Vault Hunters, Crimson Raiders, and Civilians alike knew there was something bothering Krieg. The man had been oddly quiet the past few weeks, leaving without warning and coming back visibly agitated. He’d shuffle off to his living quarters, grumbling and scaring away anybody who came close to him.
One medic in particular was worried about Krieg. Thus far, they’d been the only one that Krieg didn’t mind getting patched up by. Usually he’d snap and laugh at the others’ visible fear, but not them. They ignored his cackling and incoherent threats and managed to patch him up, causing him to go silent in surprise.
And so, they became his unofficial doctor, patching him up after he’d take too many hits, scolding him for not being careful, and occasionally drugging him when he’d gone too long without proper sleep.
Lately, though, Krieg had been avoiding them. He seemed too busy or too absentminded to visit them. And when they came to his door, he was simply never home.
It had been one of those nights where the medic couldn’t sleep, nightmares and memories of fallen friends, family, and comrades blurring together. They wrapped up in a cozy blanket and made their way towards Krieg’s small home, walking past to sit at the edge of the floating city.
At one time, they both sat there, looking at the stars and sharing stories. Krieg wasn’t so difficult to understand when it was calm and peaceful. His thoughts didn’t line up with his words, that much was obvious, but they did figure out what he meant.
Krieg heard his little medic walk past his door and straightened in his chair, having cleaned off and found a mostly clean pair of pants. He blinked and looked down at his hands, rolling a small item in his palms before standing up and slipping the item into his pocket. He stood up and slipped on his mask, slowly stepping out
They glanced up when they heard the door creak open and smiled slightly. He shuffled over and sat down beside them, his long legs dangling over the edge. They smiled and scooted closer, offering a part of their blanket.
He blinked and grinned, easily pulling them to sit between his legs and holding them close to his chest. They rolled their eyes and shifted, their fingers fidgeting with the blanket as they adjusted it over their laps.
Krieg let out a deep breath and visibly relaxed, slouching over them and resting his chin on the top of their head. They smiled slightly and patted his arm around their waist, relaxing into him.
They broke the silence by asking, “So, what have you been up to?”
He shifted slightly and tightened his grip, slowly saying, "Spilling blood, stealing loot, finding shinies for my pretty."
They nodded and squeezed his hand, glancing down. "Oh, um, what did you find for me?"
He removed one arm from their waist and slipped his hand into his pocket, fidgeting for a moment before pulling his hand out and keeping his hand closed. "No sharing!"
They smiled and gently squeezed his hand, looking up at him. "I promise to keep it to myself."
He eyed them for a moment, his one visible eye glancing over their face before he held out his hand, slowly uncurling his fingers. He shifted in his spot and tightened his grip on their waist as they slowly lifted the necklace that looked far too dainty to be in his hand.
They looked over the silver chain and smiled at the flattened piece of metal, running their finger tips over the beautiful gems. The metal piece had been shined and smoothed down into the shape of a buzzsaw blade. Rubies were firmly pressed into the metal in each of the blunt spikes with a larger piece of ruby in the center.
They smiled widely and held it up, the moonlight glinting off the rubies. "This is beautiful! I love it, Krieg! Is that what you've been working so hard for?"
He grinned widely and hugged their waist tightly, his chest rumbling against their back as he laughed. They laughed and carefully slid on the necklace, adjusting it so it sat right under the collar of their shirt. He continued to laugh and fell back, pulling them on top of his chest.
They yelped in surprise and gripped his arms, their blanket getting tangled in their legs. "Krieg!"
He simply laughed, holding them to his chest. He was incapable of verbally saying it in a kindly way, but he silently swore to always protect them. He'll always protect what he cares for most.
