellent baker, happy to show off a few tricks and techniques. Piper didn’t think her sandcakes could get any better until he taught her to combine the dry ingredients evenly first then combine with the eggs and butter. 

“I still can’t believe those guys are actually running a bakery of all things.” Aerrow repeated for the hundredth time. Of all the guys he’d been the one who had the hardest time adjusting to the idea of Dark Ace playing civilian. “Trust me, when you see how sappy they are with each other, you’ll believe it.” Piper assured, excited to be bringing her friends back with her to Tranqua. As soon as the tourist season had ended Ace had let her take a couple weeks off, now that there were less tourists many of her customers would be happier about coming by the bakery themselves. She’d spent the whole time with the guys enjoying the fruits of her labour, thanks to her efforts the Condor had a whole new highly efficient crystal engine array. Stork was impressed. Finn had leapt at the chance to take any job that paid better than scrapping. Aerrow had almost turned it down on principle had Starling not swung by to help with another mission repelling Talons from Polaris Point. 

“She’s right, Ace won’t make any moves against Cyclonia but he loves Snipe more than he’s loyal to Cyclonis. If he’s happy to keep out of this war it only benefits the rest of us.” With yet more reassurance from the more experienced Sky Knight, Aerrow reluctantly conceded. It was going to be just him and Starling going with Piper to announce her return, hopefully to negotiate the other Storm Hawks helping with deliveries. 

Only as with most of their plans, it all fell apart the moment they walked in the store. Piper had been concerned when she saw the sign flipped to closed in the middle of a weekday, knocking before poking her head inside. Stunned at the sight before her, she makes her way further into the bakery with Aerrow and Starling following.

There’s delivery boxes everywhere.

“What’s going on!?” At her exclamation Ace suddenly sticks his head from the kitchen, there’s flour in his hair. “Starling! Kill Harrier!” They’re all rather taken aback by his sudden demand, Starling edging closer to the till counter around the stack of delivery boxes while managing to keep her cool demeanor. “And why would I do that?” Watching him closely as the Talon adds another delivery box to a stack of boxes, they wince when he runs a hand through his hair which only smears the flour through it more. “That fucking asshole had us agree to make him up an order for whatever prissy tea party he’s got going on… we get to charge him 50% extra per item and he’ll pay for delivery… but then he sent THIS!” Grabbing a wad of paper from his apron pouch the man unrolls it, and unrolls it, and it just keeps going. “Snipe’s about to have another breakdown, his last one was just an hour ago! I’ve been helping but it’s nowhere near enough!” 

Oof, even Aerrow looks sympathetic. Luckily Starling takes charge, eyebrows shooting into her hairline as she takes note of how much they’d already made, then how much more was left. “Killing him isn’t going to solve your problem, but I will. Make me two of your chocoholic brownie cakes and I’ll sort it.” Ace sways slightly on his feet, briefly attempting to sit on his chair behind the counter only to realise there’s more boxes taking up the space already. “Starling, I'm not kidding about the breakdown. Snipes crying into a bucket because he cried into the last batch of pastry so we can’t sell it and I’ve been beating the shit out of dough for three hours and…”

“Forget the rest of the order. Just make me my cakes and we’ll take care of all this. You’ll get your money and I’ll make it clear any future contracts are written up front before agreement. Alright? And tell Snipe I don’t mind if he cries into the batter, I just want cake.” Something in her tone must have been reassuring enough, the Talon huffing tiredly again but not protesting as she starts rolling up the order scroll. “Go let Snipe know, I’ll stand guard out here.” Once Ace slunk off in search of his husband Starling turned to the Storm Hawks, smiling a little sheepishly. “I know it’s a change of plans, but would you mind if we used the Condor to deliver all this? It’ll pay handsomely, I can promise you that much.” 

A ton of money for moving cake? Absolutely. Calling in reinforcements, they grab a stack of boxes each and get ready to carry it out to the Condor to fill in the others. Piper sneaks to the kitchen before they leave to check on Snipe, wanting to be nice. What she finds genuinely concerns her, Snipe swaying in place looking dazed while mumbling in a near constant whimper to himself. Ace carefully extracts the mixing bowl from Snipes hands to set aside, his husband still holding the whisk while making whisking motions. Everywhere she looks is chaos. They must have been baking since before dawn. She’s about to offer some help to clean up when Ace manages to coax Snipe into sitting, pausing mid-reassurance to blankly watch the whisk being spun a few times before taking it to set aside. “Snipe? Honey? It’s ok. We can take a break. Please? We missed lunch. And breakfast. You said leftover brownie crusts didn’t count.” 

