Apriltober 2022 19 Seeds

a/n: Wolf the scary trainer by the missions board is now working with Miss Duna Valdileo on the Ma-non ship, organizing a xeno training scheme. If you didn't get that special extra DLC, check the eshop again. They are good and respectful coworkers.

Indulgent OTP fluff.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, and please introduce these two to each other in the port.

When she staggered backwards in surprise, he was instantly beside her, steering her quickly to a nearby bench. "Get me some water," he snarled at the bench's current occupants. The smaller aliens scattered, possibly to get the requested item, definitely to flee his presence.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, but she was breathless and her head tentacles drooped lifelessly around her skull. Her freckles stood out dark against the skin of her shoulders. He looked around wildly for another underling he could bark orders at. Spotting no one, he sat carefully next to her, his hand still on her elbow.

Miss Duna Valdileo was strong enough not to lean against him, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do. Lean on him, hang on him, make him realize how precious he was. She exhaled properly, and turned to look at him. The skin over his eyes was crumpled, twisting the scar that crossed his face. She knew she was worrying him but it had been such a shock. He'd reached into the pocket of his armor and handed her the small packet as if it had meant nothing.

"Are you sick?" he asked her.

"No, no."

"What was it?"

Duna wondered if she would feel a heartbeat if she put her hands against his chest. This was not something she would discover today. She wasn't going to collapse; she had recovered enough that she wouldn't surprise him with all the thoughts that still frankly surprised her. He was hovering over her, and she could feel the slightest vibration, from his hand, from his hip next to hers, from his gaze.

"I was surprised that you had brought seeds. I had expected grown flowers."

Wolf relaxed, but he wasn't convinced. "I guess Hope wasn't clear. She said you two had discussed gardens or ..."

"We had discussed flowers. She was very excited to have me attempt to grow Earth plants."

"So, you Prone don't have seeds? That doesn't track. Didn't you have a pair that carried a tree with them or something."

"We don't carry seeds on our ..." She hesitated. "May I see the packet?"

He had to shuffle to pull it out, from a side pocket where it had been shoved hastily. More than anything, this made it less painful for her. She looked at the envelope with its cheerful photo. The flowers were ruffled and an unlikely orange color, set against fern-like leaves of dark green. They were very unlike the flowers she had thought of a moment ago, tiny and red and growing like a drift of fallen stars.

A Ma-non darted up to them with a bottle of water and dashed away before she was able to give her thanks. Wolf opened it for her and would have held it to her lips but she smiled and managed a normal, healthy sip. The dizziness had passed completely.

"I owe you an explanation. When our warriors go into battle, they carry seeds with them. Here." She dared to touch the pocket of his vest, pressing slightly. "It lets us stay with one another."

Wolf nodded, offering more water. She sipped and he said with recognition, "So a good luck charm. Or a memento. I've seen that with our folks too. Funny how memories can hit you harder than you expect."

"Yes, something like that." She couldn't explain further, how the seeds only grew in the richest soil, how they helped them find the fallen by the small patches of red growing in the spring. She wondered if any of the Tree Clan had an extra packet of offering seeds and whether she could convince Wolf to carry them on away missions. Not that such a strong warrior would fall easily, she reminded herself, but if she were to have to search Mira, she would appreciate the hint.

a/n: This pair is such an OTP for me. He worries that he is too ugly. She longs to be loved. They are both too strong. They have show up in: New Faces, Three Sapphire Horns, August 2021 (Soulmate Goose AU), The Treasure of O'rrh Sim + Xenotober 2020, and many other places.

Next up: Prompt says salsa. I say, sure?