Chapter Text
Nexus sat in Falconer's lap, watching as he worked on his drone, looking between his gauntlet and changing tools as needed. She adjusted some, flipping to the next page in her book as she twisted her legs over his. He adjusted his arms around her, supporting her head on his arm.
They relaxed in the quiet camp, Tracker out with his pack of hounds and Berserker and Cascade who knows where. Falconer wanted to clean his drone, but also didn't want Nexus potentially getting into trouble. The planet was dangerous to humans, even with their presence. She'd promised she wouldn't wander off and while he trusted her, he was still unsure.
Besides, her hips still hurt from last night. Tracker was rough with her, leaving more deepened claw marks on her hips. She'd barely left the tent in the past week, the only reason she knew how long it'd been was because she'd asked Falconer how many days had passed when he'd bathed her again.
Falconer had showed her a few hidden controls of their tent, showing her how to make a few portions of the walls turn transparent. The tent wasn't as empty as she'd assumed, one cornered off section was a chilled storage full of meat, near several almost-seamless cabinets of supplies and the occasional fruit. They'd apparently stocked up on more fruits for her and a burner for her to cook strips of meat.
Honestly, it was almost sweet. The past week was more fun than she'd admit out loud, getting fucked every which way by the two. Falconer was far more attentive out of sex, making sure she slept adequately and ate between bouts of sex. He'd fucked her in the bath, too, of course, unable to only clean her when she had the energy for it.
She took a deep breath, enjoying the warmth of his body and the fire not far ahead of them. Despite it being barely before sunset, they'd started the fire. She was happy for the light, not quite sure what they did for lights at night. The tents seemed to have their own lighting, invisible strips of light that could be dimmed or brightened as necessary, but that was on the inside.
All of their technology was amazing, she couldn't deny that. Falconer was more than happy to explain what he could, summarizing that Yautja technology was far more advanced than humans'. It made sense, given they'd achieved space flight at a rate humans were struggling for. This planet was so far from Earth, so far from home.
Nexus couldn't deny she missed home, curled up in his lap, holding this book that he'd given to her. She didn't want to know where he'd gotten it, but she did miss home. Her parents would surely notice her missing soon. Hopefully, within some time, they would give her some way to call home.
Falconer purred deeply, one gentle claw tilting her chin up. "Nexus?"
She blinked up at him. "Yes?"
He stroked his claw over her cheek slowly. "You have not changed pages for a long moment, do you want a different book?"
She shook her head, smiling softly at him. His bright eyes were full of worry, his other hand holding her tighter to him. "No, this one's fine. I was just wondering if - "
A squeal interrupted her, both of them snapping their heads towards the noise. Cascade darted out of the tent, long hair free flowing. She glanced around quickly and dashed towards Nexus and Falconer.
Falconer tensed against her, a low growl escaping. Nexus pressed herself more against him, looking at Cascade as she stood behind Falconer. A low, deep growl echoed across the distance of the ground.
Berserker stood, body dripping wet and only in his loincloth. He growled at Cascade, claws flexed. "You," he pointed one dangerous claw at her, "will get back inside."
Cascade licked her lips, shifting in her spot. "No."
Nexus glanced between them quickly before asking, "Cascade, what the hell is going on?"
Berserker growled at Nexus, earning a growl from Falconer in response. Cascade huffed. "He wants to stab me with that big fuck-off needle! No!"
Falconer relaxed, rubbing her side slowly. "Ah, it is nothing to worry over."
Cascade squeaked when Berserker started stalking towards her, taking off to the far side of the large bonfire. "No! And don't tell me it's 'nothing to worry over'! That's a big ass needle and it's scary!"
Berserker watched her closely, his red eyes reflecting the fire. "It's small enough for humans!'
She glared, bare toes curling in the dirt. "No. It's big and it's scary, get a smaller one."
Nexus could see Berserker's legs tense from her angle, but Falconer returned to his drone, putting it back together. He seemed completely unbothered, using his claws to pinch parts back into place and wipe away grime. Still, Nexus couldn't tear her eyes from the show ahead.
In a show of impressive strength, Berserker leapt right over the massive fire. Cascade barely managed to scramble away, squealing again. She kicked up dirt behind her, scrambling out of reach. She ran from him as he stalked towards her.
Three of her steps barely made up for one of his, but he didn't seem too intent on actually catching her. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the chase she was giving him. She barely kept out of reach, her long hair sliding through his claws on several occasions.
She tried to move behind Falconer again and squealed when Berserker, seemingly having had enough, caught her with a strong arm around her waist. She squealed, laughing as he held her up.
He growled softly down at her, holding her close to his chest. "I will ensure you cannot walk for many cycles, mate."
She giggled breathlessly, holding onto his arm. "So, I win?"
Glaring harder, he turned to walk into his tent. "No."
Cascade squeaked when he tossed her over his shoulder. She shot Nexus a wide grin, waving quickly. "Love you, Nexus!"
Nexus smiled slightly, shaking her head as the door closed behind them. Falconer nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head. "What were you asking, little mate?"
She glanced up at him. "What was Berserker talking about? What was he injecting her with?"
Falconer waved his hand. "It is medicinal, to prevent illness here. Nothing serious. Brother does not explain things well."
She nodded, settling back down and going back a couple paragraphs in her book. "Apparently not."
He nodded and rested his arms down, wrapping them around her to tap at his gauntlet. "Want to find Tracker?"
She smiled slightly. "Sure, how does this work?"
He sat up straighter, his purring resuming. He easily moved her for her back to be against his chest, his gauntlet in direct view. She relaxed into him, happy that he didn't bring up her previous questioning. She'd bring it up later, after she got a proper talk with Cascade.