Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Familiar footsteps sounded, bringing the equally familiar smell of Soldier 11, comforting even over the food waiting for her. Trigger’s heart raced in her chest, loudly enough she was surprised to find Soldier 11 so near. “Oh, you got noodles.” She didn’t sound particularly surprised, but she made no effort to hide her excitement, immediately turning to the food.

Trigger just had to hope that excitement would carry over. If she was right. She couldn’t know until her partner checked, and it was almost time. She needed to figure out a way to bring this up, quickly. Normally she never struggled in these situations, particularly with Soldier 11. Dealing with the populace, so often receiving their gratitude, answering their probing questions, it was all simple, but nothing had ever been as natural as time with her.

She just had to remember that. It didn’t matter how overwhelming this might be. It was still Soldier 11. “Yeah, since you had to do that job on your own, I figured it’d be a nice welcome when you got back. Assuming you didn’t stop for some on your way back to the base.”

“No!” Soldier 11 chuckled, and she didn’t smell like she’d just eaten, though she had certainly had noodles for lunch. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go get some once I was home.”

Trigger reached out, taking Soldier 11’s hand, squeezing it lightly, trying to still her heart and to steel herself. It had been five minutes. Closer to seven, she was pretty sure. That was long enough. If they didn’t look now, they’d never know. Though ignorance certainly had an appeal. “Well, I knew you’d want that, so I made sure to have it ready. I just need you to take a look at something for me first.”

She could feel Soldier 11’s gaze on her. Clearly, she could tell something was wrong. She knew her too well. “Normally you’re the one who brags about seeing everything. What do you need my help with?”

In another moment, there’d be nothing to hide. She just had to get it over with. “It’s in the bathroom.” She led an even more confused Soldier 11 into the bathroom, pointing out the strip that still sat on the counter, taunting her with its inscrutability. “The test should be…how many lines are there?” She gulped, that thundering returning, blocking out everything.

She couldn’t tell what Soldier 11 was doing, but she suddenly felt a hand in hers again. “You’re…”

The one word drowned out everything. She sounded…excited? Terrified? Both, certainly. “Two lines?”

Soldier 11 seemed unable to even breathe. At least she wasn’t alone. And she didn’t seem upset. “It’s not two lines.”

Oh. Then Trigger was worried for nothing. Maybe it was early onset menopause. Or maybe it would be next week. Or maybe it would be in an hour and she really panicked early. She’d wasted both of their time and panicked them both. For nothing.

“It says pregnant. There aren’t any lines.”

She wanted to punch her. Or maybe shoot her. Or kiss her. “What? We’re—I’m…”

“Pregnant.”

The fear vanished. It was the result she was dreading, and it was everything she wanted, and it would never work. She was a soldier, her partner was a soldier. She didn’t have the kind of time off to go through with this, let alone to handle it for the rest of her life, however short that may end up being. But she was almost bouncing for joy, pink lights popping to life. She was going to be a mother. “I’m pregnant.”

Another nod. “But…how?”

“How?” As on edge as she’d been, Trigger couldn’t help but laugh. Soldier 11 was lucky she wasn’t straight up guffawing. She’d oscillated all day as to whether she was more terrified of it being true or not being true, but she knew she couldn’t know until Soldier 11 got home. She’d never be able to live with herself if someone else had known first, and she had no way to find out on her own.

“Well when two people really love each other—”

“I didn’t—but”

“Oh, so you don’t love me?” She smirked, watching Soldier 11 flounder. It was almost worth all the day’s stress all on its own.

“Of course I do. But we don’t have time for a child! And we didn’t…how would this happen?”

“Well, when you put it in me—”

“I don’t mean the…” She whined, crossing her arms. Trigger was pretty sure she was meeting her gaze, but she may have been looking off to the side. Soldier 11 was facing her, but slumped, and obviously terrified. “I didn’t think I’d be able to. I knew they gave us injections in utero to…it was supposed to give enhanced strength and aggression. I didn’t think that…why would I be fertile?”

It was always so surprising when she talked about her childhood. Trigger had had to piece most of it together from snippets until Anby had told her everything. “Maybe they didn’t intend it. Maybe they wanted a whole litter of baby super soldiers eventually. Or maybe this should’ve been impossible and we’re just…very very lucky.” Her breath caught. It still felt so strange to admit how badly she wanted this. “But they’re not around anymore, and we are. And…we’re going to be mothers.”

Soldier 11 was quiet. If only she could see what she was thinking. “What are we going to do?” It was barely a whisper and it filled the room.

“You wouldn’t rather discuss that over your noodles?”

She started, jerking her head toward what passed for the living room-kitchen-dining room-laundry room-gym of their room at the compound. “Oh. Right.”

“You forgot about noodles?”

“It’ll never happen again.”

Trigger giggled and leaned in. Soldier 11 was still shaking as their lips touched. “The food will calm you down and we can figure this out but…”

“We’re keeping it. I know.”

She hated when she got tears in her eye cover. The etheric blast had done a number on her tear ducts but sometimes they still slipped through. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She grabbed one of the styrofoam containers of noodles and sat on the couch, the aroma overwhelming as she opened it.

“No.” Soldier 11 sat beside her and promptly slid closer. She so often avoided any real intimacy, but since her injuries, she’d been more affectionate. Was this just more of that, or was this about their child? Trigger adjusted, holding the bowl between her legs and wrapping an arm around Soldier 11. “I don’t even think we could manage a cat. And I wanted one too. But I gave up Inky, to a better home, because I knew we’d never be able to be around. That we’re soldiers. That it wouldn’t be fair to her to be stuck at home, maybe not being fed, with no idea of where we were or anyone around to look after her.”

The chopsticks shook in her hand and more tears caught. The response froze in her throat. Was this not fair to their child? Of course it wasn’t. “That doesn’t sound like you think we should keep it.”

“I’m laying out the reasons not to so we can work around them. We plan. We know what we’re stepping into before we do it. Think of it like planning around an ambush. It’s true no plan survives first contact, but it’s still better to be prepared.”

“Then what’s your plan of attack?” Trigger asked.

“We have friends now. I’m not saying that we’d give our child to them, but…we’d make sure they’d know when we’re gone…and completely violate operational security.”

“We could always tell them to check up at a certain time every day or so. I’m sure we have enough friends to manage that now. Then if anything happens to us…or if a mission goes long.” Soldier 11 wasn’t panicking about how they couldn’t do this, she wasn’t looking for excuses, she was trying to find a way they could make it work. This was better than she could’ve imagined. And it meant that Trigger was going to have to convince someone to stop being a coward. “Though, it wouldn’t have to be for long.”

Soldier 11 slurped in confusion.

“I’ve got nine years active service--ten by the time she's born--along with my injury payments. I could retire again. I'd be able to take care of her.” And she’d already stopped saying ‘it.’ This was real. 

“Would you really do that?”

“Maybe not for good. I love my work and we have to keep New Eridu safe, for our daughter if not for anything else. But…for her…”

“And we’re sure it’s a girl?”

“I could make a Punnett square if you need.”

“I don’t know what a Punnett square is.”

Of course. Soldier 11 never had any normal schooling. “There’s no place for a y chromosome to come from. So I’d think it’s safe to say girl. And…it just feels like one.”

Soldier 11 finished her first bowl of noodles and started on the second. “So we talk to Belle, uh…” She trailed off. She did say friends. She probably felt like there was another person there, but she couldn’t remember. But that would be tomorrow’s problem.

“We’ll make sure we have people who know and who could check up on her. And…I’ll think about retiring. But we have time to decide on everything. But…we’re doing this?”

“We are. I want this. Though if you’re retiring anyway, I definitely could’ve adopted Inky.”

Trigger chuckled and kissed Soldier 11’s cheek, her eye cover clinking against her goggles. “Maybe you can share and they’ll let Inky come over here sometimes. And our daughter could play with the cat.”

Trigger almost spilled her noodles. She had been able to count on one hand the number of times Soldier 11 had hugged her. Apparently all the trauma had been good for her, as she finally needed a second hand. “I love you.”

She kissed her, the spice on her lips tingling. “I love you too.”

“Now let’s start thinking about names.”

That was a recipe for disaster. But it wasn’t as if she could exclude her partner from naming. “You don’t think it’s a little early?”

“I think you have me wanting to plan a life with you. I never thought I’d have one. I’ve only ever been a weapon.”

Fine, she could suggest names. “Then let’s start thinking about names. But we have time. We don’t need to settle on anything yet.”

“I know.” She picked the bowl back up. “I’m excited.”

Trigger had spent the last few days panicking about it, and now that she knew for sure, she couldn’t be happier. “I am too.”

Chapter Text

It had been a full month before she’d managed to get any time apart from Soldier 11. It was hard to complain, and the attention probably could’ve made a few more babies if that was possible, but she had a mission without her, and that meant Trigger had the chance to go behind her back to talk to the one person she hated more than anyone else in the world. She’d feel bad about it if she hadn’t already seen Soldier 11 forgive her twice before.

Trigger waited, feeling the gentle breeze in the park and the hushed deals in Box Galaxy across the street. Music blasting over headphones and the smell of greasy burgers alerted her before anything else. The footsteps of two familiar women approached, one so close to Soldier 11’s, but less regimented, and always distracted. Anby took a seat beside her on the bench, never glancing her way, focusing on her burger, doubtless trying to look like a spy in a movie she just watched, only for Nicole to nudge her to the side and take her seat. “So, what’s the job? It’s not often the Defense Force needs our help.”

Trigger shook her head. Of course she’d assume that. “I’m not asking Gentle House, and the request certainly doesn’t come from the Defense Force.”

“Understood,” Anby replied, clearly not understanding. “Absolute discretion.”

She must’ve sounded like she was being coy. “I’m asking the aunts of my unborn child.”

“But you don’t have a…” Anby stopped eating her burger.

“Damn it. Wait how did…” She gasped. “Anby, you are using like twenty condoms, we can not afford a child. And we won’t even have more money…if we’re aunts…we really can’t charge her then, can we?”

Trigger giggled. They made this whole thing a lot less scary. They were always such goofballs. How could Soldier 11 hate them? “I don’t need you to do anything much. Well, yet. I’m sure I’ll need you to do plenty once she’s born.”

“I would devote my life to her.” Anby leaned in, all but in Nicoles lap as she whispered to Trigger’s belly. “If the rest of your family is killed in a hit, I will raise you in the art of the sword, until you can finally take your revenge upon them and settle the wrath that filled your heart.”

Nicole’s hand rested on Anby’s head as she sighed. “What do you need?”

“We can’t exactly not have you in your niece’s life. And there’s no way Soldier 11 will allow that if Anby doesn’t talk to her.”

“Nope. I’ll do anything else.” She sat back up, Nicole’s hand still in her hair as she finished her first burger and started on a second. “How about we just babysit while you’re both away and she never has to see me?” she managed through mouthfuls of food.

Nicole tugged on her hair, grumbling. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“Talking to her was enough before. You just have to let her know what really happened. I said I’d keep your secret, but now it’s not about us.” Trigger's hand shifted to her belly, though there was still no sign of anything there. “Your niece needs you.”

Anby pouted into her burger. “I suppose if I’m going to die, it was always going to be at her hand. I’m prepared for it. Nicole, look after Neko for me.”

She should’ve known it would go like this. “Just talk to her. I can try to mediate.”

“No. Then she’ll just blame you.” Anby squeezed Nicole’s thigh, quivering. “I’m really gonna be an aunt?”

“Well, it’s only been a month since we found out, so I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but yes.” Part of her kept insisting she shouldn’t believe it was really happening, that too much could go wrong, but then she saw the future that she’d have and she couldn’t let it go. She was having a child together with Soldier 11. It was real and she wouldn’t let her fears crush it.

“And you’re sure you’re ready for that?” Nicole asked. “Kids can be a lot of work. I’m not saying they’re not worth it…” Her face heated. Trigger really only knew her through Anby and she was far from the most open person. Had something happened there? “But it’s a big commitment.”

“I don’t think anyone is ever really ready.” It was hard not to think about old Eridu, about all the people she’d lost, the family she’d had, but it was gone, and New Eridu wasn’t. Soldier 11 was there. She had a life again and it was everything she wanted.  “I’m terrified about bringing a child into a world that’s already dying, where any day her mother and I could just not return, where we could all be swallowed up by a Hollow, but I’m more terrified of not giving her the chance to live. Of not giving myself the chance to love her. I’m ready to retire and raise her.”

“You’re retiring?” Nicole jumped to her feet, startling Anby.

“You could always join the Cunning Hares if you need.” Anby sounded choked up, even with her usual monotone. Being an aunt must mean a lot to her.

“Shouldn’t that be up to me?” Nicole put her hands on her hips, gazing down at Anby.

Trigger was pretty sure Anby was smiling helplessly up at her. She didn’t move.

“I’m sure the Defense Force has great retirement packages, but if you do need some part time work…I…suppose…”

Trigger chuckled. “Thank you.”

“Do you know what you’re naming her yet?” Anby asked.

She shook her head. “We’ve been working on it for a few weeks. Soldier 11 has gotten to just suggesting random combinations of colors and objects. She came up with Orange Orange last night…”

“Harin was never good at names.”

“Well you could always name her after her aunt Nicole. I won’t even charge you for the rights.”

She’d heard worse suggestions. So many of them. “Try suggesting that again once Soldier 11 is actually willing to talk to the two of you.”

Anby sank deeper into the bench. “She only forgave me before because she didn’t remember anything. She won’t…” She actually sounded serious. That was rare. And heartbreaking.

“Soldier 11 will understand.” Wouldn’t she? It had been years of that hate festering. It had come out so many times, even before Trigger had known anything about her past. There was a woman who’d betrayed her, who’d taken everything from her, and Soldier 11 despised her. She didn’t simply want nothing to do with her, she wanted to be the antithesis of her. Anby was everything evil to her. “When she sees you again, it won’t take much to shake her mental image of you. You just need to show her that you’re not the one who hurt her.”

“I still never came back for her. And that would require her not killing me first.”

“If it comes to a fight, just don’t kill her. Maybe once you’re both exhausted, she’ll actually listen. But that’s the mother of my child and I can hardly lose her before we even have a chance.” Maybe the fight really would help. She’d have her chance at revenge and then she’d have her sister again. That seemed about the only way Soldier 11 would ever be satisfied. “But don’t hold back either. If she’s trying to kill you, she needs to see that you’re taking her seriously.”

“You really want me to fight her?”

It was an awful plan. But she didn’t have a better one. “Don’t you watch lots of movies like that?”

“Fighting is the fastest way to friendship. It’s how the Starlight Knights get most of their allies.” Now she really seemed to be considering it. She hummed, tapping her foot as she finished the last of her burger. “Maybe Billy will have some advice. It seems to be how they get almost all the villains to become heroes. And I know it’s common in the Outer Ring.”

“He’s at Godfinger—”

“Ask my advice for what?”

Trigger had barely heard him coming. He’d leapt all the way there and was nearly bouncing while he stood over Anby, excited for he knew not what.

“How do you fight someone so they become your friend?”

“Oh, you’re talking to the expert then!” He was on the bench, in the spot Nicole had just vacated, his arm around Anby’s shoulder, already babbling about Starlight Knights.

Nicole seemed to be looking at her apologetically.

“It’s fine. Soldier 11 should be home soon. I should talk to her. I just…don’t know what I’ll say.”

“Anby’s right. You don’t want to be involved in this. I’ll try to moderate the best I can. Harin needs to know that you’re on her side. You are having the kid with her after all.”

She’d never seen Nicole so sacrificing. “Thank you.”

“Just make sure to send some business our way the next time someone needs a job done.”

“Of course.”

Nicole hugged her. Trigger hesitated for a moment, but hugged her back. She was family now. Their baby was going to have a real family. So many had never had that chance. She’d do anything to give that life to her child. “Take care, Nicole. And make sure she actually shows up.” Anby called herself a coward, but this wasn’t something they could avoid.

“I will.”

Trigger waved, the lights changing before she turned and headed toward the metro. A train was just leaving, going the other way, so hers should be there soon.

“Wait!” A girl stepped out from the corner as she entered the station. Nekomata was lucky she recognized the swish of her mechanical tails. She didn’t like being ambushed, not that being behind her mattered much.

She held out something. A video tape? “I managed to get this restored and copied onto a normal tape. Give this to Harin first. Then maybe she won’t kill Anby. Not that I would mind having Nicole’s lap all to myself. But…this is my family too…”

Trigger reached down, petting Nekomata’s head before she took the tape. The one from Anby’s doll, that had recorded her last apology. The battery had run out and the last she’d heard, it had been lost. This could make a big difference. “Thank you.”

“I’m just doing what I have to to keep my family safe.”

She petted her again, confident she was blushing even under the pink lights. “Then as part of that family now, all the more reason I should thank you.”

Nekomata huffed.

The train was nearly there and now she had to be certain she made it home before Soldier 11. She had no idea how she’d handle giving her this tape, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to her any more than she already had. That was no way to build a life together.

Though perhaps full honesty might not be the best choice if she didn’t want anyone killed.

Chapter Text

The tape taunted her from the table. All Trigger had to do was say that someone gave it to her but didn’t tell her what was on it, then she could support Soldier 11 without seeming like she’d been lying to her.

But she had been.

They were supposed to be starting a family together and she’d been lying to her for months. She’d been tortured by her sister and saved by her other sister, and Trigger had been there for all of it, and she’d barely told her anything. Soldier 11 had been so confused, and she’d kept it from her, and now she expected to build a life with her.

Built on those lies.

It was Anby’s secret. That was how she’d always justified it. It wasn’t hers to tell, and at some point, Anby would hopefully feel up to it. But as much as it was Anby’s secret, it was Soldier 11’s too. She’d been there, she’d experienced all of it, only for a quirk of the cloning process that had made her to cause her to forget all of it.

What if Acheron or…or Charon…had come back into her life, had saved her, had been there for her, and she’d never known because someone she trusted had lied to her about it.

She slumped on the couch, her head in her hands. Her past didn’t haunt her like it used to, her dead comrades were no longer all she saw no matter where she looked. Though they still haunted her dreams, and not only when she slept. But she’d moved past it, she had a life, she was happy.

Soldier 11 had never had that chance. She built herself on her rage, on her hatred for Anby, and Anby only encouraged it.

If Trigger loved Soldier 11 half as much as she thought she did, she’d never have agreed to keep the secret.

She wouldn’t be a coward any longer. Anby would talk to her, she deserved the chance to make up with her properly, but Trigger needed to confess properly first. She’d tell her the truth, she’d give her the tape, honestly and openly, and she’d hope that it wasn’t enough to ruin what they had.

It seemed the instant she’d made her decision, footsteps thudded in the hall and the door opened. “Aw, I was half expecting to walk home to noodles waiting for me again. Did you want to go get dinner?”

Trigger considered the tape still on the table. She wasn’t sure she’d still have the same resolve if she stopped for food first. But it might go better over full stomachs and a happy Soldier 11. “Sure, we can get some.” She stood, smiling at her partner, hoping the lights matched it and weren’t giving away her anxiety.

Soldier 11 kissed her, her hands lingering along Trigger’s back as she pulled away. “Oh, did Random Play get a new movie with audio descriptions? We can watch it when we get back.”

Of course she’d seen it. “Oh. No…” She trailed off. This was the best chance to bring it up. She just had to hope that Soldier 11 would hear her out well enough to understand, and that she loved her enough to forgive her for keeping it a secret. It wasn’t a bet that she enjoyed making, and it would be so easy to just let Anby take all the blame, but Soldier 11 really did deserve better than that. She’d been the best thing to happen to Trigger since…well before the fall of the old city, and now she was responsible for the new best thing. “I was given it for you to watch. It’s about what happened to you while you were injured.”

“What…happened to me?” Soldier 11 stepped back, the confusion and fear clear in her voice. “What do you…” She trailed off again, shaking her head, her hair pattering against her goggles. “I was injured in the field and…”

Trigger took a deep breath. This was going to be hard to explain. “You had been kidnapped, by one of your sisters.”

“One of? No, I only have…I don’t have any sisters.” Her voice hardened, her posture stiffening as she pulled away, that same hate filling her words. Could she really forgive Anby?

“Twiggy.”

“What?” More disbelief and fear than hatred. It was hard not to laugh at the idea that she hated the sister who saved her twice more than the one who tortured and kidnapped her, but Trigger managed to hold it back. “How did…you…”

“I couldn’t find you. It had been days. Apparently she’d been…using your blood. And doing I don’t know what else to you. But I had to find help. I found your sister, Anby. She helped me save you.”

“No. She wouldn’t.” Her voice was growing colder. Which was certainly saying something. But Trigger had never heard her like this. It brought more tears. “And as I said. I don’t have a sister.”

She wasn’t running out of the room, but now the anger seemed solely directed at her. Though that would doubtless change if Anby were there. Trigger picked up the video tape. “Please just watch it. I’ll leave you alone if you want. I’ll even…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought. She couldn’t lose Soldier 11. She couldn’t handle her heart breaking again. And this time it really would be her fault. “I’ll come back with your food. If you don’t want to…”

“Wait…” Soldier 11 gripped her hand, and there seemed to be a desperate fear in it, but there was rage too, it was tighter than it needed to be. “I don’t understand. This doesn’t make any sense. And why…wouldn’t I…”

She leaned in, kissing Soldier 11’s temple, and found that she didn’t pull away. Maybe she had too much anger toward Anby to really blame Trigger. It was more than she deserved. “I’ll answer any questions you have, but I think you should see the video.”

Soldier 11 choked back a sob. “I…” She cleared her throat only to sob all over again. “Don’t go.”

Trigger squeezed her hand, kissing her again. “Will you watch it?”

