"Hello? Earth to Locus." You tapped on his visor after a moment of silence. He stood completely still, seemingly staring at you.
"Seriously, talking isn't that hard. Try it sometime." You were getting annoyed. The dinning hall was due to close in thirty minutes and you had a ten minute walk to get there. By this time of the day there wasn't much to choose from.
"Never mind." His voice sounded familiar, but surely it wasn't him.
"Well, I'm heading to grab some food." He stepped out of your way, "You want to tag along, or?"
"I'm fine." He said, his tone now wavering, his voice almost cracking. You weren't exactly sure his age, but surely he couldn't be going through puberty still. Surely this almighty soldier was past the age of relying on their parents.
"You sure? You got here pretty late and I don't know about you, but personally I think the food they serve you on those ships are absolute shit." You pursed your lips and crossed your arms over your chest.
"I'll be fine." He repeated.
"Alright. You know where to find me then."
From then on, Locus watched you from a far. He knew it was you, but how did you come to this life? You had bigger dreams, beyond anything he could ever imagine. You wanted to travel the world, become successful, have a family. In this life, that was something you rarely came upon. So, what led you here?
"Oh shut up you ass." You poked at Sam's side, eliciting a groan from him as he practically rolled on top of you. Jesus he was the cutest thing when he wanted to be.
"I'm just telling the truth." He had you pinned beneath him.
"How the hell could we travel there? We don't even have that much money. You know how much it costs for one night?"
"I don't, but I'm sure you-"
"It's almost $1600 a night! A night! One singular night! I do not have that kind of cash on hand."
"I think I could work it out if you truly wanted to go there."
"Sam, that's a shit ton of money. I could never ask you to-"
"I want to. It's on your bucket list, correct? One less thing for you to do."
"Are you serious? All for my stupid little list?"
"It's one of your dreams, it's not stupid. Of course, I'd do it for you."
You wanted to cry, of course happy tears. It had never been discussed what kind of money Sam made, but if he was willing to throw out a large sum of cash like this surely he was financially stable. He was the best.
You quickly pushed yourself upwards and locked yourself into a kiss. "How did I get so lucky?" You questioned, a smile tugging at the sides of your mouth.
"I think the better question is, how did I?"
The dream would come to an end soon. Just two months after, Sam broke it off with you. The trip was planned another month after. Maybe he went alone. Maybe he found someone else to go with. It didn't matter. There were just two more things you had to write back into your list. Finding true love, and traveling together.
____
It was an early morning in the late fall. The weather resembling that of the night Locus left you. The air was stagnant, yet fresh. The crisp air bit at your exposed skin, chilling it on contact. You were out from your armor, taking a morning stroll through the facility while everyone else slept. From the windows you could see the sun rising slowly over the hillside, casting rays of red and gold across the sky, mixing together and sending a pink hue into the hallway.
The coffee you had made had cooled, the lines of steam disappearing completely from your glass mug. You felt relaxed. You hadn't felt like this in forever, not completely. This was your morning routine and you knew it well, others knew not to bother you if your paths crossed in the hallways. Some would nod, others would look away and continue on without a word. This was your time.
Though it wouldn't last long. The soldiers would wake, all hungry for breakfast. You had volunteered to help cook in the kitchen and would be needed for serving in an hour. After, who knows what Doyle will want of you. Usually he makes you train the newbies for hours on end until their muscles ached and all they wanted was the release of the dinner bell. Sometimes you would escort various items from past and future missions to their places, walking briskly down the halls with your arms full of "classified" information. Other times you would actually go on missions, though now with this new Locus guy, you didn't go as often.
It bugged you, knowing you were no longer his second in command. Locus was always the first to be called to the war room. He was always first to be given orders. He had even replaced you when it came to simple talks. Before Locus, Doyle would confide in you the things that stressed him out, he'd offer to join you on your morning walks, he was like the family you yearned for. That is, until, Locus took it all away from you.
____
"So (L/N), I hear that you had some past boy trouble." Doyle said casually as you two walked the halls together. He had joined you this morning, staying along side with his own cup of coffee.
"Good to see you're keeping up with the latest gossip." You laughed, sipping your coffee.
"Not particularly. I just heard from the others."
"The others?" You pondered for a moment. "Let me guess, Patrick's told you didn't he?"
"It seems he did."
"That dirty son of a bitch. I swear that's the last time I drink, ever." You shook your head, "So yeah, I had boy trouble. What's it to you?"
"Just wondering. What was his name?"
"You're awfully nosey, Doyle."
"I confide in you my problems, who says you can't do the same for me?"
It was true. Why did he care though?
You looked to the other side, staring blankly out the large glass window at the hills that rolled into the distance. They were no longer covered in vibrant green grasses, instead a lavender white blanket of snow that stretched into the distance.
"I understand if you don't want to-" Doyle started but you cut him off.
"Sam."
"I beg your pardon?"
"His name was Sam."
"Ah." Was all he responded with, waiting for you to make the next move.
"I swore he'd propose, I would have bid everything I owned on it."
"I take it that it didn't end well?"
"He left me. Said I meant nothing to him. Left me on the street corner with no ride home."
"(L/N),"
"-but it's fine. It's the past. I'm here now, and we need to focus on winning the war, not my boy problems."
____
You set your mug down in the recreational room. A pair of soldiers were awake, already huddled around the pool table. The clacking of sticks and pool balls filled the room along with the soft murmur of conversation. If you closed your eyes, it almost felt like you were back home. The sounds heavily resembled the bar you and Sam would frequent, where you spent many nights drinking a bit too much before crashing at one another's apartments.
"Morning Cap." One of the soldiers greeted, entering the room and making a beeline for the coffee machine. "Jesus, do I need this." They groaned, inhaling the sweet bitter scent of the dark cocoa liquid.
"Don't we all?" You let out a sigh that came out as a laugh.
"Sure do. You hear about the big training sesh' going on today?" They asked, placing a new mug underneath the machine.
"Do I ever hear about anything now that Locus is here?" You joked.
"Is that a hint of jealousy, I hear?" They held their hand to their ear, eliciting an intense eye roll from you.
"Is that a hint of disrespecting a commanding officer, I hear?" You sassed back, causing them to uplift their hands in a 'backing off' motion.
"Whoa whoa there tiger. Don't get your panties in a twist." They clicked the button on the machine, earning a loud beeping sound as the coffee poured out. "I hear Locus is holding a big session today. Supposed to be searching for his 'big team'."
"Big team? As if we even have enough soldiers as it is."
"Right? We're losing them by the bunch everyday. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think that Locus guy is as good as everyone says. He never comes back with a full team."
Their voice was considerably lowered now, ensuring that nobody else would listen.
"I've noticed that. I'm sure Doyle would just blame it on my training abilities though. Always does. I feel like the ugly child."
"Insecure now, are we? Of course, Locus is the golden child in Doyle's eyes."
"Oh whatever, you jerk."
"It's the truth!"
"So when is this big training thing? What time?"
"I believe it just started, if you want to go watch."
"No, actually. I'd like to participate."
