"Zoom!"
Vert didn't know what Hatch had done to their scout, but that didn't matter right now. He needed to get to Zoom before the Vandals.
"Man down! Recovery protocol!"
Vert slammed his foot down on the gas. The Saber's wheels squealed and he shot forward, taking out Sever as he moved in defense of Zoom. The rest of Battle Force 5 sprang into action and the Vandals retreated quickly. Vert was out of his vehicle the minute they were through the portal. He cradled Zoom's head in his lap.
"We'll have you home in a sec, big guy."
If Vert had been worried after watching Zoom go down, it paled in comparison to what he was feeling now as he and the team raced through the Vandal jungle. When Sage told him Zoom's life was on the line it had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to jump in the Mobi and assault the Vandal home world. His stomach was tangled up in knots. He took several deep breaths to steady himself. He needed to keep his cool. They had to find the antidote and soon. There was only twenty minutes left.
Stealth was what they needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't what they had. He had the antidote, but they only had five minutes left. Almost immediately, he'd ditched the Vandal vehicle he'd fought Kalus in and slammed down on the Saber's gas pedal. He was pushing one-fifty and it still wasn't fast enough. His throat felt tight. He couldn't breathe right. They were almost there. If he could just go faster!
But they were too late.
"NO!" Vert slammed his fists on the table. He would not cry in front of his teammates. Anger swelled inside him. He would have every last Vandal for this-
"…pizza…"
Vert swiveled around. It had been faint, but he swore he heard it. He moved so Zoom's lips were at his ear.
"Pizza." He said again, this time louder, more focused. His brown eyes flashed open.
Vert would have laughed if he wasn't so tense. He turned to the team.
"He said pizza!"
Everyone cheered. Zoom was going to be all right. Vert breathed a sigh of relief. He'd had enough excitement for one day. Apparently, so had the team. They dispersed slowly, one by one, satisfied that Zoom was indeed going to be okay.
Although Vert knew he would never admit it, Zoom looked exhausted from this particular ordeal. Sage recommended he get some rest and Vert was quick to agree. Zoom protested.
"Pshhh, guys I'm okay. Really." He rose from the bed Sage had set up and stumbled. Vert caught him before he could fall.
"Yeah. Right. You're going to lie down." Vert told him. "And that's an order."
Zoom huffed. "Whatever."
"C'mon," Vert said, draping Zoom's arm across his shoulders. He still held his waist from catching him. "Let's get you to your room."
Zoom didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned into Vert's shoulder, no doubt thankful, albeit slightly embarrassed, for the help.
Vert looked down at Zoom as they moved slowly through the Hub. Zoom was pouting. He could have died and he was still upset enough about having to lie down for a couple of hours that he was actually pouting. Vert stifled a laugh. It was kind of cute.
He paused for a moment. Zoom was cute? Vert shook his head and continued walking. He took about five steps before he realized that he was practically dragging Zoom along now. He snuck another glance at Zoom.
Zoom had fallen asleep.
This time there was no denying it. He thought Zoom was cute, and not in the adorable puppy sort of way.
Vert felt his face grow hot when he realized he'd been staring for several minutes now. He was thankful none of the other members of Battle Force 5 were around to see them. With that in mind, Vert scooped Zoom up into his arms and moved quickly towards his room. He tried not to think of how pleasant the feel of Zoom's head cradled on his shoulder was, or how good it felt to have him in his arms. He walked faster.
Getting the door to Zoom's room open by himself while still carrying his slumbering scout was a challenge in itself, but Vert eventually figured it out without dropping him. He laid Zoom on his bed and took one last look at him before turning on his heel and getting out of there. He closed the door behind him. He needed some time to think about this.
...
Written for a prompt I received on tumblr. Part 1 of ?.