She’s never heard anyone talk to someone else in that tender tone before, her offer to help sticking in her throat. Ace gently runs his hands along Snipes arms before carefully gripping his wrists, pressing lightly into pressure points just beneath the big guy's hands to release some tension. The effect is immediate, Snipe slumping forward to rest his forehead on Ace’s chest, the younger man quickly reaching to massage his scalp as the distressed Talon’s mumbles turn into hiccups. “It's ok honey. It’s alright. The order’s all finished. It’s all good. You did amazing… shall we order Eastarese?” A pitiful whine between hiccups. “Sweet and sour battered king prawns with roast duck chow mein?” Another whine. It seems to make sense to Ace at least. He leans down to kiss the top of Snipes head, sliding his free hand down to knead at tense neck muscles while Snipe laces their fingers together with his other hand. It’s so intimate, a sweet tender moment Piper had never even seen in movies let alone in real life. Any lingering doubts about the sincerity of their relationship vanish, leaving her smiling while feeling incredibly awkward for spying on such a private moment. 

Quickly sneaking back out, she helps organise the boxes to hand over to Finn and Junko, who’d just shown up to help. It wouldn’t do for all that hard work to end up squashed during delivery. Hopefully by the time they get back her ‘bosses’ will be feeling better.

Snipe had an amazing husband. Ace got so insecure over nothing, fretting constantly that he wasn’t good enough for the born and bred Cyclonian, but Snipe’s cute little Saharran jewel was so effortlessly sweet it was hard to believe Ace was oblivious to how amazing he was. He constantly put himself out of his comfort zone for Snipes sake, handling customers, going out for fun activities that involved hanging out with Snipes many new friends… truly, he couldn’t have wished for a better husband. 

Like now, Ace had given him a glass of water (for the hiccups) then sent him to have a nice long bath using those bath salts they kept for emergencies. After losing track of time having a long desperately needed soak, Snipe emerged feeling much better to find the kitchen had been cleaned and Ace was in the middle of cleaning the final mixing bowl. Everything else had been washed, dried and put away in its rightful place except for a few things he’d need for making a couple of cakes. “Feeling better?” Even covered in flour and other baked substances his hubby was handsome, Snipe unable to resist a quick kiss. Poor Ace must be wrung out, he hated being sticky. “Yeah, thanks babe. Why don’t I take over and you go shower?”

“Thank you.” Dropping the bowl into the suds Ace quickly peels off his apron and shirt to throw in the hamper by the stairs to their living quarters. Snipe almost misses what he’s saying, too caught up enjoying the view. “Wha? Sorry, what’d you say?” Yeah, he’s lucky, so lucky. Because instead of the patented glare promising imminent suffering he instead gets that soft slightly exasperated but so fond look. “Food is on its way, so listen out for the door. I strongly suggest you take a break, but I promised Starling two CBC’s for cutting our workload and getting payment out of Harrier for what we’d made. She said she doesn’t mind if you cry into the batter.” 

Ace forming an actual friendship with Starling was something nobody saw coming, they should have though because Snipe knew damn well there was a lot of mutual respect between the two enemies. Admittedly for a while he’d been pretty insecure, fretting about Ace leaving him for the cool, confident, admittedly attractive sky knight. Not that he should have worried, his boyfriend (at the time) was fiercely loyal. And just as insecure about someone stealing away the man he loved. Ace had been so smug after their courthouse wedding, strutting about like the little cat Snipe pretended he wasn’t feeding out the back. Nowadays he couldn’t help but feel grateful, Ace needed friends. Real ones. Starling was proving to be a pretty reliable one for all they’d bitch at each other. 

Compared to the absolute hell that was Harriers order, whipping up a couple CBC’s was a literal piece of cake. He's got both batches of batter in the oven by the time food arrives, paying and getting everything plated up to carry upstairs. Today definitely called for a sofa lunch. Dinner. What time was it? Before he could get too caught up in guilt about letting Ace miss meals the man himself reappears, claiming his food with a little kiss before they snuggle together on the sofa. These were the moments that made it all worthwhile, Snipe thanking the universe for how lucky he’d been. 

