I've had this idea that Mordecai and Gaige are really similar when it comes to their skills. They both have something that helps them take down enemies and I see both of them as childish. NOTHING SEXUAL HERE! Just establishing trust and maybe a potential friendship.
~x~x~x~x~x~
The Crimson Raider's building was relatively quiet, apart from a weird and unsettling hum coming from Tannis' work space. I shook my head and drained the last of the bitter liquid of the Rakk Ale from it's green bottle. I let it clink to the ground and sprawled out on the dingy couch in front of Roland's vault, thinking I could take a nap. No one was in the HQ; they were out doing odd jobs to occupy their time. I preferred not to go out, since the only being that would be willing to go with me would be Blood Wing, but she's gone. I blinked back tears as memories of my baby washed over me, causing me to feel hollow and pitiful.
My ECHO went off and I detached it from my hip, seeing Lilith's name flash on the small screen. I pressed a button and her face was projected in front of me.
"Hey Mordy, do you mind checking on the younger one?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "I'm talking about Gaige." She said with a shake of her head.
"Why would I do that?" I asked, standing up from the couch.
"Because she ran back to Sanctuary crying. Can't make it out there myself because of these bastards, so can you do that please? Really looks like she needs someone to talk to." Lilith said before signing off. I groaned and replaced the ECHO to my hip and stalked off to see if I could find the red-haired twerp.
I eventually found her in Scooter's Garage, running frantically from one side of the shop to the other. I walked down the steps and stood in front of her, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She was rummaging through a tool box, muttering to herself as tears slid down her cheeks. She turned around and bumped into me but shoved me out of the way.
"I NEED TO SAVE HIS LIFE, SO GO AWAY OR STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" She screeched, walking over to her robot, frantically tightening something. I walked over to her, studying the complex system of circuits and wires.
"What happened?" I asked, watching her tug at her hair in panic.
"DT was being bad ass and all, then a Shock Nomad came in and ELECTROCUTED HIM! He won't start up or anything!" She said, wiping at her cheeks, staining them with grease and oil. I looked around the room and grabbed a relatively clean rag. I handed it to her and she wiped the grease from her hands and face before continuing to work on her bot. I watched from a distance when she stopped and let the socket wrench she was using slip from her hands. She fell to her knees and sobbed, burying her face in her hands. I stood up and kneeled beside her, putting a hand on her back. She shook with every breath she took before wailing into her hands.
"What's wrong? Can't you fix 'em?" I asked softly, rubbing her back.
"I can't! I don't have any replacement parts for him!" She wailed, turning to lay her head on my shoulder. My body went rigid as I looked down at the destrot girl clinging to me. I awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to find an escape from this. "He's the one thing that kept me somewhat sane! Ever since I got here, Death Trap's been my only one true friend..." She said sadly, resting her chin on my shoulder. My heart seemed to break in two at her words as I was reminded of Blood Wing. She was my one true friend, the only thing that would listen to me when I had something to say, the one thing that would love me no matter what I said.
"I understand." I said, letting her cry on my shoulder for a moment. I perked my head up and gave a slight grin and nudged the still crying girl. "Maybe we can go find parts for DT?" I offered, watching her face light up.
"You'd help me?" She asked in disbelief. I shrugged at her.
"I got nothing better to do." I said as I stood up, helping her up on the way. She dried her tears and turned to look at the bot suspended in midair by a chain welded to the ceiling.
"Cool, where should we look?" She said as we made our way to the Fast Travel.
"We could check out the Badlands, Clap Trap's place, maybe stop by Tina's." I said as I plugged in our coordinates into the machine. Gaige cackled like a mad man, rubbing her hands together at the thought of all the spare parts she can get her hands on.
"Oh ho baby! DT isn't gonna recognize himself after I'm done with him!" She said, her eyes dilating wildly. I laughed at her and and finished plugging in the coordinates. This should be fun.
~x~x~x~x~x~
One event-filled afternoon/evening later...
Gaige had finally gotten Death Trap working again, but not to where he was before. She was determined to get him back to speed, even if it took all night. I said I'd stay with her so she had some form of company. I had opened up to her about how bad I feel without Blood at my side and she said she knew how that feels, especially after we were surrounded by a horde of psychos and brutes. She said he'd take care of the big guys while she takes care of the lesser ones.
When we went back to the garage, I went to Moxxi's to get something to drink and two boxes of pizza for the Mechromancer. I didn't really want to see the kid pass out without something in her system. Moxxi raised an eyebrow as I placed my order, seating myself at the counter.
"Who's all of this for?" She asked as she grabbed the booze.
"How do you know it's not all for me?" I asked. She chuckled before handing over the bottles.
"You don't eat." She said simply before her grin grew wider. "Well, you don't eat food." She added. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore her as she busied herself.
