Hey, everyone! I really love the game Xenoblade Chronicles. Two of my favourite characters are Dunban(because he's awesome) and Dickson(who's badass). I decided to write a story around their friendship. This story is set soon after the Battle of Sword Valley and has some spoilers for the game(kind of...) They might be a little(or a lot) OOC, but hopefully not too much. Please remember that English is only my third language after Finish And Swedish. This is my first fanfiction so please review. Enjoy!

****Military District, Defence Force HQ****

Dickson yawned and stretched his back while resting against the wall of the Defence Force HQ, his blond hair even more ruffled than normally, and his blue eyes glistering in the sunlight. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon and he had just finished delivering the new supplies and weapons to the HQ. It had been almost two weeks since the Battle of Sword Valley, but the leader of the Defence Force wasn't yet convinced the Mechon were gone for good. So, as soon as Dickson had recovered from his injuries, he had demanded a whole load of new equipment, weapons and armour to replace what was lost in the battle. Dickson had gotten a whole four days to rest and after that he had been working almost day and night, thanks to the guy not giving him any slack.

Dickson slowly fished out a cigar from his pocket and put it in his mouth, absentmindedly chewing on the end while looking for the lighter in his other pocket. As soon as he lit it, he took a long drag and then slowly exhaled the smoke in a big cloud, while thinking of things he still had to do.

He would soon have to make a trip to the Fallen Arm again, the lab was running out if supplies. Miqol would surely be excited to hear about everything that had happened since he last went there. Other than that, Shulk had barely left the lab in the past two or so weeks, too busy studying the Monado. He would have to make the kid get out of the lab more, it couldn't be healthy for the kid to be inside for so long, never mind he did the exact same thing. He should also go visit Dunban. He hadn't seen the man since the battle ended, he had been too busy, and Dunban was probably still recovering from his injuries caused by the Monado.

Dickson shook his head, dropped the cigar on the ground and crushed it with the heel of his foot. He might as well go see Dunban now, and maybe Fiora would be willing to spend some time with Shulk, effectively getting him out for a bit. Yes, that seemed like a good idea. He straightened up, pushed himself of the wall, and started walking. After a few steps he remembered something and turned around again and headed for the Lab instead. He just remembered that thing he had obtained a long time ago; that he never had a use for, but maybe Dunban would appreciate it. If not for the actual use, then maybe for the sentimentality.

He quickly walked to his room and started searching through the many boxes of stuff he had laying around. Three boxes later he finally found the thing and put it in his pocket, before exiting the building and heading towards Dunbans house with a satisfied smile on his face.

In town, everyone seemed much more relaxed than just a couple of weeks ago. People were smiling and talking with each other while walking through the Commercial District. Every now and then, someone recognized him and he was greeted with a "Hello". He didn't say anything, but politely nodded back to them. After walking past a few merchants- "No, he wasn't buying anything, thank you"- he finally reached Dunbans house.

He knocked on the door a couple of times before entering, and was greeted by Fiora in the kitchen, where she was cooking what was undoubtedly going to be their meal tonight. "Hello, Fiora. How's it going?" Fiora took a moment to put down what she was holding before answering him. "Hello, Dickson. I was just finishing of tonight's meal. I'm making bunnit stew. Are you here to see Dunban? He's upstairs resting."

"Yes, I did come to see him. I also came to ask you if you would mind getting Shulk out of the Lab. He's been there almost constantly the past two weeks and some fresh air and company would be good for him. Reyn hasn't had time to visit either; he's been too busy with Defence Force stuff. "

Fiora seemed rather excited at the idea. "Sure, no problem. Maybe I can bring him some food as well, he must be hungry." Dickson chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea. You know as well as I do he doesn't always remember to eat when he starts thinking of something." Fiora didn't seem to have heard the last part of what he said; she was already packing in some stew and some water in a basket to bring with her. Before leaving she turned to him again. "You can have some stew too, if you're hungry. I made plenty. And could you take some upstairs for Dunban." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, with a slightly sad look on her face. "And could you make sure he's eating as well. He's been a bit down since the battle, and hasn't had much of an appetite. "

She was looking at him with a worried and hopeful look in her big green eyes. "Sure, no problem. And thanks, I might have some myself. Been a hard day" With that, Fiora smiled happily and gratefully, before exiting through the door and skipping along towards the Lab.