“I…”

“I’m sorry, Soldier 11.” She gripped that hand, feeling the desperation only growing, the swirling terror that she was feeling. It shone through her aura and shook her hands. “I shouldn’t have kept this from you.”

“You shouldn’t have.” There was less coldness, but it was still there.

“I didn’t think it was my secret to tell. I see that I was wrong. You deserved to know what happened to you.”

“Yes. I did.” Anger, but not coldness. She was going to forgive her.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. She knew better than this. “I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you. No more secrets. I want a life with you. And that…includes being open.”

Soldier 11 released her hand and clung to her.

“The video should…will you please watch it?”

“Fine. But…” She sighed, pulling away, and picked up the video, popping it into the VHS. “I can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t. I can’t forgive her. I can’t have her in my life. I can’t even think about her.”

Trigger sighed. “You forgave me. A lot more easily than I expected.”

“You’re my…I love you. It hurts that you kept this from me, but it’s not the same. You didn’t betray me.”

“She didn’t either. Please, watch the tape. She explained everything to you before. She’s just been too scared to talk to you again.”

She crossed her arms but she sank onto the couch, watching the off television. “Fine. But it won’t change anything.”

Trigger sat beside her and was relieved to feel Soldier 11 press against her as the video started to play, and she heard Anby’s apology, and explanation, everything that she could manage, as a confused Soldier 11 forgave her for all of it.

Soldier 11’s fingers dug into her thigh. “I would never…”

“She sacrificed herself to save you. You don’t have to forgive her, but she’s our daughter’s aunt. Our baby deserves a chance to have her family.”

Soldier 11 clung to her and tears rained on Trigger’s back as she held her close. Maybe this had been too much. “But she…she…” she sobbed.

“She wants to talk to you.” Or at least she was willing to. Maybe. “Will you try? You don’t have to forgive her. And if you can’t, then we don’t have to ever see her again. But please, can we give her this chance? She saved your life and…”

“And you want our daughter to have what I never had. A real family. I do too. But, how can that include that traitor?”

She could always rewind the video to answer that part. “Just give her a chance. Please.”

“We are not raising our daughter on burgers.”

How did she even know about that? Trigger had never managed to figure it out. Anby hadn’t had the chance to be a burger addict until she’d already escaped. The only explanation that had ever made sense was that Soldier 11 had checked up on her sister and then couldn’t bring herself to confront her. She’d let her have that secret. “I’m sure our little baby will be as obsessed with noodles as you are, with how much I’m eating them.”

“Good.” She huffed and pressed her face against Trigger’s shoulder, gripping her tighter. “I’ll talk to her. That’s all I’m promising. For our little noodle fan to be.”

“Thank you.” She kissed her, holding her, wishing she could take away all of this pain. But maybe forgiving Anby would finally do it for her. And if not, then maybe their family would.

Chapter Text

She’d been trying to give them space. Nicole had had the bright idea of inviting everyone over to her hideout to avoid answering any questions that Defense Force higher ups would doubtless ask about hollow raiders and Soldier 11’s identical twin, but even from her seat outside, she’d heard yelling, crying, swords clashing, the door starting to open only to slam closed again, and hushed shouts that sounded like pleas. She desperately hoped this was actually for the best.

“So, how’s little Nicole doing?” Nicole asked, holding out a coffee as she sat beside her. “It’s decaf, don’t worry.”

Trigger took the drink and marveled as Nicole didn’t ask for her money back. And she’d considered how the caffeine would affect the baby. It wasn’t even instant, it tasted like it came fresh from Coff Café. “I’m afraid I’ve already been convinced to name her Nekomiya.”

“What?! You have not!”

Trigger tried to stifle a laugh, knowing the lights gave her away regardless. “Why do you want us to call her Nicole so badly?”

She shrugged and shifted. “I don’t know that I really do.”

Trigger sat up, watching Nicole’s aura fluctuate. She wished she knew her well enough to read her better. She sipped her coffee. “Then why all this? I don’t think you’ve ever bought anyone coffee.”

She huffed. “Well, you’re more than welcome to pay me back for it. Plus interest.”

This time, she didn’t attempt to hide her chuckle. More screams came from inside. “It appears we’re going to have a while. And considering that you don’t have anyplace else to go, you might as well talk to me.”

“It’s like you said.”

“What did I say?”

Another huff. “We’re family.”

She knew orange lights must have lit up her face as she considered that, but they turned blue as she gave Nicole a reassuring squeeze. “We are.”

“I’ve never had a family before. At least not until the Cunning Hares.”

“I know how you feel. Until I met Lyre Squad…I’d grown up in an orphanage. I never knew what it was like. And then I had…” They’d all meant so much to her, but so many images of Charon flooded her mind. Of course she missed Acheron, Lethe, Styx, and Cocytus, but Charon had been different. “Lyre Squad was the first family I ever had. And now I have Obol Squad and…I suppose I have you now.”

Nicole grunted. “I was an orphan, too.”

“It seems so many were.” Her hand settled on her belly, as it so often did these days. Nothing was visible, though she could swear she felt something there, growing. “And there keep being more. It’s all the more reason I want to make sure that I can give at least one child a proper home. And a huge, loving family.”

“We will. Little Nicole will want for nothing. She’ll always have people who love her. She’ll never have to be scared. She’ll never need to feel alone, or like she doesn’t have anyone. She’ll have so many people to turn to, for everything.”

Trigger did the best to wipe the tears running past her eye cover. “Thank you.” It was all she could manage to get out at first, and even that made her choke. “You’re going to be an amazing aunt.”

“Amazing enough to be named after?”

She shook her head. “I’ve taken someone’s name before. My child deserves her own identity. Her family shouldn’t tie her down, they should lift her up. She shouldn’t need to carry on for anyone else.”

“You think I’m going to die in a hollow and leave her feeling guilty.”

Had that been what she’d meant? It hadn’t been conscious. “I think that about everyone.”

Nicole was silent for a while, only her breathing and heartbeat giving away that she was still there. “We go into hollows all the time and make it out.”

“Until we don’t.”

“Trigger…” She shifted. Trigger could feel her trying to meet her eyes. Nicole must’ve realized the folly of it and slid closer, her hand on Trigger’s shoulder.

“All of Lyre squad. We were there. When…” She took a deep breath. “My family stayed behind as Hollow Zero expanded. I was dragged to safety.” And she later had to put down the woman who did it, but she was already burdening Nicole with enough. “The last thing I ever saw was their faces. How am I supposed to not expect the same to happen to my new family? Soldier 11 will…or…even you’ll…” She held her head in her hands. It was too much. She’d barely thought of them for so long. Getting their last message, accepting their loss, taking her new job, it had all been enough to let her move on. She hadn’t realized just how much a new family was dragging it back up. She couldn’t lose Soldier 11 like she had Charon.

“I know I’m going to be the aunt to your child, but come on, you don’t actually care about me enough for this to be getting to you like it is.”

Trigger shook her head and gave Nicole a playful smile. “What can I say, you’re growing on me.”

She gestured toward the door. “As you pointed out, I’m stuck here with you for quite a while. Unless you want to risk going in and checking on them?”

“They’re still alive.” Trigger would be able to see the ether fluctuations if one of them had killed the other. She’d feel the agony of it. She’d been watching for it. “I’d rather give them their space for now.”

“Then talk. I’m stuck with you. And not just for now, for life, apparently. So spill. Think of it as paying me back for putting me out of my home for the day.”

Trigger considered that. She should probably feel insulted by the idea of her pain being someone else’s entertainment, but clearly it was weighing on her in a way it hadn’t in years. Perhaps it was worth getting it off her chest. “Before Soldier 11, the last woman I’d been with was…” She sighed. It had never exactly been a secret, they weren’t anywhere near capable of that level of subtlety, but they’d avoided ever saying anything public about it. She supposed it wasn’t as if there was anything that could be done about it after all these years. “My captain, Charon. She was…” More tears welled up. It had been years since she’d even mentioned her, and those details had always been scarce. The same image that had burned into her eyes for years came back, stronger than ever. Charon’s eyes meeting hers for the last time. “I loved her. She made me the woman I am today. I don’t even think I’d have been able to be a sniper without her pushing me. She…” It was so hard to say. Every part of her still wanted to deny it, to insist it couldn’t be true. “Like I said, they all died in Hollow Zero. I spent years convinced that she had to still be alive, that that was why I had these eyes, that I’d find her, that I couldn’t have really lost her. I never even got to say goodbye…” She hugged her knees, trying not to shake and sob, needing to have some semblance of composure. “I suppose I’ve just finally realized that I have a family again. And that means I can lose them again.”

“Soldier 11 has survived a lot.”

“And that’s why I was willing to go along with Anby originally. She insisted that Soldier 11 needed that hate to keep her going. I accepted that I wouldn’t lose her then. But now…”

“Oh.” Nicole wrapped her arms around Trigger. “She’s not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere. And her forgiving Anby…hopefully…just means that she’ll have more people she can count on, to keep her safe.”

It was impossible not to see that sight again, but with her new family in place of Lyre Squad. Soldier 11, the ether corruption eating away at her, her eyes locked on Trigger as she tried to keep her safe. They’d all die. The hollows took everyone eventually.

“Trigger.” Nicole squeezed her. “I promise, it’ll be okay. You are going to have a beautiful baby girl, and she is never going to know a day without love. She’ll have you and Soldier 11, she’ll have her aunts, I’m sure the proxies will adore her—”

“We still need to talk to them.” Soldier 11 had been so excited to tell Belle, the only friend she knew she had, and then just kept chickening out. Maybe she really was like Anby.

“Do you really think anything could happen to any of us with them keeping an eye on us in the hollows? It doesn’t matter how bad things get. You have the Cunning Hares and Phaethon on your side. You’ll always end up all right.”

Trigger wiped tears from her cheeks, taking a shaky breath. “If anything does happen—”

“No. You and Soldier 11 are going to be fine. No matter what. I promise.”

She didn’t have the energy to keep fighting. Both the old and new images haunted her, but she tried to ignore them, to focus on the moment, on her baby, on her partner, and on the friend who was clearly worried about her. Charon would want her to be happy, she’d always made that abundantly clear.

She let her gaze fall on Soldier 11’s aura, still inside, and listened for her shouts. But they were gone. She didn’t look calm, but it wasn’t the same fury that it had been. “Let’s go check on them. I think things may be settling down.”

Another squeeze before Nicole finally released her. “Okay.” She rose, holding a hand out to help Trigger up.

She took it, finding herself shaky on her feet as they headed back into the Cunning Hares hideout.

“How many times do I need to tell you?” Anby’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper as they opened the door. No wonder she’d barely been able to hear them. “I didn’t abandon you. I was trying to save you.”

“Then why didn’t you look for me after?” Soldier 11’s fists shook at her side and tears pattered on the floor. “It took me a couple months to find you, a hollow raider, living off of burgers like some criminal, and you never even tried to find me! To talk to me…to let me know what had happened.”

“I…” Anby shifted. “I was scared.”

“Scared that I’d blame you? Of course I would! All I knew was what they told me. You had so many chances to fix that! But instead, you tried to hide. You deprived me of my sister. For years.”

“I thought you needed the hate.”

“I needed the hate because I didn’t have you.”

Anby choked back a sob. “Oh…”

Nicole ran to Anby, holding her. “Anby…”

Soldier 11 stepped back. She must have not noticed that they'd returned. “Trigger.” There was relief in the word, need, but she didn’t go to her.

Trigger closed the gap. “I take it things are going well.”

Soldier 11 reached for her hand, gripped it, and promptly released it, stepping away again. “How am I supposed to…I don’t…”

She was so terrified, but this only confirmed that she needed this, that letting Anby avoid her had only made things worse. Trigger kissed her and took her hands again, pulling her close. “You want to forgive her.”

Her head shook against Trigger’s chest, only to turn into a nod. “I don’t know how.”

“We’ll have time. Just give her the chance to earn it.”

More hesitation, then another nod. Soldier 11 gave in, hugging to her, more tears falling on her chest. “I’ll try.”

Trigger hugged her back, then pushed her toward Anby. “Tell her that.”

“I’ll…Anby, I…” She huffed. “For my daughter, I’ll give you a chance. One chance. If you betray me again. If you lie to me. If you hurt her. Anything.”

“I won’t,” Anby whispered, still clinging to Nicole.

Soldier 11 ran to her, Nicole finally moving aside so the two could hug. Their red bean bun fan to be was really going to have a family. And Trigger just had to believe that she wouldn’t lose this one too.

Chapter Text

“I haven’t seen you in months!” Belle shouted as they walked into the shop. She was lucky there weren’t customers. Or maybe it was already closed. She had invited them over to watch a movie and Trigger had had to steal the phone from Soldier 11 to get her to avoid saying they didn’t have time. “Has work been keeping you that busy?”

“Not work exactly,” Trigger admitted, as something small jumped from the counter and began purring and rubbing against Soldier 11’s legs.

“I missed you too,” Soldier 11 said, scritching the cat. This must be Inky. She’d heard so much.

Inky approached her hesitantly and Trigger managed to give her a quick pet before she ran back to Soldier 11.

Belle giggled, but harumphed, trying to sound serious. “If you haven’t been busy with work, then why haven’t I seen you?” Belle crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

“She’s been trying to get me to make up with Anby, who I know is alive, because our daughter deserves a family, because she’s pregnant. It’s mine.” Soldier 11 really did have a way with words.

“You…” Belle sputtered. “You’re…and Jane hasn’t even put a litter in me yet! How?! What?! I’m so happy for you!” She all but leapt over the counter and Trigger had to catch her. “It doesn’t show at all. You look amazing. And considering that you always show your midriff…not that I’m complaining.”

Trigger chuckled, holding her. Belle was so shameless. “I’m only a couple months along. And believe me, I’ve been reconsidering my wardrobe.”

“No, show the world,” Belle insisted, shaking her head.

“That is my girlfriend you know,” Soldier 11 reminded her. Had she ever actually said girlfriend before?

Belle pulled away and Trigger could imagine the wide-eyed stare she must have turned on Soldier 11. “Wait, girlfriend?! I assumed you’d been married for years. What are you waiting for?”

“Uh…” That seemed to have her at a loss for words.

“I’ll have you know, I’m an ordained minister. Weirdly enough they included it in the couples therapy courses I took. I could fix that right now.”

It was so tempting to say yes. It would settle so many things. But she wanted Soldier 11 to propose properly. Or perhaps she should be the one to do it, but considering that Soldier 11 had had the temerity to knock her up, it only seemed fair that she also be the one to get on one knee. “We’d want the rest of Obol Squad and the Cunning Hares here at the very least.”

“And we’re not…” She could feel Soldier 11’s gaze on her. “Do you want that?”

“Do I want to marry the woman I love and the mother of my child?” Was that really the best she could do?

Soldier 11 sighed.

Belle squealed, sitting on the counter.

Soldier 11 practically whined. “I don’t even have a ring.”

“I wouldn’t be able to see it anyway.”

“I love you, Trigger. I want to start this family with you. I want to spend my life with you.” She hesitated and cleared her throat. She seemed warmer. She must’ve been blushing.

“You don’t…have to.” She could barely get the words out. She hadn’t realized how badly she wanted this. It had been years since she’d so much as considered marriage.

Soldier 11 shifted, and Trigger could all but see the mix of emotions, the desire, the fear, the embarrassment. “I want to do this. I promise I’ll propose. But properly. Not like this. Please?”

“Soldier 11…” She bit her lip. “Of course. I wasn’t trying to put any pressure on you.” She turned toward Belle.

Belle giggled. “Close enough for me. Everyone is getting married before Jane and me…and babies too! But I think we have some champagne or at least something nice to drink somewhere in the back. Let me find it. Did you still want to watch…”

“Yeah,” Trigger said, barely able to think of anything but what Soldier 11 had just done. “You invited us over for a movie. We meant it. And is Wise not joining us? I don’t think I’ve ever not seen him when I’ve come over.”

“Oh, he had a date tonight. Next time though.”

Now she wanted details on that, but she supposed it could wait. “All right.”

“Then I’ll get the popcorn too. Wait, you can’t drink…should we not?”

She chuckled, finally turning from her partner, and soon to be fiancee. “I probably shouldn’t. Popcorn and soda sounds fine. I haven’t had much caffeine today. You two can drink if you want though.”

“No, it’s fine. So…am I going to be a godmother? I am Soldier 11’s best friend. And we’ve been friends for YEARS.”

“You have?” Soldier 11 asked. “Did I know that?”

She really needed to keep fewer secrets. Did Soldier 11 know Belle was Phaethon? She let out a breath, glancing in Belle’s direction to try to confirm what she could say.

“I think she knows most of it. You can tell her. She is gonna be your wife after all. And I’m going to be the godmother of that red bean bun in your oven.”

“I always imagine her as more of a noodle. It seems the right size.”

“Just don’t eat our baby.” That was a cute term for her though. “But I guess you can call her our little noodle if you want.”

“I would never eat our noodle.”

She giggled. But she still had another secret to confess.

“I’ll get the popcorn and soda. Take your time.”

She sighed and led Soldier 11 up to Belle’s room, unable to refuse the help on the stairs, even though they both knew she didn’t need it. Once she was seated on the couch, Soldier 11 waited patiently beside her for her to collect her thoughts.

“You know that she’s Phaethon, right?”

“I suspected. And I think she told me a few times.” She chuckled. “I thought she was joking at first.”

“She was the one—her and Wise—they helped me when I was trying to find my old squad. When I was convinced they were still alive. Right before I joined Obol.”

“She helped you look for Charon?”

The name still brought tears to her eyes. She nodded, her breath catching. “She helped me find peace. They all loved me, and wanted me to live on. I remembered their smiles. They weren’t ashamed of me. I still have the message from them she helped me get.”

“But you never found any proof?”

She studied Soldier 11. Her aura wasn’t fluctuating. She wasn’t upset. How much of this did she know?

“You’ve said her name in your sleep a few times. And we’ve talked about her. I know you never went into details.”

“I’ve accepted that she’s gone. And I want to be with you. I want to marry you. When you’re ready.”

“I’m not jealous.” She took her hand. “I am a little surprised that you worked with Phaethon before we met, and never mentioned it when I was working with her.”

“I wasn’t sure it was her until later.”

“I trust you. And I trust Belle.”

“Thank you.”

Soldier 11 leaned against her shoulder. “And we are having a baby together.”

It was still such a nice thought. And soon there’d be marriage on top of that. Or at least engagement. “We are.”

The buttery popcorn announced Belle’s presence as she climbed the stairs, glass bottles clinking against each other in her arms. She nudged the door the rest of the way open, earning a creak. “The movie should already be set up. I just have to hit play. I made three whole bags of popcorn ‘cause I know your appetites. And you’re eating for two now! Is the little noodle already a hungry monster?”

Trigger felt her belly. “Not much yet.”

“She’s been eating a lot more.”

If only she could glower at Soldier 11. That was the benefit of her red lights, at least.

Belle shoved one of the bags into Soldier 11’s lap and wiggled in between them. Trigger couldn’t help but laugh at the presumptiveness. “Here’s some chili powder.” She handed it over to Soldier 11 before grabbing Trigger’s legs and pulling them across her and Soldier 11’s laps. “There, seatbelt is in place, and you can rest properly! You have a baby. You should be reclining. And comfy. Do I need to get more pillows?”

Trigger adjusted the pillows against the armrest, settling in. It really was nice to take a load off like this.

Belle set the popcorn in her lap and grabbed something, probably the remote, as she started the movie up. She hit pause as soon as it started playing. “Is everyone ready? Do we need anything more? Did you want to give me more baby news? Or we could plan the wedding?”

“We’re still not actually engaged yet.”

“Fine then we can plan the proposal.”

“We’re here to watch the movie, red inferno. We can gossip after.”

“I’m holding you to that!”

Trigger wasn’t sure she’d ever heard Soldier 11 even use the word gossip. She needed to spend more time with the two of them like this. Maybe it was because they lived in the barracks. Soldier 11 was always in work mode, even when she was relaxing, but here, she could be herself. “Maybe you really can be the godmother.”

She could almost see the light in Belle’s eyes as she bounced, only Trigger’s legs holding her in place. “Really? You won’t regret it!”

“Maybe!” Trigger insisted. As if she could ever deny Belle. She’d been the one to get her out of a very dark place, to give her the courage to take her name back, to be able to move on. And it seemed she was just as important to Soldier 11. She’d known they were friends, she’d seen enough of that, but she supposed Soldier 11 having only the one friend outside of work must have made things with Belle very important. “I still don’t know how you are with kids. And I’ve never met Jane.”

“You’ll love her! And she’s great with kids! And so am I!”

“Have you ever even been around a kid, maroon Jello bowl?” Soldier 11 asked. “And if Wise wasn’t going to be here, why didn’t you invite Jane for a double date? I haven’t met her either, would be nice to know the apparently other godmother of my kid.”

“We’re not married yet either! And I didn’t know you were pregnant! It’s not my fault you don’t tell me anything.” She grumbled, but she also squeezed Trigger’s thigh, so she probably wasn’t that upset. “She couldn’t join us. She’s on a mission and can’t be reached. And apparently doesn’t even need a proxy.” The whine was even more pitiful but she suddenly froze up, glancing toward Soldier 11.

“I told her while we were waiting for you,” Trigger said.

“Okay. Good.”

Soldier 11 chuckled. “I knew you were a proxy already, I just wasn’t sure if you were really Phaethon.”

“Right…” Belle chomped on some popcorn. “In my defense, it’s hard to tell what you actually know.”

Trigger giggled.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” She huffed.

“Only that you’re a very good actor.” Trigger pressed her legs against Soldier 11, trying to reassure her. “We can never tell when you’re faking your forgetfulness.”

“Wasn’t the point more to interrogate scarlet flamingo if she can take care of kids? Not to bully me?”

