Edsel Aguilar (a.k.a. Dark and Stormy (though he doesn't know that yet)), who went by Eddie for obvious reasons, believed he was generally a good person. He worked hard, never complained, had served on the right side of the war, and believed it was always better to be kind than cruel. He'd gone the medical route when he joined the military because he wanted to focus on helping instead of hurting as much as possible. Not that he's been able to escape having to hurt on occasion, but overall, he thinks he's managed a good balance.
He's a decent person.
So he's not sure why he's being made to suffer like this.
As a senior medic he's in charge of setting up the Level 17 clinic and it's not supposed to be this hard. He literally just needs to do a quick inventory and flip a few switches and he'll be done with it.
Instead, he's been stuck here for an hour because someone, who he knows very well but he doesn't like that fact at the moment, thought they knew better than someone else simply because of what uniform they used to wear.
Never mind they all wear the same one now.
Now, because Pritchard has an ego and a chip on his shoulder the access panel is cracked open, there's a hundred wires hanging out, and now that ridiculously attractive idiot from the bar, who'd their fucking first Officer apparently, is here and Eddie just wants to be left alone to bash his head against the wall in peace.
All of this had started because the access panel hadn't registered Eddie's handprint and that had turned into pulling everything apart. It had probably just been a glitch, but Pritchard was always trying to be useful even when he didn't know what he was doing and then this guy neither of them knew but had a small Federal pin half hidden under his collar, had warned them against fucking with the panel which pretty much guaranteed that Pritchard was going to yank it off.
And then he had.
And then that guy had called them stupid.
And then a crowd had gathered, and someone called the First Officer and now Eddie was stuck.
Evan Angel, who he feels stupid for not recognizing last night, was well known on both sides of the war. First Officer to the only undefeated Captain on either side and the man who'd led the successful infiltration and capture of the Europa Moon Base.
That had been a fucking inspired moment of tactical brilliance that even the Republican side had recognized.
And now he's here, looking at the mess Pritchard made of the access panel and letting out a low whistle.
"Wow. This is uh…" The crowd is a mix of both sides and Angel seems to realize that because he clearly stops himself from saying the first thing that came to his mind. "So what happened?"
"They ripped off the access panel." The former Federal who tried to stop Pritchard from fucking with the panel pipped up.
"We're fixing it!" Pritchard snapped, starting to turn red.
"You don't fix things by breaking them worse!"
Angel stepped between them before things could escalate further. "Alright, alright. Both of you back up."
Pritchard turned redder and Eddie's hand snapped out, grabbed him by the back of his uniform and hauled him back before he could say something that got him in even more trouble.
Angel's not even paying attention to them. "Can you fix it, Billy?"
Billy's already pulling tools out of the kit hanging over his shoulder. "It's going to take a few. Have to replace the panel too."
Angel turns to the crowd. "Anyone free to go grab one?"
It sounds friendly enough, but none of them, including Eddie, are stupid enough to think it's a question.
A hand flies up at the back. "I got it, Sunshine."
"Thanks, Tank."
Angel gives whoever that was a bright smile and for a moment, it's painfully obvious where the nickname came from.
Eddie's honestly distracted for a second.
Seriously.
What the fuck?
If Eddie'd had that smile aimed at him in a fight, he'd probably lose.
Well, okay, maybe he wouldn't lose completely, but he'd definitely be distracted enough to get injured.
Why does it have to be attached to the enemy?
"Think you could at least get the door open so the medics can get on with it?"
Oh god, he's trying to make Eddie's life easier.
Eddie might be in love.
Billy's nodding too and it only takes a few seconds, a couple of wires, and a handset and the door to the clinic slides open.
Eddie practically throws himself inside. He's lost an hour because of that stupid panel and Pritchard, and he'll be damned if he's the reason they don't launch on time.
He turns on the equipment he needs to check to give it time to warm up and brings up the inventory list on his tablet.
There's shuffling in the hallway and voices he ignores as he starts, but when he turns around there's a big thing he can't ignore standing in front of locked medicine cabinet he needs to get into.
This smile is less sunshine and more sun peeking out behind clouds.
Shy. It's shy. Why the fuck is he suddenly trying to be a poet?
Eddie stares at him and Angel stares right back and because Eddie's an awkward fuck whenever it comes to his personal relationships all he can think to say is, "You're in the way."
"Oh, sorry!" Angel's quick to move, a flush appearing across his cheeks. He stepped aside to let Eddie at the medicine cabinet, but he didn't actually move to leave. Just started poking and fiddling with things while Eddie counted pills.
"Did you need something, sir?" It felt a little weird to call him sir. Eddie was pretty sure he had a couple years on Angel, who's rise through the ranks had been more of a catapult alongside Fearghail's. There were a lot of them among the former Republicans who thought he'd just benefited from having a friend in the right place. Riding her coattails, they said.
Eddie's reserving judgement.
The Europa Moon Base was inspired and anyone who could come up with that was no fool.
~ tbc