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Angus’ first away mission had been everything he’d dreamed it would be. Sure it had started off rocky, with his haywire nerves and motion sickness working together to empty his stomach right after their cannonball landed, but after that it had been smooth sailing. Investigating was so much easier when you had a rogue sneaking around, getting the information you couldn’t find alone, and a warrior standing beside you, ready to threaten and punch anyone who wouldn’t talk. Carey and Killian were an unstoppable duo, and Angus liked to think he fit in perfectly.
They did have a bad habit of treating him like a kid (“Angus, you are a kid,” Killian had pointed out, on multiple occasions) but their kind of gentle ribbing and patronization was a nice change from the stuff he usually got from the Reclaimer trio. Plus, they bought him ice cream afterward, and he was definitely not too old to get excited over that.
By the time they’re in the cannonball back to the moon base, Angus is half asleep, but still buzzing with some kind of energy. He leans back in his seat, still upright enough, as per safety protocol, and listens to Carey and Killian making easy conversation from up front. He’s only half paying attention when Carey chuckles to herself.
“What do you bet the boys are waiting at the hangar for Angus to get back?” He perks up immediately.
Killian snorts. “Taako is definitely there, no questions.” Angus scrunches his nose, tamping down a yawn.
“I don’t think so, ma’am. They’ve got better things to do.”
“What? They’ve probably been worried sick about you all week.” Carey turns around to poke him in the ribs, where she discovered he was ticklish day one. “They barely wanted to let you leave.”
“I dunno…” Angus thinks back to the hangar a few days back. “It was more like they told me not to fuck up a bunch, and then Magnus noogied me until I got a headache.” He rubs gingerly at the still present bruise on his head. Kilian watches sympathetically.
“Yeah that sounds like their kind of caring. But think about it, why else would they have even been there to see you off?”
“Yeah!” Carey chimes in. “They never come see us off, or anyone else.” Angus flushes a little, swinging his legs under his seat. He wanted to believe that, that the men really liked him that much. He knew they did care, that much was obvious from circumstantial evidence, but feeling it was different.
They’re just entering the hangar now, and Carey and Killian are looking eagerly out the front window. Angus can’t see much from behind them, but Carey points it out to him.
“There!” She triumphantly points a few doors down, where the trio of Reclaimers are loitering around, looking casual, or at least trying to. Angus can’t contain the flutter in his chest.
“A-are you sure they don’t just have their own job to go to?” he asks to satisfy the pessimist in him.
“Kid, if you can’t see those boys have a soft spot for you by now, I just might have to question your detective skills.” Killian leans back to Angus, a gleam in her eye. “Actually, I’ve got an idea.”
The three men are indeed attempting to look very casual, as much as they can hanging out in a giant hallway filled with cannons with no intention of leaving. Magnus has struck up a conversation with Avi about moon weather or something equally benign. Merle is looking over his Extreme Teen Bible, half-assedly pretending to actually read it. Taako’s just chilling, and as such he’s the one who spots Killian first, carrying a small lump in her arms.
“Oh my god, Taako, Merle, do you guys know any healing? Angus is really hurt!” The reaction is immediate.
“What?!” Magnus yells.
“Yeah, on the way back, he gotten bitten by… by a thing.” Carey bounces anxiously on the balls of her feet, as Taako proceeds to flip the fuck out.
“Oh my god, Merle! Make yourself useful for once!”
“What? Why me?”
“You’re the cleric!”
“Is he gonna be okay?” Magnus asks over top of them. Killian gave him a worried look.
“I dunno. We looked away for a second, and he, he got bitten by a, what was it called?”
“A henway,” Carey adds.
“What’s that?” Taako asks, turning to the man beside him. “Magnus, Magnus you like animals, what’s a henway?”
“About 2 pounds, sir,” Angus chimes in, opening one eye to catch their confused faces. He smiles sheepishly, outshone by the two women beside him, who start beaming as the realization sets in.
Killian bursts out into heavy laughter, chucking Angus in the air and catching him. “I told you! They were so worried about you! They care!”
“You guys like him~” Carey singsongs in their direction. Magnus and Merle have settled into dissatisfied frowns, but Taako still looks confused, mouth hanging open.
“I’m okay sir!” Angus stretches out as much as he can while still in the orc’s arms. “It was just a joke, you know, like when you steal my books, or dump food on me…” Taako closes his mouth, brow furrowing. Angus is nearly afraid, but then Taako smiles up at him, and now he’s definitely afraid.
“…Killian, hon, why don’t you put Angus down for a second.” Kilian doesn’t buy it either. She holds him closer.
“Nope.”
“Killian give us back our boy, I need to murder him.” Angus squeaks, grabbing on to Killian’s shirt.
“Noooope.”
Merle pipes up from below. “I’ve got a healing spell ready, we can mess him up good, no consequences.” Angus laughs, but fearfully, not meeting the dwarf’s eyes. Kilian takes the hint, and shifts the boy to sit up on her shoulders.
“Nope, this is our boy now. I’m taking away your boy privileges” She starts walking backwards through the hangar. Magnus walks forward, and she turns around and starts running.
“Killian you return our dead boy to us at once!”
Killian gives a hearty laugh, and Carey is running beside her matching it, and Angus is laughing too. He’s laughing and terrified and the boys care about him and he’s not going to survive the night, and somehow, he’s okay with that.