Harrier was dumbstruck, cowering slightly in the face of the furious Starling. He didn’t know how he’d never noticed before how passionate yet composed she was, the way she conducted herself was nothing less than a lady of far higher status while beneath her formal tone lay a band of steel. Dignified, resilient, easy on the eyes… really he should know better than to agree to someone’s terms so easily these days but he suddenly found himself with a very different set of priorities. Showing off how well travelled he was with treats from Tranqua could wait. 

“Allow me to reiterate, if my chocoholic brownie cakes come under threat again because you’re incapable of making an honourable reasonable request from a small business, I will return and you will wish it were ‘Seth’ exacting vengeance. Am I clear?” Starling ‘calmly’ states, staring Harrier down until he nodded timidly in agreement. Chocoholic she said? Ever the gentleman he invites her to the tea party, along with the scruffy children that were the Storm Hawks. She’d waited until he’d paid his bill in full first before agreeing, beelining for the buffet table to help herself to a piece of the cake in question. Even then despite practically threatening murder, she still ate slowly. Almost delicately. Now this was a lady! 

Doing his best to mingle, Harrier kept one eye on what sweet treats Starling picked out over the course of the party, making a mental note of them. Yes, he could use this… now to stop that wallop from inhaling all of his expensive treats!

As promised, Starling got her cakes. Ace and Snipe knew better than to risk her ire. Admittedly the two got far too much amusement watching the Storm Hawks freak out over the frankly extortionate delivery fee they’d been paid for their part in the ordeal, Snipe helping count out everything just to be sure they’d gotten it all right. From Harriers hellish half-order alone they could afford to close shop for a two week vacation to Tropica if they wished. Maybe Neon. 

Piper had been very sweet, anxiously asking if they were ok. With some food and a nap Snipe had thankfully almost bounced back to his usual self. Ace on the other hand was still (as expected) holding a grudge against Harrier. Mostly so that he didn’t wallow in the guilt of allowing the damn deal to happen in the first place. He’s putting limits on all orders from now on, it’s the principle of the matter. Admittedly he’s desperate for a good nap himself, but he’s been worse. 

With Piper saving more money by staying on the Condor, Sweet Stuff are able to secure a reliable source of delivery drivers in the Storm Hawks by putting in a good word for the other kids around town. Seeing the extent of Snipes connections on Tranqua is somewhat horrifying, especially when still half convinced the Talons were sent as some kind of soft invasion preparation force. Even so, the kids quickly settle in for a long haul of decent to excellently paid delivery jobs. Piper gets the honour of working consistently for Sweet Stuff, considering how she’d proven herself. That and she was much more relaxed around the former Talons even when Ace was in a mood snarling about idiot customers. Weirdly enough it was Snipes reassurance that even in Cyclonia Ace would only lash out at those truly deserving of it that made her feel better. That and the memory of the two being so sweet with each other in the aftermath of Harriers insane order. 

Speaking of Harrier, something odd had started happening. Almost every time Starling showed up on Tranqua, Harrier would suddenly have almost every single one of her favourite sweet orders reserved or put on hold, leading to an increasingly frustrated Starling demanding names. Once is a coincidence, twice, unfortunate timing. Six times in one week?! Usually Ace wasn’t so free giving out customer names, but his goodwill toward Harrier was understandably dwindling. No one ever claimed Ace wasn’t a petty bitch when the mood struck.

“I don’t get it.” Snipe declared, taking a break to snuggle with his husband during the mid-afternoon lull in customers. “You never let anyone reserve stuff, and half of what he pays for he doesn’t even come to get or get delivered? So we just sell it at a discount anyway?” Nothing was going to waste, if anything it made the end of day bargain hunters even more loyal knowing there’s a chance of the best selling stuff being available so late in the day. Ace just grins. “I charge Harrier 75% of the goods value to put it on hold, then sell them for half price.” Profit galore, which explained his willingness to entertain the Rex Guardians flight of fancy. But still…

“Starlings gonna smush him if this keeps up, she really wants those cakes.” Snipe muses, narrowing his eyes when his husband looks suspiciously innocent. Some persistent nuzzling and gentle tickles soon have Ace confessing everything, Snipe needing a moment to process how stupid Harrier’s plan is, even for him. “You gotta be kidding, he’s trying to make Starling go on a date with him, by pissing her off?! She’s even more stabby than you were!”

