Chapter Text
Aiden took off his helmet, letting his short-ish wavy golden hair flow, he looked up at Apollo as Alicia walked into the test room.
-You did great! The weapons are working exactly as expected, I'll just ask you to leave Apollo with us for a few more days for the final tweaks
-Thanks Alicia, i can't wait to take him out there once he's done
The two of them heard a familiar voice as the door opened one more time
-Try not to take Matt on too many scenic flights, Apollo should handle multiple people but it's still not ideal - It was Liesel, who had been observing the tests with Alicia on the other side
-Come on Liesel, don't act like you don't take Alicia on flights with Hraesvelg all the time - Aiden said with a smirk, Alicia blushed
-Hah, too true - Liesel replied - Either way, i never thought we'd get cruise mode on another Skell this soon
-Well, Apollo is still partially based on Hraesvelg, even if it's mostly inspired by Ares - Alicia pointed out - so we have yet to make a fully original Skell with cruise mode, but I know we can!
-Come on, Leesh, it's still a great achievement - Said Liesel while giving a reassuring look to her “bestie” - Either way, I'm sure we'll finish work on Apollo in time for that exploration mission Elma and Neil were talking about
-Oh, they told you guys? - Aiden furrowed his brow
-Yup, Elma passed here the day after you and Lin did that flight test, basically she said having Apollo ready would help out a lot since they're avoiding using the Ares as to not attract the Ghosts and all - said Liesel trying her best to recall the words Elma used
-Uhhhh, Liesel - Said Alicia - we have to get going, schedule is pretty tight today
-Ah, alright, see ya Aiden! Next time we talk it'll be with a shiny new Skell for you
-Bye, you two! It's been fun!
Aiden changed out of his piloting suit and walked out of the test site when he heard a notification on his phone, it was his boyfriend, inviting him for a walk around New Mira. He quickly accepted and rushed to the meeting spot next to the teleporter that leads to the Ma-Non ship.
-Matt! - Aiden said with a big smile on his face as he quickly walked up to his boyfriend
-Hey sweetie! - Matt put a hand on Aiden's reddish freckled cheek and the other on his waist before going in for a short but tender kiss
-You're so cheesy - Aiden let out a light chuckle while their faces were still close
-Come oooooon, “sweetie” is better than “babe” at least - Matt laughed while resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder
The two laughed a bit more before finishing their hug as Aiden ruffled Matt's wavy brown hair.
-So, what did you wanna do?
-Honestly I'm not sure myself, just felt like wandering around the city and maybe ending the day at a café, it's just been so long since we got to go out together - Matt said while looking out at the city, Aiden's cheeks began to blush again as he looked at his boyfriend's face, the sun hitting his light brown skin, freckled just like his own, his silver eyes shining while looking at the product of the cooperation between humans and Xenos, it really had been that long since the two of them really had the time to be together like this.
-Yeah… I’m glad things have slowed down enough
The couple started walking with no set direction while passing by the residents of New Mira, the main residential building stood tall next to the Ma-Non ship, it’s there that mostly non-BLADEs lived, though the more time that passed, more people joined the organization, especially in the newly formed Builders division, which handled construction. The Builders had been expanding the new shopping district, it still had a couple of tents, but a lot of them had been given the proper infrastructure to operate by BLADE.
-So, how’s Lin doing? - Matt asked as he looked at the Builders working with the shopkeepers - I’ve been too busy to talk with her
-Now that things have been slowing down more i think she’s been doing a lot better, we don’t have that much on our plate since Apollo is almost ready, it’s been good to spend some more time with her - Aiden had a warm smile on his face.
-Gosh I wish I could join in… haven’t been the most present stepdad for her but the whole restructuring of BLADE really has tripled the workload for us Mediators - Matt said with a defeated but joking tone.
-Well we do have that one mission coming up but we’re still waiting for Ken to free up his schedule, Elma told me he really wants to come, plus finishing up Apollo too
-That thing you said about checking out some ruins? - Matt looked at his boyfriend and was met with a nod.
As he began to look forwards again, Matt noticed something unusual.
-Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that Nopon around
-I mean, there’s lots of them
-Yeah, I know that, but their hairstyle and clothing is a bit different from what Nopon usually wear, I feel like I’d recognize them
-Eh there’s probably nothing weird about them, just someone you missed
-Probably
The couple diverted the path towards a café, while the unfamiliar red Nopon headed in another direction. They sat down at a table and ordered their favorite drinks, a cappuccino for Aiden and a hot cocoa for Matt.
-I’m surprised you went decaf this time - Said Matt
-Ah, yeah, I’ve been trying to stay away from caffeine
-Awwwwww, I’m proud of you, you really have been taking it easier since we landed on Harmonia, I’m glad
Aiden looked to the side, a bit embarrassed.
-It’s thanks to you and Lin, really, heck even Elma has been helping
-You gotta give yourself some credit too man, it takes a lot of effort to unlearn all that stuff
-Yeah, that’s true
Time seemed to fly as they chatted about everything that’s been happening in their lives, suddenly it was sunset as they walked out of the café.
-Hey, so tomorrow I wanna check in with the other Mediators to see if I can get a small little vacation before you have to go on that big mission of yours - Matt said as he anxiously played with his hair using his free hand, the other holding his boyfriend’s hand - I was thinking… do you wanna invite Lin so we can have some family time? We can do anything really, watch some movies, cook together, anything
-Of course! - Aiden’s eyes lit up - She’d love to spend some time with you!
-Wait, really? I mean she’s way closer with you, Elma and Al, so i thought-
-I know what you mean, but she still wants to bond with you more, so it’s a perfect opportunity, just lemme know when you have the time, alright?
-Yeah, I’m looking forward to it!
-Same here!
The two walked back to the teleporter before parting ways, Matt had one more job to do for the day while Aiden had to be back for dinner.
-It was fun, I’m glad we finally got to go out like this! - Aiden said as he went in for a hug.
-I love you so so so so much, you have no idea - Matt held him tight and briefly lifted him up, despite them being almost the same height.
-I love you too, sweetie - Aiden smiled as he went in for a goodbye kiss, this time it lasted much longer.
The moon was shining brightly on Harmonia’s skies as they said their goodbyes for the day, it had felt like forever since those two had gone out on a date like this, but that was never going to change how special their connection was.