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1
Bravern knew three things about Isami Ao.
One: he was strong.
Two: he was the only man who would pilot Bravern. Ever.
And three: he never even looked at Bravern, because he was always looking at Lewis Smith.
Bravern hadn’t noticed that last point until his three-story-tall body gave him a new perspective on the situation. It was both an upside and a downside to the whole thing—the first, because Bravern wouldn’t exist without it, and the second, because Bravern would never have the chance to savor what was so freely given to Lewis Smith—but more importantly, it was an opportunity.
If Isami was already looking in Lewis Smith’s direction…maybe Bravern could give him a little nudge. Maybe he could nudge Isami far enough that Lewis Smith would notice, and enjoy it, in the little time he had left.
Lewis Smith couldn’t be that dense, after all. If Isami opened up to him, he’d cherish that moment forever! Bravern knew that very, very well. He just had to get Isami to that point…
And so, he decided to commence Operation Wingman!
For an hour or so, he let himself feel proud of the idea. But that feeling quickly faded as he realized it might be a little more complicated than anticipated. After all, Isami had holed up in Bravern’s cockpit after their fight against Superbia, and had been unresponsive for hours, now.
Lewis Smith hadn’t known about this.
Bravern monitored Isami’s vitals as he allowed himself to fantasize. What if he had known? What if he hadn’t been preoccupied with taking care of Lulu, and too exhausted to think? What if he’d spared five minutes to check in on Isami? Would that have changed anything?
Would Bravern be able to feel Isami’s heart rate pick up?
Probably not. That thought was a little too indulgent.
It didn’t pick up when Hibiki and Miyu stopped by, which was proof that he was right. They’d known Isami longer than Lewis Smith and Bravern combined; if there was anyone he’d be excited to see, it would be them. It—thankfully—didn’t pick up when Honoka stopped by, either.
And soon enough, Bravern and Isami had been swept up into another battle. It was underwater this time, and Isami needed a little encouragement, but the real challenge came afterwards. An explosion launched them inland faster than Bravern could think, and he barely managed to deploy some extra shock absorbers around Isami before they landed hard in the same motel room where Lewis Smith was fighting Lulu.
Well, what better place to start, right? Isami had assumed Lewis Smith’s relationship with Lulu was…unsavory, to say the least, but now, Bravern had a chance to fix it! Maybe they could spend more time together! “Don’t worry!” he explained, when Isami began to get agitated. “He was sharing skinship with her!”
But Isami didn’t back down. Instead, he growled. He sounded even angrier than Lewis Smith remembered him being.
…had Bravern used that word wrong?
Oops.
2
When Isami approached Bravern, battered and bruised and definitely in better shape than Lewis Smith, Bravern pretended to be surprised. “Ah, Isami!” he said with a smile, as Isami half-leaned, half-collapsed against his leg. “You fought well today. Your boxing skills are impressive!”
“Thanks.” Isami crossed his arms over his chest and looked out over the ocean before him. The sun hadn’t quite begun to dip below the horizon, but it was close, like it was still testing the water. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you?”
“This was Lewis Smith’s idea.”
Isami chuckled. “Right.”
Bravern zoomed in to get a better look at his face. There was…something toying at Isami’s mouth. Not quite a smile; that’d be too bold. But a…lightness, maybe. Like someone else had offered to shoulder whatever weighed it down before.
His hair—usually perfectly spiked—had fallen loose. A few strands stuck to his glistening forehead. That same sheen of sweat clung to Isami all over, from his temples to his neck to the little droplets that ran down the divots between his muscles into the waistband of his shorts…
Bravern straightened and cleared his throat. One thing he didn’t miss about Lewis Smith’s body: the raging erection this whole boxing situation had given him. “Do, um, you feel better now, Isami?”
Isami shrugged. “I guess.” Then he sighed. “I don’t…with Smith, I…”
This was it! Bravern’s chance was now. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” Isami admitted. “He…he said all these…these things, but I…” He dropped his head against Bravern’s leg. A dull thud echoed through both of them. “It’s so hard to say anything to him.”
Okay. Okay! This was it. “Why don’t you say it in Japanese?” Bravern suggested.
A beat passed. When Isami looked up at Bravern, he was frowning. “Smith speaks Japanese?”
“I don’t think so,” Bravern said. He’d spent his whole life trying to absorb the language—he’d turned the subtitles off of his Spar Kaiser DVDs, and imported Getter Robo manga in bulk—but had never been successful. “But why don’t you teach him some? Maybe it would help if you were able to use words you’re more familiar with!”
Bravern watched Isami clench and unclench his jaw a few times. “That’s…actually a good idea,” he eventually said. “Thanks, Bravern.”