“I know!” Ace looks delighted. If there’s one thing he missed about Cyclonia it was the ability to swiftly execute painful revenge on those that wronged him. That Harrier was equally stupid and masochistic enough to bring down Starlings wrath upon himself over a crush was delicious. “You’re such a little shit.” Snipe informed him fondly, laughing when Ace only preens at the ‘compliment’. “Just yell if it’s gonna be a Delilah and Cindy smackdown, that was great!” Harrier wasn’t the first customer Ace had personal beef with but hadn’t been allowed to maim in any fashion, through some tactful quips and snide comments he’d been able to pit two elderly old ladies against each other. Delilah was an absolute nightmare for ordering ‘off the menu’, taking up a ton of time by not only refusing to read what’s on offer but also had the nerve to argue with Ace about getting his ‘no good indecent hellbound so-called spouse’ to go whip up what she wanted. Cindy was a gossip machine, ordinarily Ace would love to hang out and learn all the deep dark secrets of Nook’s residents, if she didn’t keep doing it in the middle of the workday.

Thus he’d suggested a very special very limited one time deal to both ladies to make sure they’d be in the bakery at the same time. It hadn’t taken long for Cindy to become horrified by the slurs Delilah was directing at poor Seth and Wilson, loudly calling out the old bitch for her bigoted entitlement, things had come to blows when Cindy had decided to air the reasons for the shriveled old biddy’s several divorces and why her adult children were estranged for everyone to hear. Snipe had only come out in time to witness the tail end of the commotion, local law enforcement having been called to pry the two old ladies apart for slapping at each other. Ace had put down his popcorn long enough to file a charge of harassment against Delilah before picking it back up when the law enforcement had been forced to scramble after a suddenly running Delilah. Turns out the bitch had a warrant for shoplifting over in the southern Tranqua town of Cranny! She was surprisingly quick for an 84 year old. Cindy got her well earned discount and an invitation to the ‘book club’ hosted at Sweet Stuff every other Thursday to gossip with the other club members to her hearts content.  

When Starling finally has enough two weeks later, Ace gleefully tells her when Harrier was due to pick up a batch of cookies for personal use, making sure to keep his little tub of popcorn hidden behind the counter. He wasn’t a complete dick however, he made sure Piper and Finn would be out with their deliveries so they wouldn't risk getting caught up in the incoming shitshow. Aerrow was out on a long distance delivery with his monkey so he was accounted for. Finally, the doorbell jingled as Harrier stepped in, completely oblivious to the looming threat. “You still owe money for everything that’s been on hold the past four days. Six cakes, seven batches of cookies, fifteen brownies and eighteen muffins.” Ace sounded bored, a complete contrast to the gleam in his eyes. Were Harrier a better Sky Knight he’d have noticed the very obvious danger. Instead he just huffs and goes about paying the agreed prices, no matter how extortionate it seemed. 

Which was a perfect time for Starling to ambush him.

Ace quickly counted his money then stored it away, rapidly waving Snipe through so they could share popcorn for the intense interrogation Starling put Harrier through after catching him red handed. He caved like a tissue hitting a waterfall. Somewhere during the verbal evisceration the man confesses he was trying to get Starlings attention in order to ask her out on a date, cowering in the face of her cold analysis completely shredding his logic to pieces. “I may not know how courtship works on terra Rex, but in Mesa we have something called standards. Those involve not wasting our time with so-called ‘men’ that are so emotionally immature they resort to childish hair-pulling tactics because they’re too emotionally constipated to be considered an adult, let alone partner material.” 

Thoroughly embarrassed, Harrier slunk away, the bakery doorbell jingling cheerily as though to add insult to injury. Starling sighed in frustration, shaking her head before fixing the two completely unrepentant Talons with a look, both still munching popcorn while staring at her. “If I don’t have something with sugar in my hand in the next three minutes you two are next.” Taking her threat seriously, they quickly supply her with some of her favourites that Harrier had been attempting to keep from the Interceptor, the half price discount making it taste all the sweeter.