“We can do both.” Trigger giggled, wishing she could manage to kiss Soldier 11 without having to get up.

“Well then, I can settle this. I’ve saved lots of kids from hollows. I’ll have you know, there’s nothing kids love more than someone who can also be a bangboo.”

That was a very compelling argument. Kids might not be willing to obey their parents, but a talking bangboo… “We’ll see.” She knew she already sounded like she was giving in.

“I think you’d be a great godmother.” And, of course, Soldier 11 would always pick Belle over Anby, even now that they’d made up. Though Nicole hadn’t exactly sounded like she wanted kids. Maybe Belle was the safer choice.

“We’ll at least see how our little noodle reacts to you…” They were getting so far ahead of themselves. But maybe that was the only way to be a good parent. If you weren’t planning for everything, then you’d always end up missing something. It wasn’t that different from being a soldier, though hopefully it would be even more rewarding.

“Noodles also love me! I promise.”

Trigger shook her head. “Fine. It looks like it’s agreed. You’ll be the godmother.”

“Yes!”

Trigger sighed. It was supposed to be a maybe! They were going to see about things. But apparently it would happen either way.

Soldier 11 dumped chili powder on her popcorn, apparently deciding that this whole matter was settled.

“I hope it’s spicy enough. I think we have some sriracha salt too if you need.”

“I can get it.”

Belle wiggled, failing to free herself. “You don’t know where it is. And I take that to mean it’s not spicy enough?”

“I’ll find it. And maybe some hot sauce.”

“We have a couple. And some packs from Waterfall Soup.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The second she was gone, Belle went right back to gushing about the baby. She put her ear to Trigger’s belly, trying to hear anything.

“There’s not much to hear yet. Believe me, I’ve been listening.”

“But she’s in there.”

The thought alone made warmth radiate throughout her body. “She is.”

“And I’m gonna be her godmother!”

Trigger sighed.  Belle had more than earned this. And hopefully nothing would happen to them to need it. And she’d still have the rest of her family. “Anby and Nicole said they’d help take care of her too. If anything does happen…”

“I will never let anything happen to either of you. I’m Phaethon after all. And you’re Trigger. Together, we’re unstoppable.” She could’ve at least sat up to say it.

“We are.”

“I think she kicked!”

“No, that’s my stomach growling for popcorn.”

Belle sat up. “Oh.” She sounded so disappointed. Trigger would have to make sure to let her feel it as soon as their noodle was kicking. It really was a cute nickname for her. At least until they settled on a proper one.

“I found everything!” Soldier 11 announced, holding popcorn that smelled spicy enough to make Trigger’s eyes water. That was more like it. “Thank you for waiting. Ready for the movie?”

She took her spot again, Inky joining them, circling up between Trigger’s calves in Soldier 11’s lap. Belle started the movie back up. It was nice having an evening with a friend like this. Their life had had too much drama since the pregnancy, but everything was out in the open now and they could just relax. And as Belle insistently reminded them the second the movie was over, they had a wedding and proposal to plan, though she seemed a lot more focused on the former.

Chapter Text

The phone by Trigger’s bed rang and announced “Incoming call from Belle,” rousing her from her as ever fitful sleep. She didn’t feel anyone beside her as she reached for it, while the phone repeated its message. She was alone?

She felt around the bed, answering the phone. “Trigger. Is everything okay?” She was just calling to hang out, right? She wanted to squeeze her belly more and imagine there was already something to feel. But Soldier 11 wasn’t in bed. How had she not noticed her leaving?

“Not really, no.” Belle sounded terrified. She was almost squeaking. “Eous was injured. I’ve lost connection and I have to reboot him. He’s with Soldier 11! In a hollow! I’m on my way there.”

“To the hollow or—”

“To the barracks. You can leave the base if you don’t want to have to explain why I’m there, but we have to find them. Now.”

She’d never heard Belle this panicked. “Okay. I’ll be there in five minutes.” She had to put clothes on, grab Phlegethon, and make it someplace Belle could pick her up without having to answer a lot of questions that would waste far too much time.

She made it in four and Belle was already waiting for her. “It’s not far.”

“And what, you’ll head back and send in another bangboo?”

“No. I’ve been upgraded. While you were too busy to tell me that you had a baby, I got better software and now I don’t have like ten million heart attacks from being in a Hollow.”

Better software? Was Belle an android? She’d never felt it, and certainly nothing like Seed. Or even a bangboo.

“I can explain later. I still can’t fight, maybe they’ll have that in the next patch.” She chuckled, but there was no mirth. “I’ll need you to keep me safe and get me to Eous, assuming Soldier 11 is still with it, and then I can find us a way out.”

It was a simple enough mission. “Do you have a way to track Eous?”

“I should, but it’s not working. I’m going to just have to follow the same path we took going in. It’s why I’m in such a hurry. We can’t risk it changing before we get there.”

That explained a few things. “And here I was thinking you were just worried about Soldier 11.”

“I am. And Eous. You know how much they mean to me.”

“I do.” She found Belle’s hand, still on the steering wheel, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I was just teasing. You know Soldier 11. She’ll be fine. And she’ll take good care of Eous.”

She was pretty sure Belle nodded, but she didn’t say anything as she pulled the car to a stop. The hollow was much larger than she was expecting. The glow of it filled her vision, as they so often did, but it seemed to span blocks, if not more.

“It wasn’t this big before.”

“Will the path still be there?”

“No. Maybe. Probably not.” Belle ground her teeth, her heart racing.

“We can do this.”

“Right.” She climbed out of the car, pulling something out. “Wise, I’ll need you and Fairy searching the hollow. We need to find Eous and a new path.”

The voice on the other end came through clearly. “We’re already looking. But Belle—”

“I know. Something has to have made it that big. I’ll be careful.”

Trigger leaned in. “I’ll keep her safe.”

Belle hung up and the two of them proceeded into the Hollow. There was nothing unusual about it that Trigger could see, but it was always disorienting going from the outside world where so little actually showed and she had to rely on all of her other senses to one where her etheric sight revealed everything, including far too many ethereals.

She threw her arm to the side, gesturing for Belle to stay back, but the ethereals were already closing in on them, close enough that it made her wish all the harder to still have Soldier 11 watching her back.

She slid Phlegethon’s pistol base out of the rifle and fired on the first ethereal, disippating it quickly before she started on the next, but there were too many for this to be reliable. She’d run out of bullets before they managed to clear the way.

“There’s a fissure just to our right!” Belle grabbed Trigger’s hand and led her, just as she had so many times before. The fissure glistened as they approached it, radiating a light stronger than anything else around, and in seconds they were through it and Trigger had to get her bearings again.

“Belle!” It was Wise’s voice. He must have still been on call.

“I’m okay.” Belle bumped into Trigger, shaking. Trigger wasn't sure she'd ever seen Belle this scared. Even if she was capable of being in hollows now, it didn’t mean she was ready for it. “Just a few major setbacks one after another.” She chuckled. “Anything on Eous and Soldier 11?”

“I think so. Fairy detected—” Wise suddenly stopped. He must’ve realized what he’d said. Though perhaps Belle should’ve caught it earlier.

Trigger laughed. “I’ve noticed the AI talking in your ears when you’ve had me on missions. I’m blind, not deaf.”

“You just wanted to say that,” Belle muttered. “Why are we so bad at keeping secrets? Never mind, it’s not the time. We’d appreciate your discretion there, but Wise, tell me.”

“There’s repeated electric discharges, like from a damaged battery. They’re small, small enough that they could be Eous. I’m mapping out a route now.”

“Is there any—”

“Nothing on camera,” he said. “Whatever this thing is it seems to be shorting a lot of electronics. It’s hard to get a feed anywhere here. We’re trying.”

Belle took Trigger’s hand. “This way.”

“I can manage in Hollows okay.” She’d never minded Belle holding her hand, but it was different in combat. She had to be able to react. “Just stay close.”

“Okay.” Belle fell into step just ahead of her, leading the way, occasionally trying to tug her in the right direction only for Trigger to already manage. “I guess I already knew how different you were in here. I’m just too used to letting you lead when I’m a bangboo and me taking the lead when we’re spending time when I’m not.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate your concern. I’m just…more worried about her right now.”

“You know Soldier 11 can take care of herself.”

“What was she doing here anyway? Did you get her help with a job or did she not bother to tell me we had a mission?”

Belle’s laugh was nervous and she seemed to be spending a lot longer than necessary working on the route. She checked on the phone with Wise to see if he knew anything, and continued not answering her question.

“Belle?”

“Yeah, I’m just…the route. We should be almost there.”

It wasn’t the first time Belle had acted incredibly suspicious, but this was about Soldier 11. She wanted to press her, but as they stepped through the next fissure, Belle’s excuse became a lot better. It was the largest ethereal she’d seen since…a good many years before. She readied her rifle, trying to get a gauge of the thing. It didn’t seem to have noticed them yet, but there was energy crackling off of it in every direction. It glowed almost like the hollow itself.

“Wise, we’re right on top of it,” Belle whispered.

“Crap. I didn’t…” Trigger could faintly hear typing over the phone, followed by a robotic voice.

“There should be a fissure that will take you around it exactly six meters to the north.”

Belle took her hand again and they ran, just in time for etheric energy to lash out toward them, more like a whip than a bullet, but just as fast. Trigger grabbed Belle and dove, thudding on new ground.

“Eous!” Belle pried herself free and started to run as Trigger stood up. Her heart thudded in her chest. Soldier 11 was there, panting, but she was in one piece, the best she could tell. She recognized her breathing, her heartbeat.

Trigger rushed over to her.

“Trigger?” She sounded shocked. She seemed to be crouched against a wall, beside Eous, who was sending off random sparks but not moving or making any other noise. They seemed to be in a building, and past it, she could see more etheric energy. There were a lot of ethereals, and one of them was massive. They must’ve just crossed to the other side of where they’d been before. Had it cornered Soldier 11 intentionally? “You weren’t supposed to—Belle, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I couldn’t hear from you and we needed to rescue you, quickly.” She snapped, pulling out a tool as she knelt over Eous. Wires scraped against each other and something jolted, sparks raining on the ground. That must’ve shocked her. Did that really not hurt?

 “But…”

“Is that why you’re here alone?” Trigger snapped. “You didn’t want to put me in danger? We’re soldiers!”

“And you’re pregnant with my daughter! It changes things.”

Trigger crossed her arms. “Then don’t put our daughter’s other mother in danger.”

“I’m sorry.” She sounded chagrined. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this. It was a small hollow. And new. I didn’t expect…this thing.”

“Then tell me next time. I woke up in bed, alone, with Belle panicking on the phone. I didn’t even know if you were still alive.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“Have any ethereals tried to come in the store?” Belle asked, as Eous stirred at her feet.

“Eh ne?”

“You’re okay.”

It launched itself at Belle, hugging onto her, chattering away in bangboo. “You came to save me! My parents really do love me!” At least she was living up to her title as a godmother.

“You know we do.” Belle petted it and sat it down. “Wise, take over. We need a way out.”

There was a sound that Trigger couldn’t place and Wise’s voice came out of Eous. “That last fissure was one way, and this hollow keeps expanding. I can find you a way out but…”

“But we’re already here and someone has to put a stop to this thing. And we are the New Eridu Defense Force.” Soldier 11 stood. “I just didn’t want to put Eous in more danger.”

Trigger kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry me like this again.” She checked her rifle. “Let’s do our job.”

“I guess I’ll cheerlead.” Belle giggled, though it seemed almost as nervous as before. She almost certainly hadn’t been in any fights like this. “I’m not abandoning you. We can do this. Or you can do this.” Another awkward laugh.

Trigger sighed. Sending Belle off on her own wouldn’t be any safer. “I assume you left the pom poms at home, so just stay back. We’ll handle things.”

An ethereal’s cry sounded as footsteps thudded on the other side of the building. Either they’d found them, or this one was very unlucky, but there was no time to wait.

Soldier 11 charged forward, her sword igniting as Trigger took out the ethereal’s core in a single shot.

They must have been looking for them. More ethereals poured in, and Soldier 11’s sword went to work. Trigger covered her, sniping each enemy that tried to get close, as Soldier 11 easily cleaved them a path. “The hollow has to be getting smaller by now,” she said, when they were outside, and had finally rid the last of the ethereals around them. More filled the area, but they weren’t on them yet, and the larger one towered over them, just far enough away that it might not have noticed them yet.

“Barely,” Wise said. “I think you’ll have to take out the big one.”

Trigger tried to get a better look at it, though obstructions she couldn’t identify still blocked some of it off. It was mostly humanoid in shape, and had tendrils spiraling out from its body. It must’ve been at least six or seven stories tall.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ethereal look for its prey like this,” Soldier 11 said. “Normally they just move on if you’re not near them.”

“Maybe you pissed it off.” Gears whirred in Eous. Wise must’ve been pointing. “There’s a big scratch that looks like it must’ve been from you.”

“I guess I’ve never left one alive long enough for it to hold a grudge.” Soldier 11 adjusted her grip on her blade. She was just showboating now.

As Trigger studied it, trying to see what they meant, her stomach dropped. It seemed to have multiple cores. Six of them. If they didn’t take care of this quickly…she shook her head, raising her rifle. The first core shattered from her shot as she readied for another, only for a tendril to lash out for her as the ethereals started to charge.

The creature gave a bloodcurdling scream and the tendril split in two, as flames filled the air. “I watch your back. You watch mine. That’s your old motto, right?” Soldier 11 asked.

It tugged at her heart, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. “That and ‘one shot, one kill,’ but this jerk is ruining that.” She fired again, but it shifted. She adjusted her shot, finding the second core.

“Guys!” Belle shouted.

Trigger pulled her gaze away, finding her vision blocked by etheric matter. A wave of ethereals was on them and another tendril cracked in the air. Could they really do this?

More etheric energy filled her sight, blinding all the more, but it seemed to pull the nearest ethereals away. “Are we late?” It was Nicole’s voice. “You said it was an emergency. And that means double pay.”

Something hurtled through the sky, lightning crackling as boots thudded on the ground, more ethereals screaming, drowned out by another crack of lightning. “We’ll take our normal rate. It’s for Soldier 11.” Anby’s monotone filled Trigger with a joy the likes of which she barely knew she was capable.

They really could do this.

“Then you don’t get your cut and it works out just fine.” Nicole groaned, firing another etheric blast from her briefcase.

Anby chuckled. “You’d never let people think you’d rip off your employees.”

Soldier 11 rushed forward and she and Anby cleaved through the ethereals, just in time for more tendrils to rip through the air. One shot. Another. Both split in half in the air, falling down uselessly.

The ethereal screamed, but its army was gone, if that was what this was. Maybe it had the potential to be another great threat like the ones in Hollow Zero, but she wouldn’t allow that to happen a second time. That was what these eyes were for.

Trigger lined up another shot, shattering a core, as Soldier 11 and Anby closed in. It lashed out, but blades and bullets sliced its attacks away, as etheric energy ripped at it, exposing more of its cores.

By the time it was within range of the swords, it only had a single core left, deep in its center, glowing, taunting, too deep for even one of her shots to reach. “Right at its center. Like a heart.”

“Roger,” Soldier 11 said, shifting her stance. “Ready?”

“I was made ready.” Anby and Soldier 11 hacked away at desperate tentacles as they leaped for the ethereal. An etheric blast ripped open its chest and they dove for it, slashing what remaining matter covered it, until finally, the core shone all the brighter in Trigger’s vision. She raised her rifle, being careful to sight between the two of them, and the bullet hit home.

There was no final scream as the ethereal fell apart and the hollow began to shrink around them. They cheered.

“This way,” Wise shouted.

They followed after Eous, through three more fissures, until they were safely on the road outside, just before a New Eridu Police Force cordon. “It’s gone,” a police officer said near them. “Was this you?”

“Now let’s get out of here before they start asking any questions,” Belle insisted.

“New Eridu Defense Force.” Soldier 11 pointed at her badge. “No questions though. This was a clandestine operation.”

They all hurried back toward Belle’s car, finding Nicole’s next to it, the Starlight Knights theme still playing as Billy and Neko waited in the back “Nicole said to wait in the car and if you needed more backup we could charge a higher fee...” Billy sounded so guilty as he said it.

Anby shrugged, apparently feeling no need to apologize for her wife. “We make a great team.”

“Well, we are family,” Soldier 11 managed. It was the highest praise she’d ever given her.

“Now does anyone want to tell me what this was about?” Trigger asked.

“It was about this.” Soldier 11 reached in her pocket, holding out something that shone in her etheric sight, but it was in the shape of a diamond. No, it was a diamond. “I wanted to find a ring you’d be able to see properly. I need to get a new ring for it, but this is at least the gem. I didn’t expect the rest would happen but…” She shifted. Was she…getting down on one knee? “Trigger, I love you more than anything. I want to have this family with you. Marry me. Please.”

Tears poured down from her eye cover, but she didn’t bother to wipe them. “Yes! Of course I will.” She pulled Soldier 11 to her, kissing her hard. “I love you so much.”

Soldier 11 grinned into the kiss.

“Finally,” Nicole muttered.

Billy screamed.

Trigger kissed Soldier 11 again.

“I’m so happy for you,” Belle said. “We could do the wedding right here.”

“Not without Seed, Magus, and Orphie,” Trigger said. “But soon.”

Soldier 11 squeezed her hand.

“Fine, but I get to perform it, right? Or am I maid of honor?” She gasped. “Both of your maids of honor?!”

Something ached in Trigger’s belly. It didn’t feel right. She glanced down and to her horror, she could see it.

“We’ll see,” Soldier 11 said.

“Something’s wrong.” Had she been in the hollow too long? Their baby probably didn’t have their ether tolerance yet.

“What is it?” Soldier 11 turned back to her, still holding her hand.

“We have to get to the hospital.”

Chapter Text

A woman in a lab coat sashayed into the room, heels clacking on the floor, a tail swishing as she tugged the door closed with it. Paper flopped on a clipboard when she examined it and Trigger heard the unmistakably bony sound of a horn being scratched. “Trigger? Is there a last name? Or a first name? Middle name, maybe?” Soldier 11 shifted from her seat in the corner. She’d been panicking and pacing until a nurse had assured her the doctor was coming, and that was even after all the nurses had already done.

“Just Trigger.” It had been years since she’d used her actual name. Trigger was even what it said on her military ID. Though they’d somehow managed to spell it with two Rs.

“It’s lucky you got here so quickly. It says you were in a hollow when the hemorrhaging started?”

“On my way here from a hollow. Something had felt off and I noticed that she seemed to have a lot of ether in her.” It was only years of talking to military higher ups that was keeping her sounding this calm. She wanted to panic. This was her baby. She didn’t know if she’d ever have another chance like this.

“And you saw this, how?” The doctor waved her hand in front of Trigger’s eye cover. “It says in your chart that you were blinded by an ethereal. Almost a decade ago.”

They should’ve just gone back to base, but she didn’t want to have to answer those questions and she wasn’t sure how long it would’ve taken to get a doctor there. “I can still see ether.”

“Of course.” Pen scratched on paper. “Well, it’s a good thing you noticed it. I’m going to need you to take these pills. Though, given your eyes…you’re likely going to need to take a few days.”

“She’ll rest,” Soldier 11 said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“You’re her partner?” She must’ve nodded as the doctor continued. “These are pills for ether sickness. There is a slight chance of miscarriage, but the risk with not taking them is exceedingly high. You caught it early enough that the required dosage is still quite low and the risk from this dosage is minimal. The risks all get higher the longer we spend talking about it, but I want to make sure you know the major side effects. If your sight is from etheric corruption, while these pills are in your system, it will likely be gone. Hopefully, it will return after that.”

She didn’t like the sound of that ‘hopefully.’ “My baby needs it, and my vision doesn’t do much anyway. Just outlines.”

The doctor held her hand out. The pills didn’t so much as shimmer in her vision. Had they looked like this when she’d taken them before? She’d been even more blind then and completely out of it. She took them without a question, downing them without bothering to ask for water.

A machine rattled and Trigger couldn’t so much as make out an outline. The pills were working fast. “We need to run some scans. The tests shouldn’t pose any risk to the baby and your partner can stay in the room.”

“I hadn’t planned on leaving.”

She chuckled, guiding Trigger onto her back before she felt a wand poke her belly. She hadn’t seen any movement or anything. It felt like she could still see the vague shape of the room like she normally could, details filled in by her imagination, but it must’ve all been her imagination now. Nothing was changing when anyone moved. Her heart thudded and the machine beeped.

“The ether levels are already dropping. These pills are a wonder, but you’re going to have to be very careful. Bedrest for a few days, and you can’t go back in a hollow.”

“What?” The thud from before was nothing. Her heart thundered in her chest, filling the room, shaking it in her vision. She tried to quiet it, to focus on the words.

“Not for good, you don’t have any ether sickness so far, but unborn children are very susceptible to this. It—”

“She,” Soldier 11 corrected.

“Seems a bit early to…” Maybe the doctor shrugged? There was only a slight sound of her lab coat rustling. “She spent far too long in a hollow already. Any more time would put her at serious risk.”

“I’m a member of the Defense Force.” It was a pitiful plea, but it was all she had.

“Then you’ll have to get desk work.” She paused, hesitating? “Or some kind of work that they can have you do out of a hollow. You can’t go into another one until the child is born.”

What would she do? She’d talked about retiring, but not this early. There wasn’t a baby to look after, she wasn’t even showing yet. How was she supposed to just sit around and wait?

“She won’t.” Soldier 11 squeezed her hand. “I’ll take care of her. You have my word.” She sounded terrified.

“Good.” The doctor shuffled the notes. “We have some more standard check up stuff to do. It seems you don’t already have an OBGYN?”

“I’ve been seeing the doctor on base.”

