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The sounds of shrapnel and bullets echoed throughout the planet, and the monsters encroaching on it. They were never ending, the way they seemingly were endless and coming out of the most obscure of places back as if they were always there. The mission was supposed to be easy, Exo had thought. They would go in, kill the required enemies back to the Stone Age..and leave with Captain by their side.
Now, the price of their judgement was showing. The almost never ending horde of creatures and things not of this world were swarming the path to the ship. Captain was following behind them, taking potshots whenever he possibly could. The path ahead was slowly closing in, the swarm only further increasing the longer they stayed. They had to go, now.
Exo turned behind them, noticing Captain was starting to lag behind. A wisp starting to drag him away. Exo took out their gun and, without a moments hesitation, shot it down, before taking a risk and running back. Captain was one of the few people they got along with on this godforsaken crew, and he’d be damned if they were to abandon him now.
“Exo.?” Captain grunted, his raspy, smoke induced voice echoed as Exo dragged him back on his feet and kept on running.
“No time, you can thank me when we get out of here alive.” Exo chuckled, even now Captain was following his lead. They continued to run, keeping on pace as they slowly saw the ship in sight. Just barely managing to avoid getting turned into some sand crabs’ next meal.
They were only able to get onto the platform of the ship before wisps and crabs started to crawl on it, trying to get at the two. They were quickly shot off, both by the guns the two carried and gravity pulling them down.
The platform closed, leaving the two inside to heave as the screeches of wisps faded away.
Exo was the first to get up, not being much of a smoker seemed to have its perks. That is, their stamina was able to keep up. They looked over at the captain with a grin on their face “well, solid mission.” They said sarcastically, walking over and helping the other man up.
“Ya sure you didn’t hit your head? It was a nightmare out there!” one of the more..endearing things about the Captain was his attempt to converse with people. He didn’t always understand what the crew meant by what they said. But he tried, and to Exo. It meant the world to them.
“I was joking, Cap’ “ Exo hummed, the captains ears turned downwards in embarrassment, the tips turning into a light shade of blue. It was another thing that Exo found endearing. His body language was always so stiff, but in the rare moments that he showed vulnerability around him. It was like seeing a rose unfurl its petals.
Thinking about it, the captain had been occupying their thoughts for a long time now. From when the sun rose to the sun set on this dangerous planet. Their thoughts had been occupied by him, and they didn’t mind it. They didn’t mind the way that his talking made them melt. The way that his voice carried volume, and volume carried power. But when he turns to face them, for a second; they could swear his voice became a tad bit softer around them.
It was strange, how the captain had worked into their thoughts and stayed there..but it was welcomed. It was a reprieve from the stress that the job could bring, and it helped sort things out about themself that would never usually come to light.
It was muddy though, how they’d dance around each other, roses wilting in Exo’s mind the longer these whispers went unsaid, a voice that would never ring out.
Exo was snapped out of these thoughts with a rough hand being placed on their shoulder, and going face to face with Captains chest.
“..I need to thank you, you could’ve died trying to save me.” Captain started, “as the Captain, it’s my job to protect you. But, I nearly got both of us killed because I let my guard down.” The Captain lowered his head, his hat covering his faceplate. “For that, I’m sorry; I should’ve never taken the mission today, I should’ve-“ At that point, Exo hesitantly placed their finger to the others faceplate.
It was a bold move, but Exo wanted to tell the captain without being interrupted. Taking a deep breath and noticing the captains silence, Exo continued.
“I saved you, not because you’re the captain. But because I care about you. And I refuse to let you die on my watch. Got it?” Exo said, stepping back and allowing Captain to breath.
After a moment, Captain spoke with a whisper, “you..care about me?” He said slowly, tilting his head; it was almost adorable in a sense and Exo couldn’t help letting a chuckle slip out. “Of course I do, why else would I be protecting you after all this time. I care about you a whole lot.” Exo murmured, stepping slightly closer.
It felt warmer in the airlock, their proximity brought warmth to Exo. “..In that case, I care about you too. I’d take a bullet for you, you know?” Captain murmured, stepping closer to where Exo was, before leaning down. “You mean the world to me..I wish that-“ Exo quickly grabbed the others hand, placing it on his chest. “Shh, I know you want the best; but wishing ain’t gonna change a thing. It’s better to stay in the present.” Exo slowly raised the Captains hand to their face.
“And right now, what I want in the present is for you to stay with me.
Exo kissed the Captains hand, letting it linger for a few moments before setting his hand back down. The Captain was speechless, fingers twitching as he slowly raised them. Before wrapping the other in a deep kiss, well, as deep of a kiss as one can get with a faceplate.
Exo wrapped their arms around the Captain, kissing his faceplate until it was fogged up. When they retracted their face, the Captain nearly whimpered. But stayed there, waiting for the other to speak.
“Would you care for me until this world rots?” Exo said simply.
“I would care for you until the stars fade away.”