Dickson sighed, before going over to the kitchen to get some stew for himself and for Dunban. He had visited his friend often enough over the years to know where to find everything in the house. A few minutes later, he was walking upstairs with two bowls of stew. Dunban was, as Fiora said, resting on his bed. He probably hadn't been up all day, judging by the fact he was only dressed in some loose pants. His uninjured arm was behind his head, acting like a pillow, while his right arm, the injured one, was still bandaged and laying beside him on the bed. He was staring at the ceiling and seemed completely lost in his own world. He didn't even notice Dickson until he greeted him.

"Hello, Dunban. How are you?" Dickson watched somewhat amused when his friend started at the sound of his voice, looking around a bit before seeing him, and relaxing upon seeing Dickson. "Hi, Dickson. You shouldn't scare people like that, old man." He slowly sat up with some obvious effort and slumped against the headboard of his bed in a sitting position. "What are you doing here?" His eyes fell to the two bowls the older man was carrying in his hands. "Did Fiora send you to feed me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dickson chuckled slightly at his friend before answering. "Kind of. I came to see how you were doing, and she asked me to take you some food. Said you weren't eating well. She just left to take some food to Shulk and to drag him out of the Lab."

Dunban lowered his eyes and looked both a bit sad and a bit guilty. "I know she worries about me, but I haven't had much of an appetite since the battle." He looked up at Dickson, and seeing his look saying, 'well, continue', he kept talking. "I can't stop thinking about everyone who died in that battle. Mumkhar, Xord, everyone else… Whenever I think about them, I just lose all the appetite I would have." He sighed and looked down at his still bandaged right arm. "And then I have this thing. The doctors said I would probably never be able to use it again properly. And I feel so weak. What if the Mechon attack again? How can I fight them when I can barely make it downstairs?"

He looked so defeated, Dickson almost felt sorry for him, but decided not to. He calmly walked over to Dunban, pausing to put down the bowls on the small desk next to the bed, and sat down next to him. "This isn't like you, Beasty. The men all knew what they were fighting for, and were prepared to die for it. It's not something you should feel guilty over." When Dunban looked up at him with his dark brown eyes, he knew he was on the right track. "And you don't have to worry about the Mechon. We trashed them so badly they won't be back for at least a year, or ever, if they know what's good for them. And it's only been two weeks, you'll have plenty of time to recover and get your strength back. As for your arm, you'll just have to learn to use your left arm, if it's that bad." He smiled reassuringly at his friend. "And don't worry; I've got your back. Every time. Okay?"

Dunban smiled back at him. "Yeah, thanks. And sorry for being so stupid, you're right." Dickson grinned at him now. "You being stupid is nothing new, but this was a whole new level of it." He teased Dunban in a friendly tone. "Now how about some food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Been making new stuff for the Defence Force and dragging it to the HQ all week."

Dunban smiled at his friend again, noticing he looked more tired than normal. He must have pulled some all-nighters as well. "Yeah, food sounds great." Dickson nodded and reached over to pick up the bowls. Then he noticed there was a framed picture on the small desk. After putting his own bowl on his lap, and giving Dunban his, he picked up the picture to take a closer look. He recognized it instantly. It was the picture of himself, Dunban and Mumkhar that was taken the day before the Battle of Sword Valley. They were brimming with self-confidence and were bursting to fight. He chuckled a bit before turning to Dunban. "You still have this, huh?" Dunban just shrugged. "Yeah. It's a good picture."

Dickson put the picture back on the desk before addressing Dunban again with a wry smile. "You know, most people would have a picture of themselves their family on their bedside table, not a picture of themselves and their war buddies." Dunban just smiled at him. "I guess I'm weird like that." He looked at the picture. "Besides, you're not just my 'war buddy', you're my friend. One of my best friends, I might add."