They don’t explain themselves to the Storm Hawks upon the kids return, just waving them off to go home early once they’d been paid. Piper was a sweetheart, helping Snipe clean up the kitchen for a large box of leftover goodies to share with her friends. Starling takes up her offer to crash on the Condor that evening, partly to have more of that chocoholic brownie cake Snipe had saved specially for Piper. “Oh he‘s still a scheming bloodthirsty bastard, make no mistake.” Starling chimes in on yet another rant from Stork about how Dark Ace was scheming to conquer Tranqua. “But he hasn’t killed anyone, he’s been manipulating his customers into dealing with any unsavoury characters for him. Not that he needs to do much, people will do a lot to keep Sweet Stuff goodies going. Snipe really is a master baker, supposedly his cooking is just as good. The last person they hired who stole from them got driven off the Terra by other customers for making the bakery close down for a week to sort everything out. Ace was paranoid it would mess with their taxes, he’s extremely particular about following procedures wherever he lives.” 

Really, no matter what theories Stork spouted, nobody could find anything suggesting the Talons were up to no good. Even Aerrow was willing to drop his suspicion, until the call came in.

The Cyclonians were planning something for terra Tranqua’s next big race. The one Starling knew Ace always competed in. 

It’s just too suspicious. 

Chapter Text

Tranqua’s ‘big race’ was basically just a glorified tourist festival spread out over a week, held every four months or so as an excuse to have a market featuring products from all over Tranqua with a guaranteed flood of visitors. Snipe loved it. Race week was a challenge. He’d make the staple favourites in bulk to sell but for the most part it was the time that he really got to let loose with the experimental recipes. Even with the less successful goodies, Ace inevitably winning at least one of the several races held over the week guaranteed a flood of customers rushing over to their stall for discounts. Admittedly, it was kind of underhanded to offer half off everything for the day each time Ace won a race… the races were always held midday so by that point almost all the popular goodies had been sold, leaving mostly the experimental treats. For half off, just about everyone was willing to take a risk by spending coins on an adventurous goodie. 

Setting up was always fun though, they’d bought then renovated what looked to be a couple of caravans, towing Ace’s custom (legal) skimmer on a trailer behind them. One tiny caravan would be home sweet home for the week, the other was a portable kitchen that could expand out to the side into a stall, complete with refrigerated plastic display case counter to keep the bugs off the fresh goodies. A little fabric pull out awning completed the stall area, ensuring Ace had plenty of space to do his thing selling to the public while Snipe had full run of the snug kitchen. 

While the Storm Hawks seemed to be enjoying the time off, they’d still stuck close by, at least one of the teens stopping by a few times a day to buy treats. Starling inevitably showed up to cheer Ace on at every race he entered, Aerrow almost hurt that she wasn’t supporting him in their races right up until Ace won fair and square. Seeing the Interceptor load up on an obscene amount of cakes and brownies in the following half off sale explained everything. Unlike the kids, she seemed confident the former Talons had nothing to do with whatever Cyclonis had planned. In the year since the couple had defected, Cyclonis had become increasingly unstable, resorting to brute force more often than the subtle cunning that had many neutral terras still willing to do business with the empire. Without Dark Aces measured attempts at reasonable negotiation of contracts that were once ‘beneath’ the young Empress, more and more terras had united against the Cyclonians. 

While Dark Ace had never had the final say in the Talons orders, what leeway he had been given from vague orders often resulted in schemes with far less casualties than any operations since his departure. Many Sky Knights longed for the days when they’d face Dark Ace in battle rather than a fleet of Nightcrawlers decked out in experimental crystals that didn’t care about the devastation they left in their wake. 

With the races occuring in broad daylight the teens were confident they’d at least be dealing with Talons rather than the creepy assassins. 

It was the final race when things finally took a turn, the grand finale. Only those who’d won at least once were competing. Ace had been fairly smug at trouncing Aerrow in the only race the Talon had actually entered this time (spacing out his entry vs the final race for maximum profits and publicity for Sweet Stuff’s stall), though not insufferably so. Truthfully, the Sky Knight was more upset that his rematch against the former Commander was so rudely interrupted by a platoon of Talons swooping in throwing explosives on the race track. Being pro’s both Ace and Aerrow had successfully woven around bombs and craters, only for Ace to wipe out while ramming a friend from his W&W club away from an explosion that would have killed her. At that Aerrow gave up on the race entirely and took to the skies to fight the soldiers head on. It was chaos.

