Crosshair sat perched upon the rocks that overlooked the shoreline. The water glowed golden as the sun started to sink into its depths, and the pinks and purples lined the horizon in shades of color that he had only dreamed of before. Further down the beach, Mayday kicked at the waves as they rippled up to the sand, sending water droplets in all directions, including all over Howzer. He couldn’t hear them, but he could deduce that Howzer was scolding him by the way he was scowling, and Mayday grinned sheepishly.
This dynamic they’ve created works. It was messy at times, all things are, but they were careful and determined. They made the best of the situations that they had been handed and landed in one another’s laps. There was a tyrannical Empire out there, and a rebellion, but they were here on Pabu. They were with family.
Crosshair cocked his head as Howzer claimed a kiss from Mayday’s lips, then laughed at something they exchanged. Their heads turned towards him, and he faltered when they each reached their hands out for him. Wordlessly, he stood and let his bare feet sink into the sand as he descended the beach to them, slipping between them seamlessly as though it was where he was meant to be all along. A smile that had become more and more commonplace tugged on his lips as he leaned into Howzer’s side and let Mayday pepper soft kisses on his cheek.
There had been hard times, some that Crosshair wished that he could trade or forget, but those times gave him the greatest gifts, and they kept giving and giving, and he still had healing to do, but he was well on his way.
The sun was setting, but Crosshair was just getting started.
kiss prompt: 🧡 kissing in bed / lazy kiss / cuddling maycrosswzer 🙏
Okay, I really leaned into the cuddling part of this prompt. There's, uh, definitely kissing, but probably not the kissing that you were wanting lmao
Also this one ended up kinda long? I just ran with it lol
Anyway, I am weak for these three and so are you so lets be weak about them together on the internet.
VERY slight spoiler for the finale for those who haven't watched it yet, but it's like, if you blink you'll miss it.
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Just because their battle was over, didn’t mean that they were free from the nightmares that still plagued their sleep. Even life on the peaceful island of Pabu, waking up to the sound of rolling waves on golden sand, the smell of tropical fruits and freshly brewed caffe, and the warmth of being surrounded by two strong bodies wasn’t enough to chase away the terrors that lingered in the dark of night. Sometimes one of them would jolt awake, take in their surroundings, recognize that this is safe, that they are safe, and fall back asleep.
Other times, like this time, Mayday screamed, tearing his partners from their slumber and on full alert, looking frantically for the danger that was coming for them only to find that the enemy was invisible, all in his head. Not that it made the situation any less scary, especially for Mayday, who screamed louder when Howzer’s hand fell on his shoulder to try and gently wake him.
“It’s no use,” Crosshair said quietly with a frown. “He’s too far in.”
Howzer nodded, agreeing, but they couldn’t just let Mayday suffer. He laid back down, fully prepared for Mayday to reel his elbow back and fight him as he put a firm arm around his middle. A pained grunt fell from his lips, but he didn’t budge, keeping hold of him tightly even as Mayday tried to thrash.
“No! You can’t take him! Crosshair!” Mayday screamed out a sob and fought against whatever invisible force was holding him from getting to where he wanted to be.
Crosshair sighed. Mayday always blamed himself for what happened on Tantiss, for Crosshair being tortured, for losing his hand, later. He blamed himself, even if he rarely vocalized it. The metal on Crosshair’s replacement hand was cool to the touch this early in the morning as he touched Mayday’s cheek, caressed it softly. So much pain was etched into that handsome face, pain that he usually hid so well. He was the backbone of their little polycule, always holding them up, getting them involved in things around the island, insisting that they live their lives to the fullest now that they were free from the Empire’s grasp. It hurt Crosshair to see such a sturdy, resilient man crumble in his arms.
“I’m okay, Mayday,” he told him as calmly as he could. If there was still a bit of panic in his tone, he couldn’t help it, and Howzer didn’t call him out on it. “Mayday, can you hear me? Open your eyes. We’re safe. We’re home, with Howzer on Pabu.”
Another wretched sob ripped from Mayday’s chest as he lurched towards Crosshair, seemingly drawn to his voice, but not quite able to shake the night terror that gripped him like a vice. Tears spilled from his eyes as he pressed his face into Crosshair’s chest.
“You kept him safe,” Howzer whispered in his ear. “He’s alive because of you, Mayday. You saved him.”
In reality, it was half-truth. Crosshair would always insist that Mayday was the one who saved him by forcing him to confront what the Empire was doing to clones and opening his eyes to their malicious intent. However, it was on Tantiss, where they’d found Mayday imprisoned, that Mayday had fought alongside Howzer and the others to free Crosshair from being tortured again.