Fans Bravern didn’t know he had turned on to cool his warming cheeks. Would it be too much to suggest Isami started with the word ‘skinship’? “You’re welcome, Isami!” he said. Then, he checked the horizon: the sun had started to set. If his memory served, Lewis Smith would be finished taking care of his aforementioned erection by now. “Shall I take you to him?”
Isami nodded, and climbed onto one of the ridges of Bravern’s foot.
All in all, a successful day. For both Bravern and Lewis Smith.
3
Bravern spent all night assembling the next piece of his plan.
The picture lived vividly in his mind, etched into his circuits and optical drives. Lewis Smith, with his arm around Isami, and Isami smiling. Laughing, even. Lewis Smith had cherished that brief snapshot more than anything; he’d even tracked down a printer at the ATF base in Tokyo so that he could frame it.
Bravern needed to make sure that picture existed. He couldn’t bear the thought of giving it up.
And besides, he—Lewis Smith—remembered Bravern taking that picture. So it was something Bravern had to do now, even without Operation Wingman!
It was noontime when Bravern hauled the giant camera he’d put together with Build Burn up onto the deck of one of the aircraft carriers. “ATF members!” he announced, even as he dedicated 90% of his processing power to Isami, Lewis Smith, and the map of Tokyo they pored over with Lulu. “We have had a historic journey across the sea; one which is worthy of documentation! With this hyper-gadget, the Burn Camera, I will commemorate the efforts of the hard-working soldiers who set out as one united front!”
By this point, the ATF had stopped questioning his somewhat-outlandish suggestions. It was for the best for all of them, Bravern thought. As everyone on the deck got into position along the side of the ship, Bravern took a knee, and peered through the Burn Camera’s viewfinder.
But…this wasn’t right. Isami stood next to Lewis Smith, but they were in the rear of the photo, behind Hibiki and Doctor Kowalski. “Isamiiiii!” Bravern called. “Stop hiding in the back!”
Isami’s eyes went wide. It was asking a lot, Bravern knew, to pull him from his comfort zone.
But Lewis Smith understood. “Bravern’s right!” he announced. He threw an arm over Isami’s shoulders, and tugged him towards the center of the pack. “You should be front and center!”
“I don’t…” Isami protested. “Smith, we’re too tall, we need to be in the back.”
But Lewis Smith didn’t let him go. He clung to Isami’s side like a magnet, like his attraction to the other man existed as a physical force.
(It would be—Bravern knew well that his attraction to Isami was strong enough to pull him down to hell and then back out of it—but not yet.)
“Everyone else wants you here too! You saved their lives, and the hero is always the focus of their posters!”
Surprise flashed over Isami’s face before he let it out in a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”
Bravern smiled, and pressed the shutter.
4
Ever since arriving in Japan, Bravern had seen less and less of Isami.
It wasn’t unexpected. As Lewis Smith, these precious few weeks had been the best of his life. He’d always wanted to visit Japan, of course, but that had been for Comiket and Akihabara and other otaku sightseeing. Now, Bravern knew, Lewis Smith didn’t care about being in Japan. They could’ve been back in Hawai’i, or in Kansas, or on Jupiter. The location didn’t matter; Isami did.
Operation Uprising had been a success, and that had been just the start. After liberating Tokyo, Isami and Lewis Smith had shared meals and drinks and the next day’s survey plans. They’d started hanging out with Bravern, too, and Lulu, all at once. The time they spent together exhausted Bravern’s ability to maintain his persona, but it was a good kind of tired. Like he’d been out at the beach all day, soaking in the sunshine and saltwater, and gone home to shower and snuggle up under a blanket with loved ones. The feeling was nice, even if it was metaphorical.
And nothing happened between Isami and Lewis Smith, but they were close. Closer than Lewis Smith had been with…anyone, in a long time.
Bravern couldn’t bring himself to interrupt any of that.
Luckily, he didn’t have to. One night, Isami came to him alone, after hours. “Bravern,” he announced, as he entered the hangar. “Are you awake?”
“I do not need sleep, Isami.”
“…right.” Isami padded over to where Bravern was, and then frowned up at him. “What are you doing?”
Bravern gently lowered the aileron he’d just attached, before stepping back and gesturing proudly to his handiwork. “I’ve been putting this together, in my free time! What do you think?”
Isami’s eyes swept over Burn Dragon’s body. His expression gave nothing away, but he said, “Cool,” which was more than Bravern had hoped for.
Still, though, it didn’t sound like Isami put his whole heart behind it. “Is there something I can help you with?” Bravern asked. “I am available for use in whatever way you need me.”
Isami clenched his hands into fists, and then let them relax. “It’s…about Smith. Can I come in?”
“Always.”