Dickson looked at Dunban again and when their eyes met he saw the sincerity and gratefulness in them. He was sure had had the exact same look in his eyes. "Yeah, you're mine too, Beast" At this Dunban laughed a bit. "You're always going to call me that, aren't you?" Dickson grinned right back at him. "Of course, what else did you expect?"

They ate their food in silence, and Dickson noticed Dunban seemed to be back to his old self, which was a good thing. His appetite seemed to be back too, as he finished the bowl in just a couple of minutes. After Dickson had finished eating, he picked up both of their bowls and was going to take them downstairs to the kitchen, when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, almost forgot," he started to talk while putting the bowls on the desk, "I almost forgot something." He reached into his pocket to grab that thing "I found this on a trip a while ago and thought you would like it." He pulled out a necklace, a simple thin leather band with a shiny silvery pendant on it. The pendant was a circle with a triangle inside and showed it to Dunban, who looked at it curiously. "What is it?" He asked, reaching out with his left hand to touch it. "I've never seen a symbol like this before."

Dickson put the necklace in his hand before explaining. "It's an old thing, and for the civilisation that used it, it symbolised good health and recovery. I thought it would be good for you" He shrugged nonchalantly. "You don't have to wear it if you don't want to." Dunban quickly shook his head. "No, I like it. Thank you, Dickson. Who knows, maybe it will help me heal quicker." He fiddled with the small lock with his functional arm, before asking. "Could you help me put it on? I don't think I can get it with only one hand."

Dickson took the thing from his hand and sat back down next to Dunban on the bed. He reached around Dunban, paused to carefully brush the hair to the side so it wouldn't get in the way, and tried to get the lock to work, which was proving to be a quite more difficult task than he thought. After three failed attempts, he swore quietly, and kept trying.

Dunban seemed to find this amusing, as he chuckled quietly to himself. He soon rested his head against Dickson's shoulder, and watched him trying to get the lock on the neckless to work. Soon, he relaxed and closed his eyes. He was feeling a bit sleepy.

"Thank you, Dickson. For being my friend." He heard Dickson answer with a quiet 'hmm', completely absorbed in his task. After a few seconds Dunban felt Dickson rest his head on top of his, a gesture that felt surprisingly relaxing. In response, he raised his left arm, and reached around Dickson to rest it on his back, in the same spot he knew there to be a scar the older man got when he threw himself in front of a Mechon to save his life back in the Battle of Sword Valley.

"I never thanked you for saving my life back there." He muttered quietly. He felt, more than heard, when Dickson chuckled slightly. "That's what we do. We watch each other's backs." He seemed quite tired. Must be all the work he had been doing the past few days. There was a few minutes of silence, and Dunban started to doze off. Then there was a quiet 'klick' when the lock finally clicked in place. He vaguely heard Dickson mutter "About damn time" and was prepared for Dickson to pull away and take the empty bowls to the kitchen, but instead he felt one warm hand land on his left arm, and another was stroking his hair softly.

Dickson continued talking softly. "I'm going on a trip pretty soon, the Lab is running out of stuff. I'll be gone a few weeks, I think." The sentence ended with a long yawn, and the hand kept stroking his hair. 'Guess we're both really tired´ Dunban thought before falling asleep to the relaxing feeling...

A Few Hours Later

When Fiora got home, she was so happy. She had spent the entire afternoon alone with Shulk. They had gone to Outlook Park, eaten the food she brought, and just sat on one of the benches and chatted the hours away. Now, however, she decided to go check if Dickson had managed to get Dunban to eat. She walked quietly upstairs and was greeted by a sight she was not expecting.

Two empty bowls lay on the desk next to Dunbans bed, which showed her brother, had indeed eaten. Both Dunban and Dickson were sleeping soundly next to each other on the bed, in what had to be the most uncomfortable position ever. 'Well, I guess they deserve some rest.' She thought as she grabbed the bowls and quietly snuck back downstairs.

****Author's note****

1.I don't know what colour Dickson's eyes really are, but here they're blue, 'kay?

2. Dunban actually has that necklace in the game, so I had Dickson give it to him

3. I don't think Dunban could really have just been fine after the battle, so I had Dickson comfort him a bit.

Hope you liked it! Now please review, that would make my day!