A/N: So for this book I'm taking suggestions for future chapters from the comments section. Most of these won't relate to one another so unless I specifically say so you don't need to worry about it.
(This one-shot was inspired by this lovely comic shown below.)
Texas usually ignored her own personal hunger when it came to work. The job just always deserved a higher place in her life, the mission a distraction from so many other things she was dealing with. But not everyone operated the same way she did.
Exusiai was one of those different people.
She'd meant what she said when she told Doctor that Exusiai was her polar opposite. The loud, outgoing angel was all that she could never be. Her partner was someone who loved to be up and doing things. In no way did she provide the seclusion Texas needed to relax and unwind.
So it was strange just how well they got along.
And thanks to how well they got along, Texas had picked up on the several minuscule habits and gestures Exusiai exhibited on a day to day basis. The way she made cute little snores in her sleep, how carefully she managed her favorite gun, the subtle twitches in her face when she was about to smile that broad grin of hers. Yes, Texas understood Exusiai on a practically instinctual level. So she knew now, before even a word was said, that Exusiai was hungry.
And it all started with the rumbling in her stomach.
They had just gotten back from a supply run. The mission was a simple one, with skin deep injuries for the medics to treat once they got back to Rhodes Island. Texas and Exusiai were walking out of the loading deck together. Texas was stowing away some supplies in the drop box, letting her angel partner be left to her own devices for a moment.
"Ugh, we were fighting for so long my halo feels like it wants to fall off." Exusiai grumbled. Her head was hung forward, eyes blinking tiredly.
"Can that actually happen?" Texas asked absentmindedly. The rows upon rows of shelves were crammed full of stuff. Hardly surprising, considering the many plans the Doctor had for the resources. Something about E2ing someone . . . Whatever that meant. Exusiai had told her they were both E2ed already, so she guessed she had nothing to worry about.
"Nah. At least I don't think so . . . oh."
"Something wrong?"
Rumble.
Exusiai seemed to cave in on herself, her wings even seeming to droop. Texas knew this stance, the rumbling easy to pick out in the small room. "Urgh. I'm so hungry Texas. If only I could have some apple pie . . ."
Texas stared at her friend for a few seconds more, studying her carefully. After all the hard work of the day, the last thing she wanted was to task herself further. The call of her bed was a blessed dream, as was the pocky box stashed under her pillow. And yet . . .
She couldn't just ignore the pitiful state of her angel, now could she?
So she patted Exusiai on the back. Tired fingers ran between those glimmering wings gently, nudging the tension out of the knobs of her spines. "How about you head over to the Dormitory, okay?"
"What about you?"
Texas gave her a smile. "I'll be right there in a bit. Wait for me?"
"Okay."
***
The kitchen at Rhodes Island was similar to the one in Penguin Logistics. It was fit with a double oven and stove that looked like it had seen better days. Some peculiar sticky substance was stuck to edge of a dark supply cabinet. The white marble countertops still sparkled however, immaculate despite the dirty plates and pots in the sink that had yet to be clean. And amidst it all was none other than Courier and Matterhorn, just the two men she was hoping to find here.
"Courier, Matterhorn. Greetings."
The two who were seemingly just about to walk past the open plan kitchen stopped to greet her back. Courier did a small wave while Matterhorn did a subtle nod of his head. "Hi Texas! How goes it in Penguin Logistics? I heard you girls were out on a supply run today."
"Yes, we were. It went well."
"That's good to hear. Sir SilverAsh would be pleased to know that Rhodes Island has several efficient liaisons besides the ones in Karlan," Matterhorn said. Like herself he wasn't much of a talker. She could respect that, though it wouldn't be so helpful with her upcoming request.
"Um, besides that, there's something I wanted to ask the two of you. If you don't mind."
Matterhorn opened his mouth to reply but Courier beat him too it. "Not at all. We'll assist you in any way we can Texas."
"Courier. The meeting. Sir will be mad if we're late." Matterhorn stressed in a hushed tone. Texas still heard him, her sharpened senses easily could handle his brisk whispering. He would have to do a lot better to go unheard by a wolf.
"The meetings not for another two hours Matt. We can take some time to relax and enjoy ourselves. I'm sure he'd be fine with it."
"Well okay then, I guess we can help." Matterhorn agreed. She knew where his reluctance came from and elected to ignore it. There was nothing to be done about the man's need for punctuality here. Clearly he needed to unwind.
"What did you need help with exactly?"
Now here came the weird part. Back where she came from, asking for help was the last thing anyone was capable of. You were either competent or you were dead. And obviously Texas was still here so . . . No. There was no need to think about those days. Not when she'd put them behind her. Asking for help would have no terrible consequences now, just the leering voices in the back of her brain.
"Exusiai and I just got back from a mission and well . . . She's pretty hungry so I thought—"
Courier clapped his hands together. "Oh, so you want to make her a pie. That's so sweet of you Texas. I always knew you two were a cute couple."
She flushed. Ears pressed back as her tail fluffed a tiny bit. What was he talking about? How did making someone a pie equal to a lover's affection? Sure, she trusted the Sankta more than practically anyone else and they were partners AND they maybe might have fooled around before, especially on those summer days but . . .
Stop. Just stop. Thinking isn't helping.
"Heh. Whatever you say. So can you help?"
"Sure. Come with us," Matterhorn said.
And so the group of three went to the kitchen together. Courier and Matterhorn dutifully helped her retrieve the supplies from their corresponding cabinets, carefully setting them all down on the counter. The apples were sliced, the pie crust carefully molded, and all the other ingredients were added in as they went along. Eventually it was time to put the sweet smelling treat in the oven.