Howzer’s words sunk in and kept breaking through the restraints that were keeping Mayday in his nightmare. He repeated them for as long as Mayday needed to hear them, until slowly the thrashing ceased, the screaming became silent sobbing, and Mayday was back with them, back in the bed they’ve shared for over a year, back with the partners that he vowed himself to quietly one night last month. No rings, they’d decided, it wasn’t for them, but instead they had matching tattoos that bound them together. It was permanent, something that couldn’t come off while they were washing dishes or tending to the garden that Mayday kept in the backyard, glued to their skin like scars and something they wore with pride and dignity.
“Crosshair,” Mayday rasped heavily, finally allowing his body to relax and lean into the bodies around him. “Howzer…”
“Hey there,” Howzer greeted with a soft press of lips to his neck, the hand around him rubbing small, calming circles into his bare chest. His fingertips grazed the spot where Mayday’s tattoo was, just over his heart, and he could feel the rapid pulse start to slow to something more regular. “It’s okay, we’ve got you.”
“…Sorry,” Mayday apologized pathetically into Crosshair’s chest. Sorry, for making a scene, sorry, for waking them up, sorry, for not being strong enough.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Crosshair soothed and dragged his fingers through the thick hair that was just starting to steak with silver.
Mayday grumbled but didn’t argue, choosing to take the comfort instead of fighting it. That was progress. Before, Mayday would double down and tell them that he should be sorry, that he needed to show constant remorse for what he allowed to happen to himself, to his men, and to them. Crosshair is glad that they’ve come as far as they have. Every small step is a victory, and it took even him a long time to come to terms with that.
He whined a little when Howzer shifted to grab a cloth to wipe his face and hid it again after Crosshair had given him several soft, reassuring kisses on his cheeks. Overall, though, this was one of the tamer outbursts any of them had.
The morning sun started to rise over the horizon, turning the sky outside of their bedroom window a deep shade of red and orange, and it blanketed their bed in a comforting light. It was a reminder that this was real, this was their reality. Soon, the sun will have risen over the water, the birds will start singing, and Batcher will be barking down the beach during her morning walk, usually with Omega, but more recently, Hunter has been the one to get up with her and watch the sun rise over the island. They would go about their days, working, contributing to the island however they could, having dinner with their family, and it was nice. It was real.
“…’M still tired,” Mayday yawned into Crosshair’s chest as they watched the morning roll in.
“Go back to sleep,” Howzer yawned into Mayday’s shoulder. It was true what they said about yawning being contagious.
Crosshair offered them both a soft, understanding smile. It was rare that Mayday slept in. He liked to be an early riser. Howzer was the opposite. This was far too early for him, and he’d only come to bed a few hours ago.
“I have watch,” he said, running a hand through Mayday’s hair, then Howzer’s, who kissed the back of it as he pulled away. “Get some more rest.”
As they drifted off, he heard Mayday murmur a quiet, “Love you.”
Howzer’s reply was much sleepier and more garbled, but Crosshair could only assume the sentiment was returned, because Howzer pulled him a little closer buried his nose in the crook of Mayday’s neck. Long after he knew they were both asleep and the sun was now fully exposed above the sea, Crosshair gazed upon them and breathed a sigh of contentment.
This dynamic between them is new. Loving Crosshair is easy, something they’re both old hats at despite the short time they’ve individually been with him, but between them, Mayday and Howzer, they’re still taking baby steps. Having three clones in a bed isn’t hard, because clone culture is piling brothers into one bed and reassuring one another that they made it. This, they’re used to, even if it’s been a little while since any of them have had a squad, but it’s easy enough to fall into the same patterns as they had during the war.
Affection, however, is newer. Falling in love with one another? It’s hard, but not as hard as Howzer expects it to be. Mayday is kind, compassionate, loud, mischievous, and there’s something about feeling the coarse scratch of a beard on his skin when they lay tangled in the sheets, but the romance between them is slow.
So, it comes as a little bit of a surprise when Mayday wanders into the kitchen mid-afternoon several weeks into settling into their shared home on Pabu and steals a kiss from his lips, quick and chaste, as though it’s the most normal occurrence. Howzer gasps, partly because it’s so quick that he doesn’t get to reciprocate, but mostly because Mayday is smiling at him sweetly.
“What? I can’t kiss you?” He asks, but Howzer can see that he’s purposely trying to sound teasing, because he’s afraid that he really can’t, that he’s stepped over some line.
Howzer leans up and returns the kiss, a little harder, a little longer, and he grins with something giddy in his eyes when Mayday chases his lip. “You can always kiss me.”