Once Isami was inside, Bravern sat cross-legged on the hangar floor. About Lewis Smith. Would it be too much to hope that Isami’s heart rate picked up now?
It would be hard to tell, if it did. Isami’s pulse already matched the level it was at during combat. It must’ve been one of those nights Lulu had disappeared, and he had helped chase her down all over the base.
But Bravern wasn’t supposed to know about those. “What is it?” he asked. “Have you been teaching him Japanese?”
Isami snorted. “Yeah,” he admitted. “He looked like his head was going to explode when I explained particles. It was…”
What? It was what?
Bravern turned off his external sensors so he could hear Isami better. If some Deathdrives showed up now, they’d be screwed.
They wouldn’t, though. Bravern knew that.
“Have you been able to tell him what you wanted to?” Bravern asked next.
Isami sighed. “No. It’s…not any easier to say in Japanese.”
Not any easier…
Well, there was one phrase Bravern knew about that was hard to express in Japanese. Lewis Smith’s limited vocabulary did include ‘the moon is beautiful.’
If Bravern still had the ability, he would’ve swallowed. “Isami,” he chanced. His cockpit vibrated nervously, but with Isami inside, he was still relaxed. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. Right here, right now. “Do you want to tell Lewis Smith that you love him?”
Isami’s silence lasted for an eternity.
“…no,” he finally said. If Bravern still had a heart, it would’ve broken. “But…theoretically. If I did. How would I tell him that?”
Bravern smiled ruefully. “Just say it.” It was easier to give advice, now that he knew it wouldn’t be used. He should stop pushing Isami, if Isami would rather just let himself fall than be caught by Lewis Smith.
“Bravern,” Isami whined. “You know I can’t do that. Words are…hard.”
“You told me. Theoretically.”
“Yeah, but you’re you.” Isami’s fist thumped against the inside of Bravern’s cockpit. It was probably the closest thing Bravern would get to chest compressions. “You’re not him. And you seem…you seemed like you wouldn’t judge me. For being g—for liking other men.” He cleared his throat. “Theoretically.”
And fuck, if Bravern didn’t know that feeling well. Screw the theoreticals; this was worth clearing up for real. “Do you think Lewis Smith would judge you?” he asked.
Isami took a while to respond again. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “If he’s…if he…feels…about me, then of course not, but…”
Bravern held his breath. Everything around him did the same, in sympathy: Burn Dragon, the TSs, and even Isami.
“Isami,” Bravern said. He felt a little lightheaded; it was a good thing he’d sat down. “I don’t wish to meddle. But I have it on very good authority that Lewis Smith…he’s crazy about you.”
Isami snorted. “Did he tell you that?”
“Well, no,” Bravern admitted. “But who wouldn’t be?”
Another long silence passed. Isami broke it, again, with a half-hearted laugh. “Thanks, Bravern. You think I can stay here for the night?”
“Of course, Isami. You’re always welcome inside me.” And Lewis Smith too, he wanted to add.
Instead, Bravern turned his external sensors back on—just in case; he needed to be able to protect Isami—and settled against the hangar wall.
Operation Wingman was a bust. Oh, well. He’d just have to think of something new.
And he’d have to do it quickly. Lewis Smith was running out of time.
5
Bravern knew three things about Isami Ao.
One: he was strong.
Two: he was the only man who would pilot Bravern. Ever.
And three: he never even looked at Bravern, because he was always looking at Lewis Smith.
Bravern hadn’t noticed that last point until his three-story-tall body gave him a new perspective on the situation. It was both an upside and a downside to the whole thing, but more importantly, it was an opportunity.
If Isami was already looking in Lewis Smith’s direction…maybe Bravern could give him a little nudge. Maybe he could nudge Isami far enough that Lewis Smith would notice, and enjoy it, in the little time he had left.
+1
Lulu’s life was almost too good to be true.
She saved Isami; he’d never died. She saved Bravern, too. He’d still been killed by Ira’s wrath, and for a terrifying moment she thought she’d made things worse, but after it had all played out, Smith had come back. And on top of that, the world was saved! Every report she overheard from ATF members in passing was positive; there were many cities in need of rebuilding, but the mass unrest and Soldat Terrors from her future were nowhere to be found.
Neither was her Ōji-sama.
Almost too good to be true.
But she’d fulfilled the mission Smith had given her—he’d told her as much, with a pat on the head and a warm bear hug—so it was time for her to find a new one! And as soon as she’d heard about the six-month-long cruise she’d get to go on with Smith and Isami, she had a pretty good idea of what that could be. She even came up with a name for it: Operation Wingman!
Because…it was obvious, wasn’t it? Even before she’d interrupted a clearly intimate moment during Operation Bonfire, she knew how Smith and Isami felt for each other.