Peaceful citizens of Tranqua scrambled for cover, many running aimlessly in sheer panic. At least it meant there weren’t any eyes on Snipe as he charged over to check on his dazed husband, flinging the wrecked ride off his lover and trying to make him stay still. Ace was infamous for neglecting his own health when it came to protecting what was his. Thankfully Laudna (their friend that he’d saved) was a medic, she’d already been working on splinting Ace’s crooked leg using a spanner as a makeshift splint. His poor Ace. “Smush them!” Ace hissed, eyes fixed on the commander leading the erratic raid. Who was Snipe to disobey? Considering poor Ace’s ride was already wrecked from the explosions, Snipe only felt a tinge of guilt for picking it up to fling at his husband’s target, cheering when he took out both the Talon squad commander and another soldier in just one throw. Without their leader the squad quickly falls apart in the face of the Sky Knights swift defense, Aerrow dominating the skies with Starling scattering any Talons swooping after civilians. 

Gently scooping Ace up, Snipe hustles off the ruined race track with a new appreciation for his husband's friend, Laudna wielding a crowbar to swing at any Talons dive bombing close by before Starling can chase them off. They’d managed to reach shelter by a spectator stand where an elderly well dressed woman is cowering, Snipe carefully standing Ace beside her then spinning to help Laudna fight off some of the Talons that had landed. Some impudent whelp managed to duck past Snipes fists to grab at the poor elderly woman’s handbag, Ace elbowing the little bastard in the kidney hard enough that it sent the brat reeling. For a moment Snipe recognised the teen, ‘Top Dog’, so named because he knew the kids mother and she was a bitch. 

He has no issues grabbing the kid by the belt to fling him into more Talons that were approaching, sending them scattering like bowling pins. Thankfully that seems to be the end of that, Top Dog declaring he’d ’got it’ led to a mass withdrawal, soldiers scrambling to collect their fallen comrades to swiftly retreat. 

Imminent threat gone, Snipe returns to fuss over his husband, poor Ace alarmingly pale as he sways even with the support of the spectator stand. The Storm Hawks swiftly surround them, rushing to ask the old woman what it was the Talons had taken. “This.” Ace declared as he shakily pulled a crystal from his pocket, the woman bursting into tears in gratitude as he handed it over immediately without prompting nor question. Piper immediately gets distracted by it (a rare hybrid crystal she’d never seen in person), gushing over its properties. Thankfully Starling is swiftly on the scene, reassuring the old woman while directing Snipe to the corner of the festival grounds where first aid is being offered. All eyes turn to them as Snipe gently scoops Ace up again, Aerrows wary expression softening as he notices the way his nemesis takes a shaky breath before nuzzling against Snipes chin. 

As ‘Wilson’ takes his husband to get patched up, Starling smirks over at Aerrow. “Satisfied?” She allows him a moment to reflect on all he’d seen, every action he’d seen Dark Ace take, trying not to look too smug as he comes to the same conclusion she had months ago. “Yeah… they’re ok.” He states assertively, finally letting go of that thread of tension he’d never quite managed to tame all this time. For better or worse, Dark Ace and Snipe had truly turned over a new leaf. 

“Thanks! See you soon!” Piper smiles as she waves off another customer, following behind them to lock up for the day. ‘Seth’s’ leg had been pretty badly broken, shattered even. He’d hopefully make a full recovery but it would take a long time, as well as plenty of rest. Time wasn’t the issue, getting the man to rest was practically impossible unless ‘Wilson’ wrapped around the smaller man to keep him in place with cuddles. Honestly, Piper really admired how patient Snipe was with his cranky husband, seeming to let any bitching just roll off him while getting to the heart of the matter. Ace was terrified of being helpless, he tried to compensate by staying in control as much as possible. Letting his husband take point on their business was hard, trusting Piper to take over the cashiers role was even harder. 

It didn’t help he was on some pretty strong painkillers, his mind as sluggish as his movements which only added to his helpless frustration. 