She jotted something down. “Then let’s just take a look and make sure everything else is okay.”

The tests went uneventfully and she was discharged. Other than the slight ether corruption, their little noodle was developing perfectly.

Soldier 11 led Trigger back to the waiting room, and she heard voices calling out to her excitedly. The proxies and the Cunning Hares. They’d waited for her. And she couldn’t so much as see their auras. She’d never realized quite how much she counted on it. She’d assumed her heightened senses were more than enough, but she’d had no idea they were there until she heard their voices.

“Is the baby okay?” Anby sounded as concerned as she was capable of sounding.

Soldier 11 clutched tighter to her hand. “She should be.” This was unlike her. She seemed genuinely worried. Or maybe it was guilt. If Trigger hadn’t had to go into the hollow to save her… But she’d always do that.

“She is. And so am I.”

“Trigger…” Whatever control Soldier 11 was still managing to keep seemed to be crumbling. Her voice broke.

“Soldier 11.” Trigger kept her voice as steady as she could when she wanted to just hug her and tell her everything was okay. Though then again, maybe she wouldn’t hate that here. It was different with their squadron, but this was supposed to be their other family. “I am fine. I’ll live with not being able to work. I already couldn’t see, this barely changes it.” Even if it did mean she could no longer see the comforting aura of Soldier 11 beside her, nor that of her friends. She still saw them, just as much as she saw everything. She could hear them, smell them, feel them, and it was just like looking at them.

“What do you mean you won’t be able to work?” Nicole asked. She sounded more worried than greedy but it was hard not to imagine all the ideas for potential contracts with the defense force she had rolling about her head.

“You can’t see? Like more than before?” Belle asked. “What happened? Should I have not gotten you? I thought… I could’ve just gone to Nicole… I didn’t mean to—”

“Belle. Everyone. It’s fine. I’m fine.” They seemed more upset by the whole thing than she was. It was going to make it hard to feel bothered by it later. They’d gotten all the emotions out on her behalf. “And more importantly, so is our child. She just had too much ether exposure and needs to stay away from hollows and when your eyes are mostly ether crystals…the pills for that have some side effects.”

“Did you lose your eyes?!” Nicole screamed.

Explaining wasn’t helping. “I just need to let the medication go through my system and I should be fine.” Probably. It wasn’t as if they’d ever treated anyone like her before. It was possible her eyes could actually be gone now, but she had no way to check, and she’d certainly not ask Soldier 11 to scar herself like that. She’d know in a few days. “However, the doctor wants me to get a lot of bed rest and give our little noodle time to recover.” If they could all just focus on getting her home and letting the medicine and convalescence take their time to help, then maybe they’d stop freaking out. She hoped.

“I found a place that can do the ring,” Nicole muttered to Soldier 11. She may have been trying to whisper, but she knew well enough that Trigger would hear it either way. “They said it would still show and wouldn’t leak any ether. And my cut is quite reasonable. Wait…you’ll still want it, right? Or will you not be able to…”

The diamond she’d gone through all that for. Trigger hadn’t even thought about it. If she couldn’t see…no, it would still mean the same to her. And none of this was wasted. They stopped what could’ve been a very dangerous hollow. It was lucky that Soldier 11 was looking for her engagement ring, and if her sight was what it took to prevent that, then she was perfectly happy to sacrifice it now for the same cause as the last time. At least this time they’d been successful.

“Here.” Belle took Trigger’s other hand. “Let’s get her to the garage. I’ll drive you both back to base.”

It would mean they might be asked a few questions, but a better alternative wasn’t coming to her. “You don’t need to guide me.”

“It’s literally my job.” Belle giggled and squeezed her hand.

Trigger relented. She’d let people dote on her if that was what it took to calm them.

Nicole hugged her when they got to the elevator. “Take care of Little Nicole, okay? We’ll…charge reasonably for today…”

“I’ll get lots of rest and make sure she’s fine. And we’re still not naming her that.”

Anby joined in on the hug. “I’m gonna get a burger from the cafeteria. Drive safe.”

“I’ll let Billy know to come pick us up. He took Neko home so she wouldn’t fall asleep in the lobby.”

“We can give you a ride,” Belle insisted.

“But I need a burger.”

Nicole chuckled. And didn’t even complain about the money? “We’ll be here for a bit. Just get her home quickly. She needs to rest.”

“Okay.” Belle seemed hesitant but she pushed the button for the elevator and it opened immediately. The two of them made sure that Trigger stepped in properly and minded the gap, because apparently, they were now convinced that she was incapable, despite having been moving about perfectly well as a blind person for the better part of a decade.

The drive was quick, and no one talked much. Every time Trigger tried, their responses were too nervous to make any real conversation. Fortunately, it was right around shift change, so while they may get some questions later, no one seemed to care who Belle was and Trigger was able to get to bed far more quickly than she’d feared.

As soon as her clothes were off and she’d flopped into it, she found a blanket being wrapped about her and Soldier 11 pressing against her, her scent and presence comforting. Chilis, leather, sweat, and burnt hair. The smell of home. “Let’s get some sleep. I’ll talk to Captain Magus in a little while.”

Trigger nodded, finding that the excursion had exhausted her more than she’d thought. Or maybe it was the pills. Or everyone’s worries. Whatever it was, sleep claimed her quickly, and she held onto Soldier 11, needing her warmth, needing to know that she was still there.

Chapter Text

“I talked to Captain Magus.”

The words didn’t make any sense. Trigger stifled a yawn, trying to make sense of them, to open her eyes, only to yawn again and remember she was blind. Blinder. Another yawn stopped whatever thought she was having and she grabbed onto the thigh she found, clinging to it as she felt fingers run through her hair.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed. “Soldier 11?” She squeezed and found she was still hugging to a thigh.

Those same fingers trailed through her hair again. “You clearly needed the sleep. I didn’t want to move and risk disturbing you.”

“How long has it been?”

“Since the last time? Three hours. I just waited.”

Of course she did. That was her soldier. She nuzzled against the thigh, only to manage another yawn.

“Those pills seem to be taking a lot out of you. I talked to the doctor on base and they said it’s normally a few days of feeling about as worn out as the flu, but that for you, especially while pregnant…” The thigh pulled free and lips pressed to hers. “You need the sleep.”

She nodded and when she reached out, there was no one there. “Soldier 11?”

“I’m coming!” It wasn’t in as fun of a way as she normally heard that from her. Though at least this one probably wouldn’t result in noodles.

Except apparently it did, as she smelled chicken broth and udon coming near her. “I was making you food. Do you think you can manage to be awake long enough to get some down?”

She cooked? Trigger really had been out for a while. She stretched, only to yawn again, but she managed to find the offered bowl on her second try. Once she took it, she made sure to feel Soldier 11’s hands on it, not wanting them to leave it and fully hand it over yet. She needed her there. She needed to feel her.

Soldier 11 pulled away, and the pain was far more than she expected, but the bed shifted under her and she felt Soldier 11 slip in behind her, arms and legs sliding around her. It would probably have felt arousing as well as intimate if she could manage to be awake enough for it. But it felt nice. She wanted to settle back against her and fall asleep.

“Eat, Trigger. You need to keep your strength up.” Her hand slid toward Trigger’s belly, and the warmth only grew. Their baby. “For all of us.”

She nodded and forced herself to take a few bites. To her shock, her mouth didn’t burn.

“I went a little easier on the spice today. Especially with how you’re feeling…”

She took Soldier 11’s hand and trailed kisses along it and up her wrist. She was going to marry this woman. “I don’t mind the spice. It reminds me of you.”

Apparently, that had been too sweet, as Soldier 11 only kissed along the back of her neck by way of reply.

She tried to eat more, though it was getting harder, she wanted to just fall back asleep. Just for a few minutes. Then she could…probably…eat…more.

Lips trailed along her shoulder and she murmured.

“Your food should still be warm. Try to eat a bit more.”

She nodded, and something started to itch at the back of her mind, but she ate the soup. It was almost room temperature. She needed to stay awake. To eat. Her baby needed it…

The lips still against her neck were helping. And making her wish she had more energy.

Trigger kept going, eating her food until she had to slurp up the soup. Finally, it was empty and she laid back.

“Good morning.”

Had she stirred? Had she fallen asleep? It was all such a blur. “Soldier 11?”

She felt her hand squeezed. “I’m going to take the bowl to the kitchen. I managed to get a bit of a nap like that. I meant to ask earlier, but I don’t think you heard me. They need me for a mission tonight, but if you need me looking after you, they can get someone else in.”

Trigger wanted her to stay there. To be touching her. To feel her pressed against her every time she woke up. “I should be going with you.”

“Captain understands.” Her hands were in Soldier 11’s and the words came puffing against her face. “We’re making a family now. You know she cares about us. She wants us to be happy. She can hire out and she can request assistance from other squads as needed. She told me, explicitly, that I can take all the time off I need to take care of you while we’re going through this, and that she will move heaven and earth to make whatever accommodations you need to stay in Obol Squad for as long as you wish.”

A tear trailed along her cheek. The captain really said that? She liked Magus and she knew how much her squad stood up for her. Maybe it was just hard to imagine that this new squad was as close to her as her old one had been. She’d never wanted to replace them. “Tell her that I can still manage coms and that I’m happy to keep working for Obol Squad. I don’t know what I’ll do once our noodle is born, but I love this place, and I don’t want to leave our people.”

“She knows, but I’ll tell her.” She could feel Soldier 11’s smile, and the love she was looking at her with. Even without her aura, she knew it. “And for tonight? If you don’t want to decide, I will.”

“And what would you decide?” She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it.

“I’d be back in bed, holding you, until you’re better. With maybe a few breaks to keep in shape.”

That was her fiancée. “Kiss me first, but then you can go. Maybe ask Belle or Anby to come check on me?”

She waited for the pained response, but it didn’t come. “I’ll let them both know.”

“Really?”

“Fighting alongside my sister again…” She trailed off and Trigger felt lips press against hers. She threw her arms around Soldier 11, kissing her hard. She needed this. “I needed it. Not quite as badly as I needed that kiss.” She was getting smoother. It was a little scary. Where had her dorky soldier gone? “I still don’t know that I can completely forgive her, but I said I’d try, and I’m managing a lot more easily than I thought I would. She was a coward, and I want to hate her for that, but she’s also the reason I’m alive. Even if she has awful taste in food.”

She couldn’t let it go. The burgers were a worse betrayal than leaving their family. Trigger squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you’re trying. And I’m glad it’s working. You deserve to have your whole family.”

She huffed and Trigger could almost see her crossing her arms, her usual serious expression. She probably wanted to go jog or spar instead of talking about her feelings. But Trigger couldn’t join her and Soldier 11 would rather have a serious conversation with her fiancée than do what she loved without her. It was adorable. “Maybe that me in the video was right. But it’s still going to take a while of Anby proving it to me. Looking after you tonight can be a start.”

Trigger nodded, feeling the exhaustion already starting to take over again, struggling to pull her head back up.

“But I can stay if you need.”

“Go do our job. It’s okay.”

Those lips pressed to hers again and the only thing that kept her from begging for Soldier 11 to climb into bed with her was that when she felt around, she found she was lying down and her fiancée had already left.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Anby’s monotone announced her presence. “Soldier 11 said you needed good food to keep up your energy, so I brought you a fried chicken burger and a regular burger. I wasn’t sure which you preferred.”

Trigger giggled, feeling a bit of that energy starting to return. They both smelled delicious, though she was pretty sure they were room temperature by now. She reached for the normal burger, smelling the tomato and lettuce, figuring they would probably help her recover more than breading and mayonnaise. It was pretty good, even cold.

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me?” Belle’s chipper voice came from over by the bathroom.

“It just happened,” Anby replied.

The bed bounced and arms wrapped around her. “We’ve been so worried! After how you were looking yesterday…”

Yesterday? “How long has it been?”

“You left the hospital thirty-two hours ago,” Anby said.

She’d been sleeping harder than she thought. She hoped she’d gotten up to use the bathroom at some point. And the thought reminded her just how badly she needed to.

The trip was harder than it used to be, but she knew their room by heart, and she was quickly able to be back in bed, trying not to fall asleep.

“Did you want to watch a movie?” Belle asked. “I brought over some I know you’ve seen before, so it’s not a huge deal if you fall asleep.”

“We just finished Family,” Anby added. “We were going to start Final Punch. Unless you’d prefer something else?”

“Final Punch is fine. It’s a sweet movie.”

A VHS ejected and another slid in and clicked on. “I’ll make some more popcorn and heat up some burgers. Anby brought so many. She was really worried about you.”

Trigger turned toward Anby, feeling a smile tug at her cheeks. She couldn’t hide just how much that amused her. And touched her.

“You’re family. It’s why I would find you even if you’d gone missing in hollows for years.” Trigger had forgotten how much the plot of Family was like what she’d always imagined would happen with her old squadron. She’d thought Charon would just be out there some day for her to find, just like the lead’s son.

She laid back, trying to listen to the movie, to match it to her memories of what it looked like, and to have food when it was handed to her, but as she was reasonably certain she was listening to the second half of Dimensional Musketeer, she must’ve fallen asleep again. She shifted and earned a response from Belle, feeling a leg under her.

“You don’t need to move.” Belle rubbed her belly before handing her popcorn. Trigger wondered if Belle would stop that once she’d actually given birth, but she supposed she didn’t mind. She took a few bites and laid back down, letting the comforting presence and the movie soothe her. She was already starting to feel better, and Soldier 11 would be home before long.

Chapter Text

Trigger yawned. It felt like she’d been doing that more than she ever had the rest of her life. And the last few weeks had been even more exhausting than those pills. She stretched and blinked, and saw.

She blinked again.

She look down and there was a shimmering on her hand. Her vision wasn’t back, she was still blind, but the auras were, the outlines were, the ether was.

After the first week of nothing, she’d assumed that was it. It wasn’t much worse than it had been, and she was perfectly happy to give up her ether sight for her baby, and to save people, but it had still felt like a loss. But now it was back.

And she saw a beautiful diamond on her finger.

She recognized it immediately. It was the diamond Soldier 11 had risked her life for. Of course, it shouldn’t have been the danger it had ended up as. New hollows rarely expanded like that and New Eridu was lucky they’d been there, but she’d done it to propose properly.

And now there was a ring on her finger.

“I slipped that on you last night.” Soldier 11’s familiar aura stood over the bed before climbing in with her. It was more comforting than ever as they fell into each other’s arms. “You said that you were feeling more like your old self. I wasn’t sure if it meant it would come back, but worst case scenario, you’d wake up and have a nice ring, even if you still couldn’t see it.”

“But I can see it.” She kissed her. “Thank you, Soldier 11. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I do. I can see it. I know you.”

She did. Trigger wasn’t sure when they’d become so able to trust and rely on each other, when they’d fallen so in love. They’d been in the squadron together and worked well together and it had been fun and then they’d been living together for years and having a baby. She also wasn’t sure when she became so ready to trust someone this intensely again, but she knew she did. She hadn’t even had to think about if she’d marry Soldier 11. Even without the baby, she’d want to. “I love you.”

“And I love you.” Their lips pressed together, and Soldier 11’s lips trailed down her neck, and then they kept going. Trigger was glad she didn’t have work that day.

The smell of sizzling meat, onions, and tortillas woke her from her exhausted splendor. She found Soldier 11 at the stove and wrapped her arms around her, resting her chin on the top of her head.

“Good afternoon. I guess you’re not completely over the pills.”

“Oh no, they’re definitely out of my system. That was all you.”

“Well, I promised that we wouldn’t have noodles every date.” She could hear the smile in her voice, even when giving up her safe food. “And now that you’ve said I don’t have to hold back on the spice…”

“I can handle it. I already get it every time I kiss you. You know how sensitive all of my senses are.”

Soldier 11 nodded against her. “Go sit down. It’ll just be a few minutes. And I got you red bean buns for dessert.”

She had such wonderful taste in fiancées. She kissed Soldier 11 and headed to the table. “I feel like we’ve barely gotten to see each other the last week. It’s nice actually getting a day off together.”

“It is. I know how much you’ve complained about dealing with all those reports, before you pass out from exhaustion after managing a few noodles most nights.”

“I’d rather be in the field any day. Managing every report that comes in about hollows, coordinating them, relaying it to the appropriating squads, it’s more work than twenty fights at once.”

“See, this is why it pays to be an experimental super soldier that can’t get pregnant. You should’ve thought ahead.”

Trigger giggled. Was Soldier 11 really getting that much comfortable with her past? She seemed to be joking about it more and more. Maybe being around Anby was helping. “But then we wouldn’t have our noodle and she’s worth any sacrifice.”

“She is.” Soldier 11 set the plate of quesabirria tacos at the center of the table, making sure it was loud enough for her to hear, and adjusting it to show the exact place before she added the consommé, rice, beans, and drinks to their spots, followed by the empty plates for the two of them. She always made far more than enough so she could bring the leftovers around to the rest of the squad. Or when it was noodles, so she could live off them for the next couple days. “We really do need to figure out a name.”

Trigger beamed, grabbing one of the tacos. “If only we could settle on one.” Her first bite felt like eating fire. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed quite so fully on the spice. But it really was comforting. It tasted like her.

“I…”

Did she have a suggestion for a name? One that even Soldier 11 would be scared to say? Trigger had given her such a hard time for some of her ridiculous ideas before. Had she pushed too hard. “What is it?”

“Anby won’t stop calling me Harin. But that’s not me. It’s what she named me, but it’s always been too soft. I like just being Soldier 11, I’ve never needed more than a code name. But I don’t want that for our daughter. I want her to be able to be soft. I want to keep her safe no matter how much the world tries to stop me. And the name does still mean something to me…”

“You want to call her Harin?”

Soldier 11 was silent, dipping a taco in the consommé and taking a bite, chewing slowly. Even once she swallowed, she didn’t continue.

“I think it’s a beautiful name.”

“We can still consider other options. If you want. It’s giving Anby a victory and I hate doing that.”

“It’ll also maybe get her to stop calling you it. So that’s a victory for you.”

Soldier 11 chuckled and ate more of the food.

Trigger slid her foot under the table, needing to feel her. “I’m sure our Harin will be more than happy with her name.”

“Unless she thinks it’s too weak too.”

Trigger ate some more, considering that, contemplating exactly the life they could give their child. “You’re right.”

“About it being too weak?”

She snickered, slipping her foot behind Soldier 11’s, pressing their calves together. “She needs the chance to be weak. I don’t want her growing up learning to fight. Or having to fight.” It was hard not to think of her time in the orphanage, and how much better her life had been once she’d been able to enlist. “I don’t think I’ve ever known a person in New Eridu with a normal childhood. We live in a city where most of the people have only known tragedy, and that’s the lucky ones.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we need to find a way to keep her from all of that. I’m saying Harin is a perfect name, and we need to be able to always be there for her, to keep her safe, to make sure she knows that she’s loved, that she gets the chance at a life that so few do.”

Juices splattered on Soldier 11’s plate as she bit into another taco. “And do you think we can really do that? I don’t know how to be around kids. My childhood was trying to be a good enough soldier, to earn a fraction of the respect my sisters did. How do I…what do I do, Trigger?”

The name really did make it all too real. Maybe they should’ve waited longer. Soldier 11 should’ve kept suggesting names like Green Grape. “You’re great with kids.”

“When I’m rescuing them from a hollow and you’re doing almost all the work.”

She slid her other foot over. “Just think about what you would have wanted from a parent.”

“I would’ve wanted a parent!” Soldier 11 shuddered and Trigger was certain there had to be tears in her eyes. “I would’ve just wanted someone to love me. But I don’t even know what parents do. All I had was my sisters. And then…I don’t know how to be anything but a soldier. I’m going to end up ruining our baby. Ruining Harin.”

“But she’ll have a parent.” Trigger stood, rounding the table, and hugged Soldier 11. She felt tears against her chest. “She’ll have two mothers who want nothing more than to give her a good life.”

“And is that enough?”

What were parents supposed to do? They protected their kids, cared for them, kept them fed and clothed, but all of that was just theoretical to her. “Maybe this is for the best.” She kissed the top of Soldier 11’s head. “Neither of us have anyone to copy, and that means that we don’t have any terrible examples. We can be exactly the parents that Harin needs.”

More tears came, but Soldier 11 hugged her back. “Maybe I should find some parenting books. Or I could rent some movies.”

“You could read the books to me.”

Soldier 11 pulled back, her chin bumping into Trigger as she looked up at her. “Yeah. We’re in this together. We can figure it out. And it’ll be good practice for reading to our little noodle.”

Trigger tilted Soldier 11’s chin up a bit higher as she leaned in, kissing her gently, feeling all the more tears. She sat back down, trying to eat a bit more as she searched for any further plan. “Now we just need to figure out how to make sure we can be around for her.”

“No, we don’t.” Soldier 11 took her hand. She was still hungry and this was preventing her from eating, but she’d never be able to bring herself to pull away. She supposed she could manage with only the one. “We already figured that part out, remember? We have a whole big family for that. Harin is going to be more loved than any child could ever imagine.”

That had been why she’d tried to get her to forgive Anby. And Belle had been more than eager to offer herself as well. “But shouldn’t we make sure that we’re around for her? I said I’d retire.”

“You’ve also said you weren’t sure. Once she’s born and you can go back in the field, I know you’ll want to.”

“Not if it risks leaving her alone.”

“Well, she has a godmother for that.”

“I still haven’t met Jane, and I’m not going to plan on orphaning our daughter.”

Soldier 11 snorted, finally releasing her hand, only to eat more. “Then we’ll make sure we can meet her. But I’m not saying we’re going to die. We’ve made it through a lot, and you’re going to be my wife. I’m always going to be there to keep you safe, and you’ll be there for me. And then we can come home and shower our daughter with love and gifts. We’ll spoil her rotten.”