Smith was the easiest to read. But Lulu had heard the same thing from Isami’s mouth, too, even though this version of him had never actually said it. Before she’d grown up, before she’d traveled back into her younger body…Smith had still died. And Isami had been the one to hold her close. To tell her to live, and that she’d be okay.
Despite the years that’d passed, for her, since that harrowing week that’d never actually happened, she remembered the days following Smith’s death vividly. She’d spent hours clinging to Isami’s side—like she had with Smith, before—and Isami hadn’t shooed her away once. He held her hand during his meetings, and fed her meals, and brushed her teeth while wiping her tears away.
At first, Lulu had been embarrassed to look back on that time. She’d made Isami take care of her, while he was hurting just as bad. And she’d been more than capable of brushing her own teeth!
But as she grew…she accepted it. She got the feeling Isami might’ve needed her, too. At the very least, he needed to not be alone.
Each night, he’d let her crawl into bed with him after he’d gotten her through her nighttime routine. They shared a blanket, and a melancholy heartbeat, and Lulu had curled up under his arm the same way she’d used to curl up under Smith’s.
“Isami,” she’d whimpered, after a few bleak days had passed. “Lulu wishes Smith was here.”
Isami had pulled her close. “Me too,” he admitted. His voice was fraught; moreso than she’d ever heard it until Bravern had died. “Not…not in bed. I guess. I mean, I do, but…I’d take whatever he gave. It’d be enough if he just came back.”
Then he’d groaned. Out of embarrassment, probably. “Forget I said that. Goodnight, Lulu.”
“‘Night, Isami.”
And then the next morning, Isami had proven his own point. He’d run away with Bravern, and Lulu never saw him alive again.
So Smith coming back was enough for her, too! After so long without him and Isami, she got to be with them. She had six upcoming months to spend in their company, to finally press play on the childhood she’d paused when they’d died, and she and Ōji-sama had to step up.
Ōji-sama, too! Bravern had encouraged him to accept Lulu. So now it was Lulu’s chance to return the favor!
As soon as she stepped foot on their cruise ship, Lulu wasted no time. She darted towards a kiosk dispensing activity guides and started to scan the couples category.
And…she came up empty. There were plenty of activities offered—“Love and Marriage”, “Perfect Couples”, “Quest”—but Lulu had no clue what any of those entailed, and had no desire to start these six months off with something boring or awkward. Thankfully, there was one activity, in a different category entirely, that sounded like it’d be just right.
Smith and Isami liked competition, right?
Well…they did. And they had a good time at the ‘shuffleboard’ tournament Lulu dragged them to! But apparently ‘shuffleboard’ was a lot less intimate than boxing. Smith didn’t even get that same wistful look on his face he’d gotten every time he’d looked in Isami’s direction up ‘til now; the one that Lulu had realized, only years later, was his own personal expression of wanting to get closer to Isami, yet having no clue now.
So that was a bust. But that was okay! They were going to be living together for six months; there was no way Lulu wouldn’t accomplish her mission in that time.
Things started to look up as soon as they retreated to their room for the night. The Ultimate Family Townhouse was a little garish, and a little kiddy—how old did the ATF think Lulu was, again?—but Lulu was delighted to find out that there were a grand total of two bedrooms, and that the adult room bore only one king bed. Smith and Isami would have to share! Isami would finally get what he’d wanted!
…so when Smith walked into Lulu’s room, just as she was tucking herself into the top bunk, she frowned. “Smith? Did Isami kick you out?”
Smith blinked, like the question genuinely surprised him. Then he laughed, and offered a warm smile. “Kicked me out? No, of course not. This is our room, isn’t it? Just like we had on the aircraft carrier.”
His voice was tinged with a hint of nostalgia towards the end. And Lulu felt it too—it’d been so long since those days, and she’d been so young; she’d give anything to live them again—but come on! “It’s not too…childish?”
“Lulu, Spar Kaiser is a children’s program,” he explained, as he crawled into the bottom bunk. Lulu hung over the side of the bed to watch him pull the superhero-patterned sheets over his body. “Those posters were always childish. And besides, I’ll sleep safe and sound knowing I’ve got these heroes protecting me!” Then he patted the cartoon Hulk face on his duvet.
Lulu very nearly fell off the side of the bed. There was a real hero who wanted to snuggle with him on the other side of the wall, and he was going to settle for dollar-store sheets?!?
But she forced a grin anyway. She didn’t have to complete her mission tonight, after all. They had six months together! “Okay!” she agreed. She hoped it sounded cheery. “Good night Smith!”
“Good night, Lulu.”
Lulu flopped herself back onto her bunk and stared up at the ceiling as her mattress bounced beneath her. Glow-in-the-dark stars shone above her head.
Six months…
She sighed. This was going to be a long cruise.