Snipe had completely restructured his days around tending to his lover, helping Ace get up and ‘ready’ in the mornings just as he usually would, carefully bringing him downstairs to the bed pallet he’d made in the kitchen corner just for the man to keep his leg up. It allowed Ace to go over Sweet Stuff’s paperwork (slowly) while keeping him company, Snipes bustling as he baked incredibly reassuring. Even if Ace often fell asleep mid-conversation, going through the motions of ‘getting up’ and talking with Snipe made him feel useful. Wanted. Well aware of his husbands lingering anxiety from a lifetime of social isolation, the baker had been all too happy to have his company in the kitchen. It also allowed him to sneak Ace even more healthy food to snack on than if they’d left the warrior upstairs in their apartment alone. 

Thankfully Piper had been an incredibly reliable employee, most of their regulars recognised her from the deliveries so there were few issues with anyone giving her trouble. The few times they had she’d immediately called in Snipe just as she’d been instructed, the brawler’s appearance from the back usually enough to intimidate assholes into scurrying away. “We’re all locked up!” She called, quickly counting out the morning's earnings to mark down in the ledger before carrying them all through to Ace’s nook. Some crates had been repurposed into a table just for this purpose, the crystal mage carefully setting everything down within his reach. “Mrs Helton insisted on leaving a tip again, so did the rest of her book club. I wrote each tip and the total in the margin here.” 

Ace certainly appreciated her efforts to be transparent about where all the money came from. The more he was assured of Piper's integrity, the more relaxed he was about giving her bonuses for picking up tasks around the bakery. They were only open for mornings while Ace recovered, Snipe adamant he can’t concentrate all day worrying about his husband. “Thanks, are you sticking around for clean up or meeting your friends today?” That was something Piper always appreciated, as anal as Ace was about his procedures he never took her for granted. “I can stick around. Finn’s stopping by in half hour for the last of the deliveries so I’ll head out with him when I’m done.” With confirmation from her ‘boss’ (and a tiny thrill as she sees him marking more money in the little column she knew was her wages), Piper heads back out front to clean, humming happily to herself. 

Just as she finishes mopping she peeks back into the kitchen, trying to stay quiet as she grins. It was so weird how cute the two former Talons were together, Snipe kneeling next to Ace while nuzzling him gently, the slender warrior blushing at whatever Snipe is mumbling to him. She waits a little longer so they can have their moment before wheeling the mop bucket through to empty it in the sink. “I’m all done! I’ll just wait out front for Finn and lock up behind me, ok? Hope you feel better soon Seth!” She waves on her way out, smiling to herself as they call out their goodbyes after her. 

Yeah. This whole delivery gig is pretty sweet. 

Snipe grins as Ace snoozes on his chest snug in their bed, only briefly mourning his husband's striking natural colouring. Green hair and orange eyes looked pretty good but he’d never forget those crimson eyes that could pin him in place with just one look. At least his hair is just as fluffy as ever, Snipe enjoying the little thrill he gets every time he runs his fingers through the carefully tamed locks to mess it up into a gravity defying floof that’s too damn cute to describe. Not that Ace ever gets too mad, mostly because Snipes scalp massage often turned him to putty within seconds. Baking required a delicate touch and damn did Snipe have it down to an art form. Really, Ace never had a chance the moment those skilled fingers started working their way from his forehead to the top of his skull, dipping either side at intervals to rub along his temples or behind his ears in a methodical soothing fashion. Between the petting and his painkillers, Ace was practically a life sized teddy bear. All for Snipe. 

“Y’kay?” Ace slurred, opening his eyes ever so slightly as he twisted to check his lover, getting a kiss to the forehead for his troubles. “Yeah, I’m great. Wish you were all better though.” They lay together comfortably for a while, enjoying the music playing on the radio. “Why’d you get all shy about saving the old lady’s stuff?” It had been bugging him this whole time, any thoughts of his badass husband feeling ashamed gnawed relentlessly on his subconscious. Nobody made his husband feel bad, not even his husband. This close he can feel Ace’s heart rate picking up, quick to squeeze him with a snuggle to reassure him. “It was badass babe! I wish I could have seen that fucking brat have had his ass beaten when he showed up with an empty handbag.” Snipe cackles at the thought, he can see it now. Those guys were screwed. 