“Isn’t that bad parenting too?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t read any of those books to you yet.”

Trigger giggled. “I still think I should retire.”

“And I won’t stop you if you decide to, but only do it if that’s what you want.”

Her job meant the world to her, but she’d retired for years before. But that would still mean leaving Soldier 11 to fight without her, just like she’d have to the rest of the pregnancy. “I’ll consider it.”

“Thank you. We can do this, Trigger.”

“Wasn’t I the one consoling you?”

“I don’t remember.”

Of course she’d just blame her memory issues. She hadn’t forgotten anything in months! “I just want to give her the best life we can.”

“And we’re going to. And that means we get to plan, and there’s only two things I love more than a good battle plan. Soon to be three.”

“Noodles, our daughter, and me?”

“These tacos could get up there. They’re no noodles, but I’m glad I got this recipe. They’re almost spicy enough.”

“You’re going to end up lighting our daughter on fire.”

Soldier 11 gulped. “Is that possible? I don’t know what spice does to babies.”

She was so adorable. “As soon as you get off work tomorrow, you’re getting every parenting book you can find, and we need to call Belle and arrange to finally meet her girlfriend so we can make sure she’ll be good around our daughter.”

“And we just need to manage to find time to squeeze all that in between my missions and you having to run disaster response for the entire quarter.”

“I’m sure we’ll finally get to rest once she’s born.”

 She never got to hear Soldier 11 properly laugh enough. Even her laugh sounded serious, and it was incredibly cute. “The rest will do us some good. No matter how often Harin will wake us up from it.”

Trigger slid against her again, trying to finish some more food. “You said there were red bean buns?”

“I’ll heat some up, you go get in bed.”

“I just woke up.”

“I didn’t say we were sleeping. We have to keep up our fitness.”

Trigger sighed and carried her plate to the sink. “Fine, but our next day off, we’re spending it on those books.”

“I can multitask. It’s an important part of being a soldier.”

Trigger sighed. When had Soldier 11 ever been this insatiable? But they did need to properly celebrate their engagement on the only day off they had together. “Don’t forget to give out the leftovers.”

“I’ll just set them out with a note. Maybe we can make a twin.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

Soldier 11 shrugged. “Maybe we’ll find out in the parenting books. We can try until then.”

Settling on everything, though it made it all so much more daunting, also took a weight off their shoulders. They could finally relax, even if that relaxation was just a short break before working as hard as they could for the rest of their lives. She was looking forward to it, and at least, in the meantime, there were red bean buns.

Chapter Text

Belle screamed the second Trigger walked in. “You finally have a baby bump!” A figure leapt toward her and Trigger felt hands and face press against her belly. “And you’re so warm…”

Trigger tried to keep her footing as Soldier 11 slid in behind her, entering the shop. “I missed you too, Belle.”

“Thank you for not covering it,” she whispered, nuzzling Trigger’s belly all the harder.

“I’m sorry about her,” Wise’s voice came from the counter. “She’s been so excited for this. And for you to meet Jane. But I think mostly the baby.”

“Baby,” Belle repeated.

“How are you two managing?” Wise seemed to be trying to overcome the awkward situation he felt his sister was making, but Trigger was used to it, and she adored Belle. She could handle her being a precious weirdo.

“I think the better question is how is she handling it,” Soldier 11 said. “The only thing I’m really having to deal with is not seeing her as much now that we’re not working together. Trigger is dealing with a harder job and growing our baby.”

“Well as often as I’m having to pee now, I don’t think I’d survive not having a desk job, but it hasn’t been too bad yet.”

Belle murmured happily against her belly.

Trigger chuckled and rested her hand on Belle’s head.  “Soldier 11 has been looking after me, even when we haven’t been able to see each other outside of passing out in bed. She’s made sure I always have food, she’s doing all of the chores, she’s started going out to fetch things I’m craving when I’m home with her. She’s been perfect.”

Soldier 11’s lips pressed against her cheek, that familiar tingle from the near constant spice tickling.

Belle’s teeth lightly dug in.

“Why do I have to tell everyone not to eat the little noodle?!” Trigger tried to shout it but broke into laughter on the last word.

“But you’re so soft and warm. And you look so beautiful like this.”

“And that made me food?”

“I just assumed you were a red bean bun.”

She toyed with Belle’s hair, trying to stop laughing. She hadn’t had a red bean bun in hours. It was definitely one of her bigger cravings and Soldier 11 had been keeping them constantly stocked on them. Before she could even turn to her fiancée, there was one stuffed in her hand. “Thank you.” She ate it, almost moaning at the taste. She swore her sense of taste had gotten even stronger, and she’d already been able to pick out individual ingredients in every item of food and exactly how fresh they were. Red bean buns were the best.

The back door opened and heels clacked on the wood floor, a tail swishing in the air. “I make it over just in time, only to find you on your knees in front of another woman?” There was a sultry laugh. “What am I to think, Belle?”

“But baby!” Belle offered as justification as she leapt to her feet.

The sultry laugh grew all the more wicked as heels clacked closer, a thiren woman approaching. “I’m Jane, Belle’s better half. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Trigger. I’ve heard only the best things.”

“You’re so hot when you act like this,” Belle muttered, quite possibly too quietly for most of the room to hear. To think, she was so easily distracted from Trigger’s belly. She must have been quite smitten. Trigger was glad she had Soldier 11, she’d hate to have to compete for attention. She squeezed Soldier 11’s hand, hers already empty of red bean bun, but she realized what she was doing and held her hand out to Jane instead.

Jane took it and suddenly Trigger felt lips press against her knuckles. “As I said, a true pleasure. And your ring is beautiful.” Jane released her hand and stepped past her. “And you must be Soldier 11.”

She must have repeated the gesture, as Soldier 11 took in a shocked breath. Perhaps she and Belle were made for each other. They were equally shameless. “So, I do believe Belle already mentioned what I do for a living? I trust we can keep that only in this room.”

“I said I was sorry!” Belle whined.

“I didn’t intend to tell anyone that my friend was dating an undercover cop,” Soldier 11 said. “I know the importance of not breaking cover.”

“Now you just sound like you’re criticizing me too!”

Jane chuckled and Belle yelped. Trigger assumed that Jane must’ve pulled her to her. “It’s not our fault that you’re worse at keeping secrets than any other criminal on the most wanted list.”

Belle grumbled but it turned into a happy little sigh. She was definitely in Jane’s arms.

“And now I feel all the more like a fifth wheel,” Wise muttered.

“What happened to the girl you were dating?” Soldier 11 asked.

Now it was Wise’s turn to grumble and sound offended. “It didn’t work out.”

“Well, did you want to watch a movie?” Belle asked, already back to her bouncy self. “We could get delivery. We just had a big job and can afford all our bills for the month.”

“Food does sound nice,” Trigger admitted. Her hunger was already growing constant. Harin took after her mother. Or rather, both of them.

“I’d rather interrogate your girlfriend on how she is with kids,” Soldier 11 said. “You are Harin’s godmother, I need to know that she’d be in good hands if anything happens to us.”

“You picked a name?!” Belle screamed. “Anby is going to lose her mind! I can call her! We could make Wise a seventh wheel!”

“Not today, but I already told her.”

“And she didn’t tell me?!”

Soldier 11 stepped closer to Trigger, wrapping an arm around her. Her presence was always comforting. It was a shame any time she wasn’t touching her. “Anby is actually amazing at keeping secrets. It’s one of her worst qualities.”

“See, I’m actually great then, so there.” Trigger could almost see Belle sticking her tongue out and beaming, all proud of herself.

Was Jane’s laugh just naturally that sultry? Trigger kept assuming it had to be part of her general affectation, but maybe this was just who she was. She supposed it was hard to know with someone in her line of work, but Belle trusted her, and that was enough for her. “I enjoy a good interrogation. Do you need to borrow my knife?”

“I think my sword would work just fine.”

“It’s too blunt an instrument, not to imply you don’t sharpen it. I’m only speaking metaphorically.”

“I sharpen it every day.”

That laugh. “Of course. But it’s not made for little cuts, or for intimidation. It’s made for killing.” A knife rattled in the air against something metal. A cybernetic tail? But she didn’t hear the usual whir from Neko’s. Maybe it was just a metal prosthesis? Or cover? “Threaten me with this and I’m sure the answers will come right out.”

“Jane, you’re not going to convince them you’re not dangerous like this!” Belle whined.

“Oh, they know I’m dangerous, they just want to know that I’ll be dangerous for the baby, should the need ever arise.”

“I’m not going to threaten my best friend’s girlfriend.” Soldier 11 sounded hesitant. Did she want to use the knife that badly? “So just tell me, why should I trust you with my child?”

The laugh wasn’t as sultry this time, and there was a hint of a snort. “I have a doctorate in psychology, with a minor in criminology. My area of focus certainly wasn’t children, but that included plenty of courses that went over early childhood development and I took one class on family therapy. I was just a criminal profiler before Captain Zhu Yuan realized how good I was undercover when the officer she’d had arranged for it…couldn’t.” Was she trying to spare Belle more details? “I’m away all the time, often for days at a time, and I’m notoriously unreliable, because I have to juggle as many as three lives at any given time, but despite that, I’ve made sure to always make time for Belle, because I…” She choked up. She was clearly a great actor, but this was genuine. “Because I love her more than anything and I only feel safe and like myself around her. I don’t think anything will happen to you and I wasn’t trying to have kids, but if the worst did happen, I would do anything necessary to keep both Belle and Harin safe. Is that enough or do you want to actually try out my knife?” Her laugh was sultry again as the knife spun in the air.

Soldier 11 squeezed Trigger’s hip. “Red hued seabed seems to have good taste.”

“That’s me. She just picks random red thing.”

“They’re never random.” She could feel Soldier 11 trying to hide her grin. Belle was going to be wondering what the meaning was behind the names for the rest of her life now. “I trust Belle. I just wanted to hear it from you. And I had no idea you were a psychologist.”

“How did you not mention the one job you’re allowed to mention?” Jane asked, sounding all the more mocking.

Belle whined. “It’s be nice to the proxy time now.” This must have earned her a kiss as Belle made an excited squeak.

“I’m always nice to you. You just like being bullied.”

She grumbled and giggled.

“Now can we watch a movie?” Wise asked. “Unless someone wants to invite over a date for me.”

“I could call Seed,” Solder 11 sounded serious, even for her. “But I don’t think she’d fit in the shop.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“How about Soldier 11 and I go get food and you two can pick out a movie?” Jane asked and Belle yelped. Maybe she’d grabbed her? Or her tail had.

“Three,” Wise muttered.

“Noodles?” Soldier 11 asked hopefully.

“It’s the closest restaurant anyway,” Belle said.

Jane did that same sultry laugh. How much time did she spend practicing it? “But I know you get sick of them.”

With that, Jane may have lost Soldier 11’s support. “How can anyone get sick of noodles?! They’re the perfect food! They give you all the energy you need for…Belle, tell me this isn’t true!”

“Only occasionally!”

Soldier 11 gasped, taking a step back. She was even more serious about this than the date with Seed. “But! They’re noodles!”

“We can have them now! I’m not sick of them. We just live off of nothing but noodles for weeks sometimes when we have a lot of jobs.”

“That’s the most enviable life I can imagine.”

Trigger turned toward Soldier 11, her lights turning red.

“Except of course for having a life with my beautiful fiancée, raising our daughter?” She tried.

“Let’s go get the food,” Jane came to the rescue, regaining that lost respect. “What does everyone want?”

Trigger was only going to make Soldier 11 feel worse. She knew exactly what she was craving. She wanted Waterfall Soup’s special limited burger noodles. The only noodles that Soldier 11 would ever question.

But rather than offer any resistance, Soldier 11 kissed her and squeezed her hands, holding on for a good few seconds, letting Trigger feel her there. “We’ll hurry back.”

The second the door closed behind them, Belle dragged her to the other room and started listing off movies, along with quick summaries. By the time their partners had returned with the food, they’d settled on Port Peak and Wise had stopped his grumbling.

They all had to wedge in on the couch, which ended up with Trigger all but on Soldier 11’s lap and Belle quite happy to be squished between her and Jane, her hand already back on Trigger’s belly.

The movie wasn’t as scary as Belle had described it, though that may have just been because it was hard to take it seriously when Jane and Wise screamed at every horror chord.

It was safe to say that Jane had made a good first impression, and based on the way she was acting about Belle, Trigger might not be the only one with a fiancée before long.

Chapter Text

“S…sorry I haven’t really been by.” Orphie shifted from foot to foot in the kitchen, her tail swaying in the air, and no doubt creating an increasingly annoyed Magus.

“We’ve been meaning to stop by to check on you,” Magus added. “I hope the desk job hasn’t been too awful…” She wouldn’t meet her eyes and she was barely even being abrasive. Why were they both so awkward about this?

Trigger chuckled and poured the tea, gesturing toward the table. One of the chairs slid on the ground, as Orphie adjusted it so that she would be able to sit without her tail getting in the way. “You make it sound like I’m dying. The new job has been a challenge, but I think I’ll be able to be back in the field once Harin is born. Not first thing, obviously, but it’ll be before you know it. And then I won’t have to keep dealing with every single report on hollows to come in in the entire quarter.” She was exhausted just saying it.

“I think Magus is just scared of babies.”

“I am not!”

“She was freaking out so hard when she found out. Now, of course, she was more than eager to give you leave and bend over every way my tail will go for you, but I think she was a little panicked.” The last part was a whisper, as if the gun next to her might not be able to hear it.

It was always so funny when the two of them fought. Trigger wondered how different their expressions must have been. Their auras changed a good deal depending on who was active. “We’ve just been busy with work. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s been a lot of hollow activity recently. It’s been important to stay on top of it all.”

Orphie stirred some sugar into her tea only to suddenly stop, the spoon falling onto the table. “Fine. And of course, work could never include checking on your dear friend and subordinate?”

Trigger could feel Magus’s gaze on her, silently begging for salvation. She laughed and sipped her tea. “You’re always welcome to come over. I’m only a few doors away.”

“I know that. I wasn’t putting this off.” Magus’s denials were growing more frustrated. “But you’re doing all right? And the ether corruption, it didn’t…”

“I’m fine. I’m amazing. As much as I can be while trying to grow another person. But I’m happy and I’m healthy, and other than being a bit slower than usual, I’m back to my normal health, and our doctor has confirmed that Harin is absolutely perfect. She has no ether corruption, she’s growing normally, if actually a bit on the big side, clearly not coming from Soldier 11, and she’s just a healthy baby girl.”

“See, all that worrying was for nothing,” Orphie proclaimed victoriously. “We really have been busy though,” she added to Trigger. “And not just because you left us one woman down. Not even Magus holds that against you, and we’ve gotten backup when we’ve needed it, but you know how this job is. And how the higher ups are. Any dirty job gets thrown our way.”

“Well give me six or seven months and I’ll be back there helping you do it.”

“You’re really not retiring?” Magus asked. She sounded shocked. Was that what why’d stayed away?

Trigger smirked. “Is that what you’ve been scared about?”

The gun clanked against the table. “I’ve known a lot of soldiers who ended up taking maternity leave. I don’t think I’ve ever known any who came back from it. You’ll have a baby soon. It’ll be more important than your family here. She should be more important than your family here. I didn’t want to sway you either way.”

“You mean you were worried that you’d have to say goodbye to her,” Orphie corrected.

“I thought about it.” Trigger felt both of them studying her. “I was going to. I thought it would be best for our child. I still might eventually. And I’m going to take all of that maternity leave. But Soldier 11 reminded me how much I love this job. That I left retirement for a reason. I want to make sure that I’m there for Harin, but I’m not abandoning all of you either.”

“Oh.” Magus failed to hide the relief from her voice. “That’s…well considered.”

“Just do what you think is best for you and the little soldier. We’ve all got your back.”

“I know you do.” It was nice having them over. She’d heard from her squadmates in passing a few times on the way to or from work, but she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them.

Footsteps sounded outside, the door to their room opened, and she heard Soldier 11 give a surprised gasp. “Orphie, Captain Magus, I was just getting dinner for us. Did you want to stay?”

“We should get out of your hair,” Magus started. She really had been scared to bother them, hadn’t she? Scared had never been a word she’d associated with Captain Magus before.

“Stay,” Trigger said. “We insist. I’m sure Soldier 11 got enough food for all of us.”

Soldier 11 set the table and Trigger refilled the tea and added another cup for Soldier 11, even as Soldier 11 tried to get her to sit down and stop helping. It was her home and they had guests; she needed to at least do something!

Soldier 11 pulled out the chair for her the second she was done and Trigger gave in, taking her seat as Soldier 11 slid the noodles closer to her.

“Aww,” Orphie squealed. “I’ve never seen her act like this before.”

“Act like what?” Soldier 11 asked. She wasn’t one to play coy. Did she really not know what she was doing? Trigger swore she’d talked to her about it, but maybe not in any real detail.

“Sweet,” Magus said.

“Caring,” Orphie suggested.

Trigger grinned, certain she was shining pink. Not even Belle tended to comment on it, and Anby would never pick up on it. But Solider 11 had certainly softened. She was sure there was more to it than just their relationship and their child, but it had to be a big part of the change.

“I’m…” Soldier 11 huffed and slurped noodles. The nerve, coming into her home and complimenting her. Trigger tried to suppress a giggle, but it only made it come out louder, prompting another huff.

Trigger rested her hand on Soldier 11’s thigh. “She’s been a perfect angel recently.”

“I haven’t really done anything,” Soldier 11 insisted. “I just want to look after my fiancée and our child. That doesn’t make me…sweet.”

“Of course not, you’re always spicy.” Soldier 11 probably rolled her eyes at that.

Magus cleared her throat. “We don’t mean it as an insult. I remember what it was like when you first joined Obol. Both of you. I could barely imagine it would end up like this. You were both so closed off. One of you more so.”

Soldier 11 only dignified that with another slurp.

“You’ve made your captain proud. You’ve come so far, and after being thrown into Obol. People don’t tend to improve much from here.”

“When’s the wedding?” Orphie asked, clearly wanting to cut off that conversation. Trigger could only imagine how much harder it must be to recover from the Defense Force’s dumping grounds with your captain surgically grafted to you. It was little wonder she’d rather focus on the fun stuff. And Trigger wholly agreed. It wasn’t as if any of them were ever leaving.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out,” Soldier 11 said. “I thought she’d want to wait, but—”

“I don’t see any reason to put it off. It’s not like I’ll see myself in the dress.” No one laughed at the joke. “I want to be able to marry you.”

“And if we wait, then we can have our daughter in the wedding.”

“We’ve have to wait long enough for her to be able to sit there on her own. Do we really want to put it off for years?” It was difficult not to point out that they never knew if they’d have years. They were trying to plan for a future and ignore that it may never come, because their child deserved to have that hope, but it didn’t make it any less true. She didn’t want to wait and miss out on the chance to marry the woman she loved.

“I’m happy to marry you anytime, I just want to make sure it’s perfect.”

“I…I could help plan and make it perfect,” Orphie all but shouted.

Trigger chuckled. “It will be perfect, because we’ll be marrying each other. I want to know that I have my life with you.”

Soldier 11 huffed. “You already do.”

“Then I want to show that to the world.”

She knew Soldier 11 wasn’t nervous about it. It wasn’t cold feet, or anything like that. So what was it? Why put it off? “And you’ll really be happy with that? I don’t want people to think I’m just marrying you because you’re pregnant.”

Where did she get that idea? Trigger couldn’t imagine. “The only people at our wedding will know us. They’ll know how in love with you I am.”

Soldier 11 put her hand over Trigger’s. “Like I said, I’d marry you anytime. I do think that letting Harin be in it could be cute but—”

“You could always maybe renew your vows when she’s old enough to talk if you want,” Orphie cut in.

It was a compelling argument. “That does sound nice.”

Soldier 11 sighed. “Okay. Then yes. But we still need time to plan it. I really do want this to be perfect for you.”

“And I want it to be perfect for you.” Had that been what it was? Was she scared of some mar in the foundation of her family? “But it’s just a ceremony. All it’s doing is saying to the world that we’re together, and making it legal. Us working together to make our life the one we want is what matters, and I know that will be perfect.”

Soldier 11 held their hands to her heart and kissed Trigger’s. “Captain—”

“I’m more than happy to perform the ceremony.”

“Then I suppose I just need to ask Anby.”

“Wait, really? You want her to be your maid of honor? You’ve forgiven her?” Trigger could scarcely believe it. She knew they’d become closer but that seemed to be pushing it.

“No. And yes. And maybe. But she’s my sister. And if I want this to be perfect, then I know I want her to be part of it.”

Trigger kissed her, barely resisting climbing onto the chair with her. Soldier 11 had come so far. Was that what had had her wanting to delay? And that meant Trigger got Belle. She was going to explode, assuming she didn’t cry about not getting to perform the ceremony. “Then let’s get to this. We can get married in…”

“Call it a month. You need to get the license, and I need to make sure I have everything up to date. I’d hate for my death certificate to have lost me my credentials.” This time no one laughed at Magus’s joke. It made Trigger feel a little better. “So if you can handle not being married for a month…”  

“We can.”

“Then let’s get started!” Orphie squealed. “We have a wedding to plan.”

Chapter Text

Nicole waved them inside. Billy and Nekomata were playing video games on the couch while Anby stared off into space beside them. “She’s rewatching a movie,” Nicole explained. “But it’s been an hour and a half, so she should be done soon. Did you want anything?” There was a slight hesitation in the words, as even such a basic nicety was a gargantuan task for her.

“How much will it cost for a couple drinks?” Soldier 11 asked.

“I’m not charging you…” Nicole whined. It hurt her so much, didn’t it? “You’re family, as you keep reminding us.”