"And now we wait."
They stared at the oven studiously, all of them keeping silent for a few moments as they took in the heat backing into the crust and the contents underneath. Her own stomach began its dutiful rumbling. She ignored it. Making the pie was more important. Making Exusiai happy came first. She couldn't describe when this change in ideals had happened, just that it had. There were many important people in her life now thanks to the beautiful angel.
The pie was almost finished when Courier brought up a good point.
"If this is for Exusiai then where is she?" He asked.
"Oh, I told her to wait for me in the Dormitory. That I would be there in a couple min . . ." She trailed off, realizing her own mistake. Exusiai would be wondering where exactly Texas was. If her phone was turned on she wouldn't be surprised if the screen was filled with confused texts.
"Maybe you should go get her." Matterhorn intoned in his gruff voice.
"Yeah. I should." She rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. "You wouldn't mind watching the pie for me while I'm gone. It might get ready before I return."
"Of course we'll watch it for you. Go get your girl," Courier said encouragingly.
Texas totally did not blush as she nodded before sprinting off towards the dorms. She imagined what her angel would be doing as she ran, blood pumping in her veins for a different reason aside from the thrill of the hunt. Exusiai would likely be snoozing away in one of the plush chairs in the room, or complaining about her hunger. So she was surprised to find the answer was neither.
"Oof."
Moving too fast to slow down or for Texas to dodge Exusiai slammed into her with the force of a freight train. The breath was knocked out of her lungs as she fell backward. The angel landed on top of her. The uncomfortable landing right on her butt had also been right on her tail too. She winced as the bolt of pain as her own weariness continued to grow. Sleep, Texas needed sleep.
"Texas! I was looking for you. What took you so long?"
They got up using each other as support. Exusiai's hands were steady on her elbows. Texas's shoes dug into the ground as she pushed up the rest of the way. The halo over the angel's head kept on glowing with a soft white light. It was so pretty, better than any of the other lights in the room or anywhere for that matter. No, Texas was not biased. Not at all.
"Uh, I came to get you. Come with me." Not bothering to wait for a response, Texas took Exusiai by the hand and tugged her down the hall. If there were footsteps behind them she ignored them, keeping her amber gaze ahead.
"Okay. But where are you taking me? I'm so hungry." Exusiai moaned pitifully. Texas rolled her eyes, chancing a look back at her partner. The angel had that beaming halo over her head, shining despite the hungry, disgruntled look Exu wore.
"Hopefully you won't be saying that in a few minutes." She muttered under her breath. The aroma of freshly baked pie began to drift through the slightly cracked door up ahead. Perfect. It was ready.
"What?"
"Nothing. Don't slow down."
"But I'm huuuuuuuuungry." Exusiai whined. Her heels were digging into the ground, slowing down their progress. Texas sighed, resorting to dragging the Sankta the rest of the way into the kitchen. She resisted the urge to tell Exusiai about the pie. A surprise was a surprise.
"Just hold on then."
Just like she hoped, the pie was sitting out at the ready upon their arrival into the kitchen. Like usual, the apple pie addict spotted the delicacy right away and sprinted right on over to it. Matterhorn and Courier leaned back against the cabinets, offering her small nods. She mouthed her thanks to them before averting her gaze back to Exusiai. The Sankta was practically drooling over the pie. A pink tongue darted out to lick dry lips.
"Oh my gosh! Whose pie is that? Can I have some?" The angel continued to ogle the pie, breathing in the smell with a wide smile plastered on her face.
Courier and Matterhorn exchanged happy looks before staring at Texas. They seemed to be waiting for her expectantly to say something. Her brain fizzled away. Conversations weren't her forte, not when it put all the attention on herself. But what else did you expect? Get on with it. She's waiting.
She took a hesitant step forward, willing the blood to not rush to her face. "Um. Imadeitforyousoenjoy."
Exusiai swung around to face her, head tilting in that adorable way it did whenever she was confused. The rush of blood became harder to control. Light winked off the angel's halo, always so bountifully beautiful.
"What was that Texas?"
"I . . . uh . . .," Texas swallowed. Had the air suddenly gotten hotter in here? She tried focusing on the basking warmth of freshly baked goods. Smells were an easy thing to ground one self in if you had advanced senses and Lupos were such people. "I made the pie for you. And Matterhorn and Courier helped."
"Oh." Something softened in Exusiai's face, making her appear even gentler than before. Unlike herself, everything about the Angel was sweet and pleasant and so open too. She had nothing like the horror's of Texas's past holding her down. None of those nightmares to keep her awake at night. She was pure in a way Texas could never hope to be. And because she was so open, Texas recognized the second Exusiai understood what was going on. Could see it before the words even formed on her lips. "Oh Texas, you're so sweet!"
And then she was being pulled into Exusiai's arms and hugged tightly. Her body tensed reflexively, not used to such closeness from most people —besides one person whose name she refused to even put to words— but she relaxed as the Sankta's scent washed over her. Eventually she hugged back, relishing in the warmth. This was the sort of thing she could lose herself in, not even think for a moment. They shared the pie together with Courier and Matterhorn, and the kisses pressed to her neck, lips and cheeks were sweet as the apple pie itself, maybe even sweeter.
The moment was so good, Texas didn't even realize there was another pair of eyes watching the whole scene. Silver eyes she knew all too well and a foreboding growl that came close behind. But it was low enough she did not hear it. For now, concerns were not needed.