As with all Snipes compliments of his insecurities, Ace scrunches down while blushing. It was crazy cute. “Openly admitting you were a thief half your life isn’t exactly best for publicity, honey.” He tried to mumble, his blush deepening when Snipe just kissed him again. “Still badass. Besides, that rich old lady was happy you got all her stuff! She’s booked like, weeks of tea party shit!” Lady Annabelle had indeed been extremely grateful to ‘Seth’ for stealing back her things from the hooligan Talon that assaulted her, Starling however had given him some serious side-eye in the aftermath when she interviewed them. Most importantly though she hadn’t pried, not pushing her luck when Snipe got protective of his wounded love. 

Snipe considers himself the winner when Ace just huffs, chuckling when his husband wiggles to fit more snugly against Snipes' side. “Cutest badass in the quadrant.” He teases, barking out a laugh when Ace nips at his jaw in response. “Just a few more weeks babe, and you’ll be back in ass kicking shape. Scaring dickheads into paying full price in no time.” That appeased Ace for sure. 

Admittedly they’d both been deeply unsettled coming face to face with their former comrades, luckily the underlings were just as stupid as they had been over a year ago. Nobody had recognised them even up close and personal. At least Starling and the Storm Hawks now believed they were no longer in league with the Talons. As if Cyclonis was plotting to take over the world with chocolate cake. 

“…could Cyclonis take over the world with cake?” Thankfully Ace indulged him, humming quietly as he thought it over. “If she ever got her head out her ass or quit the obsession with crystals? Probably. How would be convoluted as fuck…” As Ace devolves into rambling about increasingly ridiculous cake-centric world domination plans (a few that could actually work as far as Snipe knows) the brawler turned baker grins, savouring their lazy afternoon. He loves this man, loves their new life. “Love you.” He says aloud, kissing Ace when he immediately returns the sentiment. 

It still feels like a dream sometimes, the deadly Talon commander, ‘abandoning’ Cyclonia, all for Snipe? Ace wasn’t the only one with insecurities from time to time. These tender moments were the best thing about leaving the Empire however, there’s no rush to finish paperwork, no need to be on constant alert, no convoluted excuses to be in each other's presence to share a meal without getting pulled apart for work. Just Ace curled as much as his plastered leg would allow in Snipes arms, letting out sleepy contented sighs between little kisses as Snipe grins. 

“Love you babe. Love our life here, with us. Our friends. Even the Storm Hawk kid working here so much. It’s weird but… it’s good.” He leaves his question unsaid, knowing his brilliant husband would figure out what he’s asking without ever saying the words. As with all big declarations, Ace mulls over his thoughts a while, carefully choosing his words. “I never thought I could ever be this happy… not before I had you. Being together at Cyclonia… falling for you… I can’t regret any of that. I… I wish we could have known how leaving would have turned out. Sooner. That we could have had this, been happier…” As always, Snipe derails the self-depreciating spiral before Ace could slip further into regret, kissing him sweetly on the nose. “I’m happy, you’re happy. We’re happy together. Love you babe.” 

“Hi, you’re calling Sweet Stuff. We’re closed at the moment. If you want to book a delivery leave a message starting with ‘Piper’s delivery service’, your name, address then order. Thanks.”

Harrier pauses a moment, briefly stunned that the answerphone message had changed. Really he was impressed that the former Talons even had such a high tech setup for their business, even so, he had more important matters to worry about. “Pipers delivery service, Harrier of the Rex Guardians, Terra Rex Castle west side entrance, one three tier chocoholic brownie cake with white chocolate glaze, delivered this Friday by 3pm.” He didn’t bother elaborating that he’d pay extra for expedited delivery, they knew him well enough at this point.

Now, if only he can get everything else perfect for his Mesan-style unofficial maybe-date with Starling… that cake guaranteed she’d stick around at least an hour to listen to his pleas. Then again, she might just box up the whole thing and leave.

“…Pipers delivery service, Harrier of the Rex Guardians, Terra Rex Castle west side entrance, better add some butterscotch cheesecake to that last order. Thank you.” He hangs up again, better to have some comfort food for himself. Just in case. Thank Atmos that Sweet Stuff delivers.