“Then I need to use your bathroom. Just a couple waters?”

“Did you get any more of that spicy soda from 141?”

Trigger shook her head, leaving them to figuring out drinks as she hurried to the restroom. Pregnancy hadn’t been the torture she’d expected, but she’d never be able to snipe anything if she had to run to the bathroom this often. Maybe it was a good thing that she’d had to leave the field.

She made it back and found Anby and Soldier 11 awkwardly sitting together at the table, while Nicole chatted away.

“Woah, hold on!” Nicole interrupted her story to move a chair out of the way, which Trigger didn’t notice until it dragged on the floor. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re…”

“It’s okay.” Trigger took the chair, sliding it properly into place.

“I’ll yell at Billy for not pushing it back in if it helps.”

“It was Neko!” he called back.

“It was not!”

She sighed but it turned into a laugh. “I know you don’t need me babying you, but—”

“No, I appreciate it.” Trigger hoped she’d have noticed it before she actually tripped in front of everyone, but she knew their base well enough that she didn’t tend to pay as much attention as she apparently needed. “And I’m all right.”

Soldier 11 slid the water bottle closer to Trigger and she took a drink. “So now that Trigger’s back…” That explained it. Soldier 11 hadn’t had the courage to ask yet. Was it because she still couldn’t bring herself to fully want it or because she couldn’t handle that she did? She couldn’t imagine it was too awkward. Anby wasn’t capable of awkward. “We’re trying to make our wedding plans.”

“That’s good.” Anby seemed as interested or untinerested as she was in anything else.

“Oh,” Nicole gasped, covering her mouth.

Ah. That was what it was. Soldier 11 grumbled. She was never good at performing in front of an audience. Maybe it was all the examiners taking notes on her since she was a child and telling her how bad she was at everything. She’d never said much about it, but it was more than clear the effect that it had had on her. “I…” She huffed. She was getting in our own head about it.

Trigger took her hand, sliding closer. She ran her thumb along the back of Soldier’s 11’s hand. She didn’t want to say anything and take away what little courage Soldier 11 had worked up, she needed to just be there for her, not stealing the moment. It was an appropriate task for a sniper.

“I know I’ve…hated you for years…”

“I know,” Anby said. “You don’t have to invite me.”

“See if you were just a bit smarter we wouldn’t have had this issue in the first place.” Soldier 11 pulled her hand free, likely crossing her arms as she huffed all the more.

“I know, I never do anything right.”

“That’s not true,” Nicole snapped.

Anby’s hair whipped in the air as she shook her head. “I know I do stuff for the Cunning Hares well, but I clearly wasn’t a good enough captain, and I didn’t handle any of my responsibilities there well. They were my sisters, my soldiers, and I only managed to save one, and I was too much of a coward to even tell her.”

“You were.”

Nicole sighed. Trigger knew exactly how hard it was to hear her partner beat up on themselves like that.

“But I’m glad that you’re back in my life now, even if you don’t want me to—”

“I want you to be my maid of honor. That’s why I’m here. You thought I came to personally say not to come to the wedding?” Trigger squeezed Soldier 11’s thigh, trying to calm her enough to not have something so nice end up in a sword fight.

Anby was silent. Maybe her mouth was hanging open but she didn’t move. And then she did. She threw herself across the table and at first Trigger thought that fight really was coming, but her hand was squished between the two of them as Anby clung to Trigger, starting to shake, tears pattering on the leather of Soldier 11’s dress.

Trigger managed to pry her hand free. Why were their hugs always so explosive?

“You really…after everything…” Anby sobbed.

“I said I’d try to forgive you. You’re my sister, Anby. I know if I didn’t do this, I’d regret it forever.” The teary words became a pained groan as Anby hugged her even tighter.

“I will fulfill all of my duties and make sure that Trigger doesn’t run away. The bride always tries to run away when the wedding starts.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage to catch me just fine.” Trigger chuckled. It was about the response she expected.

“I don’t think she’ll go anywhere.”

“Yeah, she can only waddle now.” Nicole laughed at her own joke.

Trigger rarely felt competitive, but if she hadn’t just almost tripped over a chair, she’d have taken that challenge. Nicole always had a way to piss people off. But if she tried now, she’d likely only prove it right if she tried. “I think waddling is still a few months away.”

“Also why am I not the bride?” Soldier 11 asked. “Maybe I’ll run away.”

“I could be the other maid of honor.” Nicole took her shot. “I could wrangle her for you. Won’t even charge for it.”

Trigger shook her head. “While the chance to get your services for free is always hard to pass up, I’m asking Belle.”

“Oh.” Nicole sounded genuinely disappointed. “What if I help you ask her? For a very reasonable fee.”

“Like free?” Anby suggested.

“Fine,” Nicole muttered.

“Will you drive us?” Trigger asked. “I think I can ask her just fine. Though tell you what, you can be a brides maid as well.”

“I guess that’s good enough. Fine! Then for the wedding that I’m now part of, I will sacrifice my hard-earned gas and take you to the video store.”

“Can I drive?” Trigger had almost forgotten Billy was there as much as his and Neko’s gaming noises had faded into the background. “And also, can I have some money for Godfinger?”

Nicole sighed. “I don’t think we can all fit in the car.”

“We’ve managed five before! You can even put me in the trunk if you’ll give me money for the arcade.”

Trigger could only imagine how they folded him into the trunk, but when they stopped at Random Play he was able to climb out and Nicole hesitantly parted with the dennies and led the way inside.

“Welcome to Random Play,” Wise’s voice called out. “What can I help—oh. Hi.”

“She needs to talk to Belle,” Nicole proclaimed, far too loudly. She was taking her bridesmaids duty seriously. Hopefully she’d remember whose wedding it was.

Apparently summoned by her name, Belle sprinted down the stairs and threw herself at Trigger. “YES! Oh, yes, yes, yes, a million times, yes!”

Trigger tried to hold onto her, but she was a lot more top heavy than she was used to. Fortunately, a firm hand pressed against her back, keeping her upright. She always could count on her fiancée. “You do know I’m not proposing to you, right?” Trigger was pretty sure, but it was always tough to tell with Belle.

“While I will always struggle to recover from my heartbreak over that, yes, I know, but you’re asking me to be your maid of honor!” She squealed, sinking down, her face squishing against Trigger’s belly. “Billy texted me.”

“I knew he was mad at me for taking off his legs so he’d fit better!” Nicole stomped her foot on the ground, loud enough for Trigger’s ears to ring. “I’ll go tell him to butt out.”

“No!” Belle whined. “I’m so happy! He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But she was supposed to ask you!”

Trigger stroked Belle’s hair. “It’s fine.”

“I’m gonna be a maid of honor! I’ve never really had a best friend before…not that I’m saying… I mean, I’m just happy to be…” She shut up and focused on nuzzling Trigger’s belly. “Baby,” she finally added.

Trigger chuckled, continuing to pet Belle. “You’re the first friend I’d had in a long time too.”

Nicole nudged her.

“I knew her before you.”

She huffed.

“I already said you could be a bridesmaid, does everything have to be a fight with this?”

“I don’t know, any other potential bridesmaids going to freak out about you picking Belle?”

Belle finally stood. “I’m not trying to piss anyone off. Not that I’d give up my title. I am your best friend, right?”

It was so hard to even attempt to keep a straight face around these goofballs. “You are. And for anyone else, well my only other real friends are in my squad and Soldier 11 already asked Orphie and…” She wanted to smash her head against something for her stupidity, but that could risk damaging her eye cover and that could kill her. “I need to get back to base. There is one more person.”

“I can drive you? We can all come. Belle can fit in the trunk this time.”

“I can. I’m very small!”

Wise spoke up. “How about instead of stuffing my sister in a trunk, if this is a bridesmaids issue, then how about just the three of you go and I can babysit Anby and Soldier 11.”

“We don’t need a babysitter,” Soldier 11 said.

“It would be nice to not have responsibilities.”

“Let me rephrase. I’ll take you two out for noodles while they arrange whatever they’re arranging and Trigger apologizes to whoever she forgot.”

She hadn’t forgotten…she’d just…asked everyone else instead of one of her best friends who she’d been talking to almost every day until she got pregnant.

“Okay, I’m sold,” Soldier 11 said. “Bring her back in one piece.”

Trigger kissed Soldier 11 and Nicole rushed them out to the car. She owed Seed the biggest apology in the world.

Chapter Text

It must’ve been earlier in the day than it had felt to Trigger, as when they all rushed into the Defense Force base, barely stopping long enough to flash ID and have her guests sign in, Seed was outside tending her garden. She’d expected her to already be in her room. Not even having a door to knock on before her apology made her more anxious. She didn’t have a way to delay this any longer, she had to just go ahead and apologize.

“Oh, hi there, Trigger.” Her light, floaty voice greeted Trigger before she could say anything. She sounded ecstatic to see her, it only made her feel worse. “I’ve missed you.”

Trigger was going to bleed out before she said a word at this rate. “Hey, Seed. I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry we haven’t been talking as much…” It was so difficult to get the words out. With anyone else, it would be easy, but Seed was the nicest and most considerate person she knew and she hadn’t even thought of her.

“Oh, who’re your friends? I didn’t see them there.”

That gave her an opening. She just had to take it. She should’ve followed Soldier 11’s example and made a whole battle plan before they arrived.

“This is Belle and Nicole. They’re gonna be my bridesmaids, and I wanted to say that I’m sorry that I hadn’t told you yet, and wanted to ask what part you wanted in my wedding. You can be another bridesmaid or…probably Orphie will be the ring bearer since she has to be up there either way.” She’d managed to get it out. It hadn’t sounded as bad as she’d feared, but that didn’t mean Seed wouldn’t be hurt. She could be so sensitive.

“I get to be in your wedding?!” The ground shook as she jumped to her feet. “Oh my god, really?! I’ve never been in a wedding before! I don’t think I could pull off a bridesmaid dress. Can I be the flower girl! I can bring my own flowers!”

“Oh.” She wasn’t hurt at all. Maybe Trigger should’ve included just how considerate Seed always was when she was thinking about how she’d react. Of course she wouldn’t be upset that she hadn’t told her immediately. She’d just be happy to be thought of at all. “You absolutely can be the flower girl!” She was already starting to love the idea. “Though it’s a shame everyone gets to miss out on you in a bridesmaid dress. Not that I’d have gotten to see it either way.” She giggled, finding her cheer quickly returning.

Seed pulled her into a hug. Her sun-baked metal skin made the already all-encompassing hug that much more inviting. No one hugged like Seed. “I’m so excited! I’ll have to make sure I pick the best flowers. Can I decorate too or just—”

“I said you could have the part you wanted, didn’t I?” She felt infinitely better. She hadn’t betrayed Seed by going with Belle as her maid of honor. “I’d love to have your decorations. I know you always pick the best flowers.”

“I do!” She bounced and Trigger was certain the earth shook, but she still hadn’t put her down, so she could only feel the vibrations through the metal. “I’ll set everything up! How much do you have planned.”

“Not enough.” She had to step back to catch her balance as she was finally released. “We’ve only just started. But we can get everyone together and figure it out. Though Soldier 11 isn’t back yet.”

“Oh. I think she’s kind of important for this.”

“Nah, that’s what the maid of honor is for,” Belle chimed in. “If Soldier 11 doesn’t show up, they just swap me in.”

“I think that joke is supposed to be for her maid of honor. So, it’d be Anby stepping in.”

“No, I’d have to shoulder that burden.”

Trigger shook her head, trying not to laugh, certain her lights were as pink as could be. Though as they didn’t have a dimmer, she supposed they didn’t actually have degrees of pinkness. “And what would Jane say?”

“Uh.” Belle stammered. Had she actually forgotten about her girlfriend? “Okay, new plan, Soldier 11 switches to her as maid of honor, then if you both don’t show, Jane has to marry me. Then neither of us ever has to propose. It’s a perfect plan.”

“How about we just go with my wedding and I’ll make sure to throw the bouquet to you so you’ll have an excuse to bring it up.”

“Yes!” Belle hopped for joy and the ground stayed very still. “That’s perfect. Okay, you can still marry Soldier 11.”

“Wait, but the joke is supposed to be that they all dress the same so they look identical and you can just swap out the best man, right?” Nicole asked. “So, since you can’t see either way, Belle can definitely swap in.”

“Yeah, but I get the bouquet now.” Trigger had no idea she was so easily replaceable.

“Well, I at least appreciate you not making a joke about Anby and Soldier 11 looking the same instead.” It had taken her quite a while to get used to how casually Nicole would make blind remarks at her, though this one wasn’t particularly bad. It never seemed to be an issue from anyone else and she’d make the jokes herself, but Nicole had managed to push them too far too many times.

“Oh, no, that’s my wife. I’m keeping her.”

That explained it. She sighed. Of course that was why she would be given Belle instead. Nicole just had to justify it.

“This is who you hang out with when you’re not with me.” Seed didn’t sound at all mad. Trigger supposed she’d already learned that Seed wasn’t the sort for grudges or jealousy. “She seems fun.”

“I am! You should come join us. I’ve been teaching Trigger to play video games. I have some that can have three players. Or we could just watch a movie. Can you fit inside a building?”

“Eh neh.” Seed always loved dodging question in bangboo.

Belle replied in kind. Why did Trigger love these weird bangboos so much?

Seed seemed to grow even more excited, her bangboo speeding up to a point Trigger couldn’t begin to keep up.

Belle only grew giddier, following in kind.

“What?” Nicole asked.

“Oh, right.” Belle giggled. “We were making plans for tomorrow. Trigger, you’re coming over right when you get off work and I’m going to teach you a whole new game. But if it’s too hard for you to follow by ear, I have some other options that might be easier.”

“I think I can manage. I’ve been getting pretty good at it.” So few games were designed to be played with sound alone, but with some help from Belle and her keen senses, she’d been managing.

“Okay, great.” Belle hugged onto her arm, still giggling happily. She did always love making new friends. No wonder she had so many. And it made her a great proxy. The best proxy. Though probably best not to mention that to Seed.

Now she had a maid of honor, a bridesmaid, a flower girl, a decorator, a fiancée, an officiator, a ringbearer, and a playdate for the next day. Even by Soldier 11’s standards, that was a complete plan of attack. Though perhaps actually planning the event itself might still require a few steps, but they had all the pieces in place to start, and she was excited to finally get to relax. “But when are we all going to have time to plan the wedding then? Soldier 11 and I only have one day off together.”

“Just tell me what to do and Orphie and I can put it all into motion.” Seed seemed quite sure of herself. She’d take it.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her when she gets home tonight and then I guess we can go over it some tomorrow before we play. Or after. During?”

“And drinks!” Belle added. “And we can plan your bachelorette party too.”

“Oh, I know the best strippers,” Nicole chimed in, finally sounding excited again.

“I don’t really think…” No touch rules didn’t exactly leave her many options. “I think I’m good without them.”

Nicole sighed. “Fine, I’ll just get Belle to strip.”

“I could! Wait…I’d have to ask Jane.”

Trigger hoped Seed wasn’t panicking now. She had no idea what she’d just signed up for. “I promise she’s…usually much worse.”

“I…” Belle whined, clearly realizing she couldn’t deny that.

“Okay, I badly have to pee, because that is just the case at all times now, so I’m going to go home. You can all figure out our plans for tomorrow.” She started to hurry off only to realize she’d forgotten something quite important. “One of you please make sure that my fiancée gets home. She’s still at Random Play with your brother and Anby.”

“I’ll give her a ride back,” Belle confirmed, hugging her aggressively. She really was living up to her maid of honor title. “But first I want to get to know Seed more. So, tell me about these flowers!”

Trigger hurried off, hoping Belle and Nicole could be trusted to stay out of trouble on a Defense Force base. At least, in the worst-case scenario, Magus would have them released in time for the wedding.

As she sat down with a newly warmed red bean bun, ready to settle in for the night, her favorite footsteps padded outside. The door opened and Soldier 11 came in, kissing her lightly on the temple as she said. “Come on.”

“Huh?” What was she supposed to be coming on?

“I do believe you arranged something.” Soldier 11 had that hint of mirth that always made Trigger giddy. It was far too rare.

“What did I plan?”

She took Trigger’s bean bun-less hand and helped her to her feet. “You wanted to play video games with Seed and Belle, but they weren’t quite sure how to manage everyone in the shop, so Belle and Wise loaded up everyone and their video games, and they just finished setting up everything in Seed’s rooms.”

“I had a really good plan.”

“You did.” She kissed her again. “You can bring the red bean buns.” Rather than waiting for Trigger to gather them up, Soldier 11 grabbed a box of them, leading the way to Seed’s.

When she said that they brought everyone, she meant it. The voices and smells of everyone she cared about were there. Seed, Anby, Nicole, Belle, Magus, Orphie, Nekomata, and Billy were all gathered around the TV, with four of them clicking on controllers. “How did you get everyone…Orphie, I thought you were scouting.”

“I just got back. I was going to get some sleep when Seed caught us.”

“Well I’m glad you could make it.”

Belle slid over and patted the couch. “We’re taking turns. You can take over for me after this round?”

She squished against Belle as Soldier 11 put some red bean buns in the oven. Once she got the controller, Soldier 11 slipped in beside her, squishing her all the more as Belle explained the game. It always took a few rounds to figure out a new one. She had to learn what all the sounds meant, hopefully have someone explain what her character did when she hit the buttons so she could match it up to what she was hearing, and get the hang of how everything in the environment responded, but by the fourth match, she managed to have the high score and was more than happy to let Soldier 11 have a turn.

Everyone played the game and ate her red bean buns, and she realized that she hadn’t needed to be worried about introducing the two sides of her life. They may have been Defense Force, but she should’ve known that they’d always support anyone she loved. They were family. And soon, they’d be there supporting her as her family became all the more official.

Chapter Text

Trigger still wasn’t sure what the point of a bachelorette party was when she was neither capable of drinking, nor watching strippers.

Belle’s car pulled to a stop at the front of the base and Trigger waved goodbye to the guards. She tried to picture the car she was getting into. She used it so often, but all she knew was its relative size. It was truck sized and it had managed to fit five people in it before. She usually imagined it as red.

“You ready for a night you’ll never forget?” Belle’s usual cheeriness was always infectious and Trigger was already grinning as she buckled. “I was gonna say a night you’ll never remember, but…” She giggled, apparently not wanting to rub in that Trigger couldn’t drink.

“I would be a lot more ready if you’d told me anything about it.” She’d overheard her discussing it with Nicole before but it had all been too cryptic even for her. How was this the only secret Belle could manage to keep?!

“Aww, you don’t want a surprise?” Belle giggled even more. “But I was going to blindfold and put earmuffs on you.”

“Why would you blindfold me?! I’m already wearing one!” Even in her civilian clothes, she still had to keep her eyes covered, and stuck with a crop top and usually jeans, though she’d had to go with sweats.

A yawn came from the backseat. They weren’t alone? How had Trigger missed that? “Why are we shouting? Are we there yet?” It wasn’t Nicole’s voice. Or Jane’s. What was Nekomata doing here? Did Belle kidnap her? Was this part of the surprise?

“Oh, I forgot to tell you! Anby was too scared to join Soldier 11 for her whole drinks and sword fighting plan alone. Nicole promised to keep an eye on them and not let them lose any limbs, and she handed me Nekomata and said she could take her place.”

“I was trying to sleep…”

Nekomata had been surprisingly nice every time they’d interacted. Trigger didn’t think they were close enough for a bachelorette party, but she didn’t exactly know what Belle had planned. “So where are we going?” She so rarely didn’t know things.

“Well right now we’re going to pick up Jane. If that’s okay. I know you said I could bring her but—”

“I’m quite happy to get to know my child’s other godmother and my best friend’s future fiancée more.”

She could feel Belle’s blush from there. “Okay. Well, after that, it’s a long drive. You sure I can’t put earmuffs on you at least? I want it to be a surprise and I know you’ll figure it out way too quickly!”

“How long of a drive is it?” She didn’t want to disappoint Belle but she hated not being able to hear, it made her feel far too vulnerable.

“If I tell you that, you might figure it out too!”

She huffed. Belle was not making this easy. “So you want me to just sit in your car, unable to hear or see a thing, completely at your mercy, for hours, as you take me someplace you refuse to tell me about.”

She was starting to worry Belle was on fire as much heat as she was putting out. “Uh…when you put it like that…it does sound like a really good plan.”

“I don’t think Jane would let you have much fun.”

That seemed to snap her out of it. She gunned the engine, taking a turn. “I know! She wouldn’t even let me give you a lap dance. Though maybe she could blindfold me and tie me up in the back and leave us both helpless.”

She probably shouldn’t have phrased it like that if she wanted Belle to be able to focus at any point for the rest of the night. “I’m sure she’ll agree to that later.”

“Yeah…she usually does…but probably not until after your wedding.”

“Oh no. How will you stand waiting until tomorrow night?”

“Exactly!” She truly was insatiable. The car pulled to a stop and Trigger could hear some people talking, a couple vending machines, and cameras clicking. The Ballet Twins maybe? The drive had seemed a bit short for that, but Belle had had her plenty distracted.

The door opened and a figure slid inside. “And there’s the woman of the hour,” Jane’s sultry voice purred. “Belle has quite a night planned for you.”

“Even without lap dancing,” Belle confirmed.

“You can lap dance for me later if that’ll cheer you up.”

Her voice immediately regained its cheer. “That works.” They were good for each other. The car pulled back onto the road and Nekomata shifted in the back.

“Food?” The word was slurred with sleep.

“So long as you don’t mean Jane, there’re some sandwiches and chips in the bag back there. Wise made the sandwiches. I bought the chips.”

“And your contribution is always appreciated.” Jane chuckled and dug some crinkling bags out, and crunching soon followed.