"It's for Gaige." I said after a moment. Moxxi stopped and looked at me, a look of slightly awe covering her face.
"Why's that?" She asked.
"She's fixing her bot and I said I'd stay with her until he's done." I said, studying the label of the bottle.
"I didn't know you cared for the younger Vault Hunters." She said, handing me two boxes of pizza.
"Well, she needed support and I was the only one available at the time." I said as I started making my way to the exit. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but Moxxi's parting words made me stop in my tracks.
"It was nice seeing you again." She said, her voice laced with sincerity. "I wish I could take back what I did to you. You're a good guy." I looked at her and she gave a genuine smile. I gave her a side smile and headed out, happy with the fact she didn't add an innuendo.
I didn't even take a step into the garage before Gaige had opened the top box and grabbed a slice. She savored the taste before walking back to DT, who was still being suspended in the air. I set the boxes on the ground and popped the tops of the bottles of booze, taking a swig before setting it aside too. She was talking animatedly, but I didn't quite understand the technical gibberish that was spewing from her mouth at a mile a minute. I just nodded my head while trying to keep up with what she was saying. It was funny watching her wield a wrench in one hand and a piece of pizza in the other while going on excitedly about something.
She finally finished and stood back to admire her handy work. She wiped at her cheeks and started giggling like a little girl. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
"THANK YOU MORDY! YOU'RE THE BEST!" She squealed, letting me go before kissing my cheek in appreciation. I stuck my tongue out at her, but she didn't notice. I sighed and looked at the untouched portions of pizza sitting in front of me. My stomach growled slightly and I hung my head. I grabbed the smallest slice and ate it, a look of disgust covering my face. She turned and made a face at me before unhooking the chains holding up DT.
The robot brute hovered in mid-air, staring down at his mother and creator. That would be the same thing, wouldn't it? Gaige had wrapped her arms around the bot, tears of joy running freely down her cheeks.
"It's good to have you back, boy!" She said as she pulled back to look at her creation. It seemed to purr at her, which was slightly horrific but sweet at the same time. I flipped the lids of the pizza boxes down and collected the bottles of booze. "Where are you going?" Gaige asked as I made my way up the stairs.
"I said I'd stay with ya while you fixed him." I said, gesturing to the robot. "Besides, I'd rather leave this place better than it started out as." I said before heading out of the shop and tossing the garbage in a nearby dumpster. I heard feet connecting with concrete and saw Gaige running at me, DT in close pursuit.
"You know, you're not that bad of a guy. I figured you'd get bored of me and leave." She said, walking with me back to the HQ.
"Why would I? I always keep a promise." I said, looking down at her. She turned away bashfully, scuffing her sneakers on the ground.
"Well, the others don't really see me as one of them. Except Zer0, he thinks I'm cool." She said as her cheeks turned pink.
"Who cares what everyone else thinks? Do what you want to do." I said as I opened the door to the HQ, stepping aside to let Gaige in first. She nodded her head in thanks before bolting up the stairs.
"I'm back!" Gaige yelled, causing Maya and Lilith to scream out in surprise.
"We need to put a bell on you or something, kid!" Axton joked, ruffling the red-head's hair. She scowled at the commando while he laughed.
"Where'd you go?" Lilith asked, arms crossed over her chest.
"I had to fix Death Trap. He got messed up and I almost had to make him again from scrap!" She said, a slight look of panic flashing over her face. "But Mordy came by and helped me get parts for my baby!" She said happily.
"What? Mordecai actually helped you out?" Lilith asked, eyes wide in shock as she turned to look at me.
"So what? The kid needed help, so I gave her help! You make it sounds like I did something amazing." I growled, leaning against the entryway to the main room.
"Well, he did eat a slice of pizza." Gaige said as she gave a cheeky grin.
"Like that's gonna make me worry." I scoffed, shaking my head at her.
The hype died down as everyone knew that Gaige was alright. As soon as everyone was making their way out of the building and to their own homes, Gaige tugged at my arm lightly. I looked down at her and she smiled at me.
"Thanks for being there for me today Mordy." She said before wrapping her arms around me.
"What is with you and hugging me every five seconds?" I demanded. She giggled at me and I sighed, wrapping my arms loosely around her. "Okay, enough affection." I said, pushing her at arms distance. We both smiled at each other before walking our separate ways. I heard Zer0 give a slight laugh and I snapped my head in his direction.
"You're going soft, man." He said, shaking his head at me.
"Oh, fuck off." I said, throwing him the finger before walking away. I know I look mean and gruff on the outside, but I can be a sweetheart... if I really tried.
~x~x~x~x~x~
Yep... I have no idea where this mushy crap comes from and why it mostly involves Mordecai. Maybe because it's fun to write him like this when he's portrayed as a hard ass in other fanfics... I always have to be controversial.