“Good. Nicole just shoved me in here earlier and she didn’t even give me lunch.”

“Well it’s still pretty much lunch time,” Belle said. “So help yourself.”

Trigger reached back and shifted the bag, hearing at least three more bags of chips and the plastic bags of a few sandwiches. “Are these for when we’re there or just for the trip?”

“You’re not gonna let this be a surprise, are you?’

“I’m the Eyes of Obol! I always know everything. And now I’ve been running disaster response for the whole quarter and I know even more. I can’t just not know something this major! I don’t even know if I’m going to have access to a bathroom when I need one.”

“Oh, we got that figured out. Nicole gave us Billy’s old STP from before his upgrades, so you should be able to pee just fine. Though I don’t think Jane would let me hold it in place for you.”

“Does she flirt just as badly when I’m not here?”

Trigger giggled. “She mostly just rubs my belly or tries to eat it.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“I wouldn’t have to focus on hers if you’d just put a litter in me!” Belle whined.

Jane sighed. Clearly, they’d had this conversation a lot. “I still don’t have a way to do that.”

“So long as that’s the only reason against it.” She muttered, taking another turn and the sound of the tires changed. The engine purred, speeding up. The highway? Were they headed to another quarter? Trigger had hardly ever left the Janus Quarter. Perhaps a vacation would be a nice bachelorette party, but a single day didn’t seem long enough for that.

“Please just tell me where we’re going.”

“Should I tell her?” Belle asked, very obviously taking her eyes off the road, as she turned in her seat to look back at Jane.

“That entire depends on if you’re trying to get any information out of her. Clearly the interrogation is already working. She’ll give up anything soon enough. Perhaps it would be a good time to ask what she did with that copy of Dimensional Musketeer.”

“Oh, no, that was a gift.” Belle stiffened, chagrined. “I just forgot to remove it from the system and then forgot that I’d forgotten.”

“And here I was thinking she’d misplaced one of your videos. I can’t believe you had me thinking so ill of your best friend.” That was teasing, right? She wouldn’t have actually been upset with her over that? It was nearly impossible to read her, almost like she was some kind of undercover agent who constantly lied and messed with people.

“Do you really want to know?” Belle asked. She didn’t sound upset, but she did sound a little sad.

Could Trigger really give up knowledge just to keep Belle happy? “I do, but fine, you can have it be a surprise, but no earmuffs. I want to be able to hear you.”

“All right, but you have to try really hard not to listen for anything! You have to participate in this being a surprise. You’re too good at this otherwise.”

“I think I can manage that.”

“Yay!” Belle squealed excitedly, the car going all the faster. “You’re going to love it.”

Nekomata’s bag of chips crinkled on the floor of the car as she fell back asleep.

 “Well then, how about a car game?” Jane asked. “I suppose we can’t play I spy, but what about twenty questions? One of us comes up with an object and the other two have to deduce it. I think you and I ought to have an advantage here, and you know how fun it is to beat Belle in games.”

“I never lose.” Belle sounded as serious as she did unconvincing. “You don’t know who you’re challenging.”

“You can’t ask Fairy for the answers,” Trigger said.

“I’ll still win!” She sounded far less confident. “I’ll show you.”

She didn’t win the first game. Or the second. Or the third. Jane seemed unstoppable when she was the one being asked, and Trigger only lost once, but by her fourth attempt, Belle seemed to be finding her groove, and must have come up with an absolutely impossible object. When the answer was gelatin, Trigger felt disappointed in herself, but when she couldn’t guess pickles the next time, she was starting to wonder if Belle wasn’t answering properly.

Jane must have thought the same, as they were both asking increasingly precise questions, avoiding any slips, but when they found out that the answer was Astra Yao, they had to concede that they were just getting sloppy. “Perhaps three hours of 20 questions is simply too much,” Jane suggested.

“Well, we won’t have to play any more. Unless you want to. We’re there!” The car pulled to a stop and Trigger finally let herself listen for any sign, but there was nothing. There were no thrums of vehicles or hustle and bustle of a city. There was no crackle of electricity, nor was there even a sound of conversation muffled by walls or distance. There was wind and nothing.

Then there was another engine. Something pulled to a stop beside them and Belle waved and cheered. “We’re going camping!”

Trigger chuckled, feeling herself smiling all the more. She hadn’t gone camping for over a decade. While thoughts of the last time dulled her happiness, Belle putting an arm around her and helping her out of the car quickly brought it back. This had to be the Outer Ring. She could see spots of ether here and there in the distance, but there truly was nothing else.

“Hello there!” A voice even cheerier than Belle’s announced, jumping out of the truck, the door slamming, before metal dragged, and a ramp stomped into the ground. Something shifted in the bed of the truck and the girl announced, “You must be Trigger. I’ve been told so much about you. I’ll be your caterer for the evening. Welcome to my bar. I’m Burnice. What can I get for you?”

“Trigger! You got here before us!” A light, floaty voice called from the truck and a few stomps later she found herself in one of Seed’s wonderful hugs, though colder than usual. “I couldn’t fit in the car so Belle said I could get a ride with her friend.”

“I was wondering if you were going to be able to make it. Belle told me almost nothing.” Seed finally released her, and she stepped back, looking to Belle. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

Trigger chuckled. She planned everything, didn’t she? Or maybe Fairy did. “Our camping trip is catered?” She could feel Belle’s beaming gaze on her.

“I thought it’d be more fun! And then we wouldn’t have to live off of sandwiches. And I know there’s no fishing out here.”

“Fish?” Nekomata crawled out of the back and let out a quiet meow as she stretched.

“I’m gonna look around.” Jane slithered out of the car, her heels sloshing about the sand.

Something scratched in the front of the truck that the bar was sticking out of and there was a plaintive mewl.

“We have plenty of fish!” Burnice called to the truck. “Want to come help me get everything set up?”

No reply came from the truck. Was there another cat thiren in it? She could smell more cat dander than just from Neko.

Burnice giggled and turned her attention back to the little bachelorette party. “Just give me a couple minutes to get everything ready. Only order so far is fish, anyone want anything else?”

“More fish,” Nekomata suggested. “And some cola.” Trigger could scarcely believe she hadn’t ordered milk. She was always such a stereotypical cat.

“I’ll help.” Belle really was incapable of not helping out her friends. Or maybe that was how she got this whole thing set up. It was easy to imagine this was a favor from a friend rather than hiring out a bartender for the night. And Trigger had run into Belle in the Outer Ring before, and known about her association with the Sons of Calydon. Was Burnice one of them? She’d have to listen to her files when she got the chance.

“I’ll get the tent!” Seed called, already going through the trunk.

In no time at all, the bar was set up and Burnice was gleefully handing a basket of grilled fish to Nekomata. A soda hissed and Belle pulled some chairs from the open trunk. How had she forgotten? “I could’ve done that.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s your day.” Belle rubbed her belly. “And I can hardly have you straining yourself.”

“I thought tomorrow was my day.”

“You get lots of them!” Belle hugged her and got back to setting up their campsite with Seed. Trigger wanted to object and insist on helping, but her noodle must’ve been pressing on her bladder, so she took the chance to figure out how to use that device Belle had brought.

Once she was done, she found her way to the bar, appreciating the ramp. “How do you know Belle?” she tried.

“Oh, we go way back. I think we kidnapped someone she was after and then maybe kidnapped her? Or maybe she was helping us kidnap them. I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention, but that’s how I met my wife, Pulchra! She tried to kill us. It was so much fun.”

Yeah, that seemed like someone who would become friends with Belle. Trigger figured she wasn’t in much position to judge there. “I’ll have a virgin mai tai.”

“Uh. But how are you…”

Trigger shook her head, not sure what Burnice was talking about.

“You know you’re pregnant, right? You can see that? But if you’re a virgin…”

“That’s not what virgin drink means,” an unfamiliar voice said. Paw pads scraped in the sand. “Ow. The sand is so hot. I should’ve put my boots back on.” She grumbled, stomping closer. “I was just going to nap, but I can’t leave you alone for a second. It’s just a drink without alcohol.”

“Oh, like a mocktail!” To her credit, she recovered quickly from the confusion, promptly mixing the ingredients. “Why didn’t you just say. No one has ever tried to order a ‘virgin’ drink in the Outer Ring and I’ve been a bartender for like three whole years.”

The thiren sighed, climbing up into the bar and taking a seat, the leather squeaking. “She’s actually really good at it. I promise. I’m Pulchra. And I believe I was promised fish.”

“In just…one…second. There.” A cool glass was pressed into Trigger’s hand. “It’s on the house. Everything is. I owed Belle for helping us out of a hollow a few months ago. Now for the fish.”

“I want more too!” Neko called, hurrying up the ramp to join them.

Trigger chuckled and headed back to Belle and Seed, leaving the cats to bond. Or fight. Jane’s heels scratched at the sand as she approached. “We really are in the middle of nowhere.”

“It seemed more fun that way. Caesar told me this was her favorite place to set up camp when they’re on the road.”

Jane took a sip from Belle’s drink and sat beside her. “I spent a while in a hollow raider gang not far from here. It is a nice place sometimes. I loved getting to hear all the animals at night. So different from the city.”

“Oh.” Trigger hadn’t really considered that. She always heard everything around for blocks in the city and in the NEDF barracks she was so busy listening to everything her squadmates did, but out here, it was different. Peaceful. The sand shifted in the wind, a tumbleweed rolled by a mile up the dirt road, some wild cats chittered at terrified lizards, a fox dug away, chasing something as it scurried in the ground, and she could barely hear two escaped bangboo bickering off in the distance. The heartbeats of her friends and the sloshing of drinks were all closer and drew her back. “It really is different.”

“I told Belle you’d probably like it. I know how overwhelming it can be hearing everything and…”

“I appreciate that.” Jane had made a big show of trying to make nice every time they’d met. It made her feel a bit inauthentic, but it was probably difficult for her not to. And the fact that she wanted to win her approval that badly meant a lot more than any individual attempt. But this one was nice.

“I keep getting sand in my joints…” Seed muttered.

“Oh no!” Belle leapt to her feet and seemed to pull tools from nowhere. Did she have a bag on her? “Let me take a look at that.” They did seem to be getting along amazingly. Trigger should’ve introduced her squadmates to her friends way earlier.

“We’ll go grab the food and drinks while you do that.” Jane tugged lightly on Trigger’s hand and she followed after her. “Sorry if she’s being a bit too overbearing. She’s been planning this out for the last month.”

“Oh, no, she’s been great.”

“She always is.” Jane’s laugh wasn’t its usual sultry tease. Her heels clanked on the ramp and she put in some drink orders. “What did you want?”

“Another of this mocktail is fine.” She didn’t want to risk going over the virgin confusion again.

“Here you go, and some of my custom fuel for your robot buddy. She seemed really fun. And I’ll set the food up for you in a few minutes.” Burnice giggled and a flamethrower on her back rattled as she talked, while her wife and Nekomata purred on the counter, still eating their fish.

“This one’s your mocktail,” Jane reminded her as she gave her two of the drinks to carry. As if she couldn’t smell the difference.

They made it back to the group and took their seats, Belle squealing as she took her drink from Jane, or as Jane grabbed her, it was hard to tell.

“Oh, is that for me?” Seed asked. “Burnice gave me some earlier and it was amazing! I’d insisted I just needed normal food or drinks but she convinced me to try it…I’m not sure how to feel about it…”

“If red bean buns were made for cars but they still tasted the same, it wouldn’t stop me.”

“I guess that’s true…” Seed took the drink, seeming hesitant even as she immediately took a gulp. She’d always struggled with exactly what she was.

“I brought some more drinks!” Burnice called. Apparently, a few minutes had been pushing it. “And here’s a ‘virgin’ Nitro Fuel. I promise you’ll love it.” She put so much emphasis on the word it almost sounded like a curse. Had she really never heard it before? How was she a bartender? Or was the Outer Ring just like that? “Let me get the fire started.”

Cat thiren paws hurried over and something metal was set up in the center of the seats. It could’ve been a grill or maybe just a barrel, but it sounded heavy. Wood thunked into it. “I can’t believe she got me to help,” Neko muttered.

The air ignited, heat scorching, and the grill was alight. “We have steaks, chicken, fish, shrimp, potatoes, asparagus, corn, and squash. I pre-seasoned it all with my special blend, and it ignites really quickly! I’m happy to cook for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.” Was this how she always was with customers or was this because Belle was her friend?

“We can leave you be,” Pulchra added. “It’s your bachelorette party. She’s just Belle’s friend.”

“You’re my friend too!” Belle shouted.

She huffed. “Fine. We’re just Belle’s friends.”

“Aww, kitty, you gave in so quickly!”

Belle giggled and Trigger was pretty sure she felt her gaze on her. Great, so after all of Belle’s planning, now Trigger actually had to make a decision. “Sure, you can make it.”

“Yay!” Burnice tossed some stuff on the grill and the smell was mouthwatering. Even the noodle seemed to squirm in excitement.

“Oh my god!” Trigger shouted. She really was squirming. “Harin just kicked!”

Belle clearly didn’t need more invitation than that. Hands were on her in an instant. She stayed there, pressing her face to Trigger’s belly, impressively resisting biting. “I don’t…wait! I felt it!” The hands moved, instead wrapping about her in a hug. “I’m so excited for you.”

Given Belle’s love of feeling her belly, and being Harin’s godmother, she was probably also excited for herself, but that hardly needed pointing out. She hugged Belle back, nearly squealing herself. “Of course, it happens when I can’t show Soldier 11.”

“You will tomorrow. And she’ll be ecstatic.”

Something squished against her and Trigger felt cat hers against her arm. “I don’t feel anything…” Nekomata whined.

She really did care. “I think she stopped.” But it had happened. She couldn’t stop smiling.

Belle’s cheek fell back to the baby. She couldn’t help herself.

Nekomata jostled them. “I think our food’s ready.”

“She can eat there if she wants,” Burnice said. “It’s the Outer Ring, there are no rules. Except when Caesar remembers to make any. But she’s Caesar’s friend, so they probably don’t apply.”

“Oh, we have no laws now?” Jane asked. “That certainly gives me some ideas.”

That seemed to get Belle’s attention, as she pried herself free and rushed to her partner. “Do tell.”

“You’ll find out later.”

Belle whined, but she shut up when Pulchra gave her a plate of food.

They all settled in, as the heat from the sun died down--it must’ve set--and the fire grew far more comforting. The nitro fuel was exactly as good as Burnice had made it sound. It tasted even better than the real thing.

“You know what would make this a perfect night?” Seed asked, munching away at all the food she’d been given, her oil sloshing as she took a sip.

“It seems pretty perfect already.” Or perhaps her fiancée being there would improve it. Or her wife so soon.

“You could play us a song.” There was a pleading note to the words. Seed always wanted her to play the harmonica for her. “I haven’t heard you in a while.”

“Oh.” It was true. She hadn’t played her harmonica in…“I haven’t played it for a few months.”

Belle gasped. “Wait, that’s right. You always play it. That’s how we met. How did I not notice…”

“It’s really nothing.”

“It’s not. I know how much you love it,” Seed insisted.

“I…do…”

“Then why not play for us?” Belle asked. “You brought it didn’t you?”

The harmonica in her pocket felt all the heavier. “I did.”

“You don’t have to play for us if you don’t want to,” Jane said.

Belle whined. “No, she does.”

“I really have missed it,” Seed added.

“I just…” Trigger had missed it too. It had been such a big part of her for so long. She wasn’t sure exactly when she stopped, but every time she thought about playing, her heart ached and she couldn’t bring herself to. But how could she say all that? She knew how ridiculous it sounded. “Maybe later.”

“That’s fine.” Jane’s voice was back to its sultry self, but she did sound genuine, almost desperate. Had Trigger not already made it clear that she’d earned her approval?

 “Okay…” Seed sounded crestfallen. She’d deprived her of it for months, and barely even talked to her. Maybe she needed this.

“I…” These were her friends. They might know how ridiculous she was being, but they wouldn’t treat her like it. “I haven’t been able to. Not since…I don’t know, the baby, or the engagement. I wasn’t actively avoiding it originally, it just hadn’t happened, but now…”

Belle gasped.

“What?” Jane asked.

“Oh. I didn’t even think of that. You don’t have to…” Seed trailed off, clearly feeling far too guilty.

Trigger shook her head. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I know how much you love it. And I do want to play for you, but…” She felt her harmonica, its dents from years of life in battlefields, and the bullet that had nearly killed her, the wear on the paint, the familiar weight. “It was Charon’s, and it’s just hard not to feel like I’m betraying her.” She knew she was gone. Didn’t she? It had been eleven years. She’d held out hope for far too long that she was still alive, but there wasn’t any chance left of that. And all Charon had ever wanted was…

“You know she wanted you to keep going,” Belle said. “You heard her message to you. They all sacrificed themselves because they loved you. And Charon…” She sniffled. “I know how much you two loved each other, and you know how much she wanted you to keep living. How badly she valued that. Your happiness. She would never want you to give up something you love for her.” She could never get used to Belle being serious.

“I know. I know all of it. And it worked before. But she was…I was so sure that I’d have a future with her, that I’d spend my life with her even once I was done with the defense force. And now I’m building that life with someone else…even if she wanted it, how is that not betraying her?” The tears broke through, her blindfold catching most of them, but a few running down her cheek. She let them. “How can I keep playing her harmonica…”

“Isn’t that honoring her memory?” Seed asked. “She’s the one that taught you. And she wanted you to go on.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t ignoring her wishes be more of a betrayal?” Belle asked.

“I know that!” Trigger shouted, the tears falling all the harder. “But it doesn’t feel like it.”

Burnice cut in. Trigger had almost forgotten she was there. “I know if I died, I’d want Pulchra to still use my flamethrowers. Mixer and Shaker would be sad not to be played with.”

“You’re just hoping they’d still burn me.”

“That would be extra nice.” She giggled.

That was an insane example, but was she right? By refusing to play Charon’s harmonica, was she actually betraying her far more than loving someone else ever could? Charon had given her these skills, and had given her the harmonica that saved her life. And of course, she gave Trigger her life so many times before then. She knew she needed to live on for Charon, but maybe she needed to do this too. She took the harmonica from her pocket and held it to her lips, that same guilt starting to well up again, but she could see Charon, cheering her on, wanting to hear her rendition of their songs all over again. She began to play, and the vision stayed, joined by the cheers of the rest of her friends. She had been betraying her. Charon needed her to keep playing, just as she needed her to make this new life with Soldier 11. She knew that a part of her would always be there with Charon, that that was her first love, that no matter how much she knew otherwise, a tiny piece of her would never believe she was really gone. But she loved Soldier 11, and Charon wanted this for her. Trigger had already known she was ready to start this family, but maybe this was what it took to finally kill the guilt from moving on. Charon could still watch on, but Trigger was going to give her all to this new life with Soldier 11 and Harin.

Chapter Text

She could scarcely believe it was really the day. For how long exactly had she known she’d marry Soldier 11? For longer than they’d been engaged, certainly. The whole time they’d been dating? Longer? She wasn’t sure. She only knew that at a certain point, any time she was near Soldier 11, she knew that was who she’d be spending her life with.

And she was ready to make that real.

And the dress was too tight.

Or maybe she just wasn’t used to having her belly covered and this was what clothes were supposed to fit like, but it felt constricting and had her a little worried about Harin.

“You look amazing,” Belle said, for what had to be the fifth time in half as many minutes.

Trigger knew the dress was gorgeous. Acheron had spent days going over every inch of it with her. It had been a miracle that her brother still had the design. Letting it out in the belly had barely been an issue. “Keep saying it. You know how much I love to hear it from you.”

“I don’t think I’m the person you want to be hearing it from.” It would sound bitter if she didn’t seem so excited. “Now I have to go give you away!”

“You’re my maid of honor, not my dad.”

“I can be both!”

Normally she’d tease her there, but their normal playful flirting felt wrong on her wedding day. She doubted it’d be gone for good, but she was about to be Soldier 11’s wife, and that was all she needed. “Fine. Then come give me away. I’m about to marry the love of my life.”

Belle squealed, taking her arm and all but dragging her out of the dressing room. Trigger sure hoped her makeup and hair looked okay, as Belle had been in the middle of that all. She supposed she’d never know.

The breathing at the end of the courtyard stopped, a heartbeat quickening to go with it. Apparently, Belle had done a good job then. “Wow.” The word barely left Soldier 11’s mouth, perhaps too quiet for even Magus or Nicole to have heard right beside her, but it made Trigger’s cheeks heat.

At least it was a small wedding. It made it far easier to reach her rightful place. She could feel Soldier 11 wanting to reach out to her, but she managed to control herself. Trigger could barely do so herself, but before she could pull her into a kiss and ruin the wedding, Magus cleared Orphie’s throat.

Right. There was that whole wedding. That was probably important. Trigger tried to calm herself down and listen to the words that Magus was saying. She wasn’t even insulting anyone, and sounded almost compassionate. She deserved to be listened to. But all she could think of was the life ahead of her. That she was marrying Soldier 11, that they were having a baby together, that it was all real. She never thought she’d have another chance at a life like this, and she was indescribably happy. Ecstatic. Eager. And just wanted to be able to say “I do,” and finally kiss her wife.

“I’ve gotten a closer look at their relationship than anyone else. I suppose I’m the one that introduced them.” Right, Magus was still speaking. “They were two of my first choices for Obol Squad, and they’re two of the best damn soldiers I’ve ever met. And from the second they saw each other, they’ve been like horny high school girls. You should’ve seen them at camp. Or the barracks. Occasionally the mess hall.”

Why had they agreed to let Magus officiate? Belle had wanted to. Surely she…would have told even more embarrassing stories but probably been a bit less crude about it.

Soldier 11 cleared her throat.

“Don’t pretend I’m lying.” She chuckled and was silent for a moment, doubtless at Orphie’s protests. “That is to say, they’ve been madly in love since before either of them had half the brains to realize it. And I got to see it all, and I couldn’t be prouder of my soldiers. And that’s why I’m so happy to be the one to get to do this. But before they get to go run off together, I know they wanted to say their vows.”

When they renewed their vows, she was just gonna let Belle do it. At least she wouldn’t insult them. Or the audience.

“I did.” Soldier 11 cleared her throat. She’d never been a public speaker and she was far too proud of how damaged her memory was, but she didn’t have any cue cards or anything. “Trigger…” She cleared her throat again. Getting to see her nervous was always a treat. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me. I know it’s a cliché, but there’s no other way to put it. I was lost, and angry, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. All I knew how to be was a soldier. I wasn’t a person. I didn’t have any idea what being a person could mean.

“And then I met you. You made me learn to care about things. You taught me how to have fun, even if I still don’t really know how to relax. And you made me want a life outside of killing ethereals. And you even got me my sister back.” She was silent and Trigger started to wonder if that was the end. “You’re already my family, and the love of my life, but you were right when you said this was about declaring that to the world. I want that. I want everyone to know that I’m yours. I love you, Trigger.”

It was increasingly difficult to not just kiss her. Why did the kiss have to come at the end of all this? A few throughout didn’t seem that unreasonable. And how was her speech not supposed to just sound like a ripoff of that? Soldier 11 took all the best points. “All of you. Magus, Orphie, Seed, and you…” She did her best to look to them as she talked. “You gave me another chance at a family when I was just starting to get my life together. And Soldier 11…” She’d written it down, but she couldn’t exactly consult her notes, and her memory of them seemed inadequate after everything Soldier 11 had said. She’d just have to speak from the heart. “I can’t imagine a life without you. I need to know that every day you’re the one I’m coming home to. That you’re the one I’m raising a child with. You make me so happy, and you make me feel loved in a way I never thought I would again. And we’re…” Her hand fell to her belly. Harin didn’t have the dramatic timing to kick in agreement, but feeling her there was reassuring. “I’m so excited to build this life—this family with you. It’s everything I ever could’ve dreamed, and I just want to start. Or keep going, but now, with us married.”

Magus’s speech was brief this time and she finally got to hear those words. “You may kiss the bride.”

Soldier 11 pulled her to her, kissing her far too chastely, but at least she could finally feel her. She was there. Her wife. It was all she wanted. It was all real, and it was all official–or at least as official as it could be until the paperwork was all handed in. But they were married!

She kept her promise, making sure to throw the bouquet directly to Belle, nearly hitting her with it, and hearing a tail swishing and helping her. There would certainly be another wedding soon.

When it was finally time for the first dance, she could hardly hold back the excitement. Not only did it mean getting to touch Soldier 11 far more, but she’d get to show off exactly what her wife could do. And thinking about it gave her more excuses to include the word wife. As she had a wife now. A wife! And it was Soldier 11.

One hand clasped Trigger’s and the other settled on the small of her back as they started the dance. They hadn’t gotten to practice enough. Their few days off had always seemed too precious to waste a second of them, and they’d only had a month, but Soldier 11 led, and super soldier training must’ve included years of waltz and tango.

She could barely keep up, but from the way the crowd was reacting, Soldier 11 must have been managing to make it look perfect. Soldier 11’s hand slid up to support her as she dipped her, getting even more of a clamor from the crowd, she was spun, and the dance was over. She kissed her wife, and heard a yelp from Belle as Jane dragged her onto the dance floor, a few more people joining them.

She could hardly abandon them so quickly, so she let Soldier 11 lead her through the next number, far faster paced, but at least it was easier to follow.

The two of them slipped off toward the bar, grabbing some water. Soldier 11 never drank much, but she seemed to always abstain now that Trigger couldn’t drink. As they leaned against the counter, Soldier 11 kissed her again, lightly, far from enough for Trigger, but it was another kiss as a married couple. “How’re you feeling? It hasn’t been too much activity for—”

“I’m fine.” Trigger gave Soldier 11 another kiss. She really was such a sweetheart now. “Though a break is nice. I’m used to carrying plenty of weight with me. Harin isn’t that heavy.”

“Yeah, well Phlegethon doesn’t absorb nutrients from your body.”

“You don’t know my rifle that well.” She giggled, but could feel Soldier 11’s annoyed and worried gaze on her. “But we’re taking a break right now.” She took a sip of her water to reinforce the point. “I’m fine. You really don’t have to worry about me.” Not that she actually minded.

“Pretty sure I just signed on to worry about you for life.”

Not being able to roll your eyes was a real loss sometimes. She wished her eye cover at least had a light for that.

“Were you going to cut the cake soon?” Orphie stood by them and Trigger could all but see Magus glowering at her from her spot on the tail. “I thought it was normally before the dancing…”

Trigger snickered. It had to be the only chance that Magus couldn’t object to her actually getting to have some sweets. No one could be mean enough to deprive Orphie of cake at a wedding. “It was going to be after dinner. Can you not wait that long?”

“Oh. Right. Of course there’d be a proper meal first. I wasn’t…”

Soldier 11 chuckled, rising. “We can cut it now.”

“It can wait,” Magus’s voice cut in.

Trigger breathed in, checking for an easy way to settle this. “It smells like the food is about ready anyway. How about we can cut it and just have it served to everyone with dinner?”

“She doesn’t need it rushed. It’s your wedding.”

“And I’d like some cake,” Soldier 11 lied. Trigger had suggested getting her a small spicy cake to make up for it, but even then, Soldier 11 just wasn’t interested in sweets. Fortunately, Trigger could make up for the both of them with Harin’s appetite, and it left more cake for Orphie.

The wedding only needed a few tables, so once they cut the cake, Trigger and Soldier 11 had their seats by Belle, Jane, Orphie, and Seed, the last of which took up about half the table. The music continued, getting poppier now that they didn’t have any requested dances. “I still can’t believe you got Astra Yao to sing at our wedding.”

“Oh, we’re like this.” Belle held up her hand, probably with her fingers close to each other, or intertwined. “She was more than happy to. And she said that she’d even sing at mine. And since I did catch the bouquet…”

“I caught it, and I still haven’t proposed yet. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Jane huffed, but she sounded almost as excited as Belle.

“Well, I guess you better get on it. Cause we already have a performer booked for it. Though she said I had to sing at her wedding to pay her back. And I’m not sure if she was joking.”

Had Trigger ever heard Belle sing? No, she’d recall that. “Well now I have to hope I get invited to the biggest celebrity in New Eridu’s wedding. Maybe it’ll be televised…or if you need a harmonica player, I could always join you.”

Belle giggled. “I’ll tell her when we schedule it.”

It felt nice to be able to say she’d play it again. She hadn’t realized how much it had bothered her to not be able to for a few months. It was part of her, even if it still hurt. She squeezed Soldier 11’s thigh and dug in to her food. General Chop had catered, she could never deprive Soldier 11 of that.

“Best noodles of your life?” Soldier 11 asked.

Trigger shook her head. “Oh no, that’s still Harin.”

“Well now how am I supposed to say how good these are and how much the wedding makes them even better…”

“Aw, you were trying to be romantic.” She kissed Soldier 11’s temple. “The wedding makes everything better.”

“It does.” Soldier 11 squeezed her hand, though she quickly released her to return to her noodles. At least she was slightly more important than noodles.

Trigger finished hers, eager to start on the cake beyond the tiny bite she’d gotten when they cut it—and the tasting—both of which had been amazing—only for the music to suddenly stop and she felt light on her.

“Harmonica solo time!” It was the same voice that had been singing the song and Trigger had heard in so many movies.

Belle squeaked. “I may have let slip that you’re a bit of a musician too…”

Why wasn’t she surprised? And it wasn’t as if she could pretend that she didn’t have it on her, she always did. And it had already saved her life. She took it out, and felt her smile only grow. Charon had still gotten to be part of her wedding. She played and apparently Astra Yao loved her playing as she was dragged up on stage for the next song.

After joining for another song after that, she finally had the chance to eat her cake.

Soldier 11 kissed her and slid over another piece. “I had to save this from Orphie.”

Trigger slid closer, needing to feel all of her that she could as she enjoyed her second piece of cake. And a third. She was eating for two after all. And Harin deserved to get to enjoy a cake this good.

Chapter Text

“Oh no! Oh no! What do I do!” Billy frantically jumped all over the room while Nekomata let out a pitiful yowl.

Trigger shook her head, trying to take a deep breath. Was she really going to have to talk them through it when she was…another contraction hit and any thoughts abruptly ended. That was a lot sooner. And stronger. Any of them before had been minor. This wasn’t a false alarm.

Why did it have to happen while Soldier 11 was on a mission with no way to contact her? “Just get me to the hospital.” She’d had things arranged with the doctor on the base. Could they manage to get there in time? And would her hollow raider companions be able to avoid any trouble? They’d visited a few times without anything coming up. “Or my doctor. At the base.” She hoped the words were coming out clearly, the pain was still shaking her, and she found she was already gritting her teeth in anticipation of the next one. She needed to relax.

“Right. Yes. I can! NEKO, WE DON’T HAVE THE CAR!” He bounced all the more as his panic grew.

“We can call them.” Neko sounded unsure and she padded about the hideout, glancing around like she expected someone to come to the rescue.

“But they’re in a hollow!” Billy’s frantic motions were far from calming and Trigger’s groan as another wave hit her had him nearly jumping to the ceiling. “We have to go now! We can get a taxi! Nicole will forgive us. Or an ambulance? Can we get an ambulance?!”

“Taxi will be faster. Or I could steal us a car!” Neko cackled, seeming to finally collect herself and recall her streetcat ways.

“But what if we get arrested on the way to the hospital! She can’t give birth in a jail!”

“Maybe the police would take me the rest of the way before they arrested you.” She tried to focus on her breathing, the pain creeping into even that few of words.

“Yeah!” Billy pumped his fists. “I bet they would. So go steal it.”

“That would still land us in prison, dummy.”

“Oh.” He deflated, seeming to droop before them.

“I’ll call a cab,” Neko muttered. “You keep telling her to breathe!”

“But I don’t even have to…” Billy sounded confused but, apparently, he decided to accept the advice and took Trigger’s hands. It did always help ground her. Maybe he knew her better than she thought or maybe he was just panicking enough that he needed it too. “Okay. Breathe. Come on. It’ll be okay. We’ll get you there.”

“I’m trying to breathe.” She’d taken classes. She’d known what to expect. How was it so difficult? It wasn’t as if pain was new to her. Her eyes hurt all the time.

“Do like this.” He breathed in, only for it to whistle through the nothing he currently had for lungs. “Wait, where are my lungs! I forgot to install the new ones!”

Laughing at him helped the pain a little, but it made focusing on her breathing harder. She tried to clear her head, just like she always would while sniping. Focus on nothing but the target, her own breathing. Take aim. Focus. Breathe. Pulling an imaginary trigger made controlling her breathing easier, so she let herself look ridiculous, counting on Billy to be more absurd for her comfort.

“Taxi’s here!” Neko shouted, running in through the door, only to run back out.

“Okay, just help me up and—” Trigger was cut off as Billy scooped her into his arms and ran to the car.

“Got it, just keep up with the breathing and we’ll get you there.” He eased her into the backseat and slid in beside her as Neko jumped into the front seat.

“The hospital! Wait, no, the NEDF base! Where are we going?”

Billy squeezed her hand again and didn’t give an answer, so it was up to Trigger to decide. She trusted her doctor, and she knew what to expect from him. “Defense Force,” she managed before she winced and had to focus on her breathing again, squeezing that trigger as the car jostled her and bolted off, the wind roaring past them.

And then they hit traffic.

Trigger tried to keep focusing on her breathing. She really didn’t want to have a baby in the back of a taxi, but it was a cliché for a reason. Hopefully it’d be fine. She gripped the seat, pleading that it wouldn’t actually come to that.

“What’s the hold up?” Neko asked, yawning. Had she already managed to fall asleep? That would certainly make this easier. Why couldn’t Trigger sleep until the birth was done?

“There’s always traffic,” Billy said. But his voice quickly faltered in confidence. “Though maybe not quite this much.”

The driver jerked his arm. Trigger didn’t need to figure out what he was doing, one thing shown bright in her vision. There was a new hollow blocking the road up ahead. “Fuck,” she muttered. Normally she’d just want to go through, find a quick way, but she couldn’t risk it, not for one more day. Once Harin was born, it was supposed to be safe again, though she certainly wouldn’t risk taking her with her. “Is there any other way?”

“Not unless you want to walk. Which uh…” He turned back toward her, doubtless trying to remark upon her pregnancy.

“Then we’ll just have to run for it!” Billy shouted. “Neko, you’ll have to carry her.”

“What? Why me?!”

“Well it’s just you and me here, who else would do it?”

Neko huffed, somehow keeping from hissing. “You would! You’re twice as big as me and you don’t get tired. And you already carried her once!”

“Yeah, but I’m way weaker than you.”

“No you’re not! I’ve seen you take on ethereals by yourself! And you’re a robot!”

Billy waved his hands. “Yeah, but that’s ‘cause I have guns. You fight with your hands. You’re way stronger, you can carry her.”

“No one needs to…” She barely managed not to scream. The contractions were getting worse.

“I guess we can both carry her,” Neko muttered.

“I can manage to walk,” she tried to insist, but the pain and them grasping her in their arms was apparently enough to convince her otherwise, as she couldn’t even bring herself to protest as they all but dragged her out of the car.

“You still have to pay me!” the driver called after them.

“We can just go to the metro,” Trigger insisted.

They seemed to ignore her, adjusting to carry her between them, and hurrying along. It was almost comfortable, like being rocked. If her uterus didn’t feel like it was trying to kill her, it might be relaxing.

“She’s in labor!” Billy screamed.

“Is that new information?” Trigger asked, assuming he was talking to her, only to find that they were at the hospital. She hadn’t fallen asleep, had she?

She’d wanted her doctor, but this must’ve been closer, she supposed it would be fine.

They were rushed to a room faster than Trigger had ever heard of at New Eridu’s hospitals, and she finally got to lie down on a bed instead of caught between two people. It didn’t make her any more comfortable.

She had to lie there as Billy and Neko answered a few questions, then a nurse took her vitals, got her on an IV, and had them moved to L&D, but they were left alone, with no doctor, or word on when one would be arriving beyond a vague “soon.”

“it’ll be okay,” Billy said. “We’re here for you. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Wasn’t that what her wife was for? But she could hardly drag her out of a hollow. “Thank you.”

“It’ll be okay.” Billy fretted, pacing, bouncing. “We just need to wait for the doctor. And then they’ll…uh…” He stopped, seemingly mid bounce. “How does this whole thing work? Do they just take the baby out?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Neko screeched. “They’ll have her squat in a corner and cover her in blankets and then she’ll birth a litter.”

Trigger had to concede that she wasn’t actually certain how cat thirens reproduced, so she couldn’t be sure if Neko believed that or was messing with Billy. But any thought of asking vanished as another contraction hit her.

Fortunately, the wait was finally over. “Ms…Trigger?” A man’s voice came, as papers rustled against a clipboard. “Is that a hollow raider name or a military one? Just need to know if I need to be charging under the table.”

“Military,” she managed, through clenched teeth.

“Perfect, they always actually pay.” The papers rustled more. “All right, well, I can see you’re about ready, so let’s get this thing started. Clearly the kid isn’t waiting.”

“Harin.” She panted. “That’s her name.”

“Then let’s not keep Harin waiting. I’m Dr. Sun. Are you the fathers? Friends? Either way, hold her hands. I need you to breathe for me. Do you know how—”

“Yes, I’m trying.” The classes had made it seem so much easier. She tried to focus on pulling that trigger, on the same feeling she always got, the relaxation of sniping, but the pain threw her off every time she started to get her rhythm again.

“Well, I need to check how far along you are, and see if I can get you started on an epidural, if you wouldn’t mind. Says in your file that we should watch for ether corruption so I’ll run some tests for that as well after I have you set up. That all sound good?”

She wasn’t sure she had much of a say at this point, but at least she was being treated like a person. It was more than some doctors did for her. She nodded, not wanting to try words again, as she let him take a look.

“Okay. It’s close, but there should still be time for an epidural. Would you like one?”

Perhaps she did have a choice then. She nodded again.

Either whatever he was jabbing her with barely hurt, or she was already in so much pain and so full of endorphins that she barely felt it, but in no time at all she was in a gown, drugged up, and sat back in her bed. “I’ll go get everything set up. It’s probably going to be a while in here. The remote’s over there if you want anything on, but hopefully the drugs will help. I’ll be back soon.”

Breathing was easier now, though the waves through her body were still overwhelming, but the pain felt distant. It was there, but it was like it couldn’t quite reach her. She knew she hurt, it was unpleasant, but it seemed to simply pass by her, like the sights were misaligned.

She found herself snickering, and wondered exactly what cocktail he’d given her, as chatter started coming from the TV.

The Starlight Knights theme song soon followed, but she didn’t have it in her to insist that she should get to pick the show. She tried to focus on her breathing, but even that seemed to require too much thought at the moment.

“It’s okay, Trigger.” A familiar voice came beside her and she felt her hand being squeezed before fingers brushed along her cheek. “I came as soon as I heard.”

“She drove the truck carrying the hostages a good 500 km/h. I don’t know how the engine didn’t blow out. Though I guess we did need to take them to the hospital anyway.”

Soldier 11. Magus. Her brain finally clicked into place. Her wife had come for her.

“Seed is getting them all checked in.” Soldier 11’s lips pressed to her cheek. They felt sweaty. Or maybe that was her cheek. “She’ll try to stop by if she can fit in.”

Her family was here. “Wasn’t Belle—”

“Yes! I was getting you candy!” Footsteps sounded—had she missed them before? She was so disoriented. “The vending machine had red bean buns! And some chili gummies.”

“She thought they might help,” Wise added.

Everyone was okay. And everyone was there. She wasn’t sure how the room would hold everyone, but that hardly mattered. She’d been grateful to have Billy and Neko with her, but she needed her whole family.

“This is a lot busier than the last time.” Dr. Sun stepped into the room, a trolly wheeling behind him. Pads were set on her, a machine beeping rhythmically. “Okay, everything looks good right now. And you are…” Her gown lifted. “Almost nine centimeters. Not much longer. I’ll stay close.”

“Is not that much longer like…hours or…”

“Probably not quite that long.”

That was good. She was already exhausted.

Soldier 11 squeezed her hand and Trigger leaned toward her, only to feel an arm slip around her. “I’ve got you.”

“I’ll be back soon. We’ll get you some more fluids in a few minutes.”

He stepped out and only a few minutes later the door opened and Nicole squealed. “Little Nicole is almost here! I’m sorry we’re late.”

“Her name’s Harin,” Anby corrected.

“Not to me.” Nicole squeezed her forearm and joined the rest of her family in waiting with her.

“I brought a burger.”

“I can get more red bean buns,” Belle added.

Trigger actually managed to laugh that time, though that sent a much worse pang through her.

She waited, with her family, breathing through the pain, willing Harin to be as efficient as her mother.

“Okay, this is definitely too many people,” Dr. Sun said as he came back. “Some of you need to wait in the lobby. But I promise I’ll get you as soon as it’s done.”

“But—” Nicole huffed, clearly knowing she wouldn’t be one of the ones staying.

“It’s okay, Nicole,” Anby’s flat reply came immediately. “All the Cunning Hares can go to the cafeteria.”

“I haven’t eaten in a while…” Neko conceded.

“Sure, we’ll get you some food,” Wise added.

“Let’s move out,” Magus ordered. “Before I have to throw you all out myself.”

That left her with only Soldier 11 and Belle, each holding a hand, being there for her as they always her. And when it was all done, their family would be one person bigger. She tried to focus on her breathing, on making sure this all went smoothly, on what little control she had in the moment.

That moment seemed to last forever. She couldn’t be sure if she’d been trying for minutes or hours, but finally, Dr Sun’s voice cut in. “Push. She’s almost here.”

She did. She pushed with all she could, breathing, exhausted, aching, disoriented, and finally, she found a bundle in her hands, that she could feel was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Her Harin. She was there. She was home.

“She has your eyes,” Belle said.

“What?” They’d said there was no ether corruption.

“No, Soldier 11’s. And Anby’s…”

“She really does look like us…” Anby muttered. When had they let everyone back in?

Trigger sighed. “Just so long as she has eyes.” She should’ve realized, especially when no one was screaming in horror, but part of her had always been scared that Harin would take after her.

“She’s beautiful,” Nicole said.

“Can I?” Soldier 11 asked.

Trigger wasn’t ready to let her go. She held her out, not releasing her, but letting Soldier 11 touch her too. She tried to will herself to hand over their daughter.

“We have to clean her off anyway,” a nurse said. “We just like letting the mother hold them as soon as we can. It’s good for them.”

Soldier 11 took Harin from her, and their hearts thudded in their chests, as she was handed to the nurse. How could Trigger ever handle being apart from her? That was her baby. It was their baby.

“She’s adorable!” Belle squealed. “Just like I dreamed.”

“Let me see!” Neko shouted, snatching her the second the nurse was done.

“I need to hold her more,” Trigger insisted. “But fine, you can at least say hello to her.” She was already getting to see exactly how cared for Harin would be. She’d never be alone. She’d never have the life that she or Soldier 11 had. For every second of her days, Harin would know she was loved. But that didn’t mean she had to jump to being willing to ever not be holding her. She finally got her baby back, clutching her to her chest, and felt a joy that overwhelmed even the exhaustion. Their baby was absolutely perfect. And they’d make sure her life was too.