It All Started With Magnets

.31.

Four days later

"Hurry the fuck up, boss!" I yelled it as I bolted through the hallways and corridors. I knew them better now but I wanted to get out, needed to really.

"Can you not run like that?" Hudson called it out from behind me and I shook my head.

"No!" My heart was in my throat. At'kat'vo had finished his moult. When I had talked to everyone that morning they let me know that he would be returning to work in the afternoon and gave me the time and now I was late. "We gotta go!" I knew I wasn't the most active but the way I was starting to breathe hard just from the little bit of running was just embarrassing.

"Come on, Captain!" He was gaining on me and I scowled slightly as he made pace beside me. "Lift those knees! Push it! Push it!"

"I will push you down a flight of stairs if you don't shut up!" I glanced over at him, glaring as I turned the corner quickly and he laughed.

"You're the one who wanted to run. So come on, soldier! Pump those little baby legs!" He was full on laughing at me so I reached over and shoved him mid step but he barely moved over. "You gotta run faster than that!" He did a quick foot movement and turned backwards. "I could run circles around you backwards, soldier! Makes me wonder how you became Captain." He put a bit of an extra bounce in his backwards steps as he did them and I broke into laughter, slowing down to a stop.

"You look fucking ridiculous." I shook my head, pressing my hand to my chest and shaking my head. "And ask Hollister how I became captain cause I dunno." That was a title forced upon me, not one I had chosen for myself. "We're late, I wanna see At'kat."

He stopped, tilting his head with a grin, "Ahhh yes, the space bug."

I pointed at him, narrowing my eyes, "If you call him that I will full force punch you in the dick." He laughed but I narrowed my eyes further. I was dead serious. If he said anything bad about At'kat, I would 100% punch him in the junk.

"Let's go, Aun'Rox" He was still chuckling as he reached over and grabbed the top of my head pushing me to move even as I smacked at his arm in irritation. I had thought that him getting that stick out of his ass would make him more likeable but all that seemed to do was unleash a six-five, two fifty, older brother version of Georgie. Which was just lovely.

I fell into step beside him and he vigorously rubbed his hand on my head, messing up my hair and I yelped, moving away quickly. "Don't you have anyone else to torment?" I quickly finger combed my hair, I knew I needed to redo my bun because of his open palmed noogie.

"Naaaah." He shook his head before he smacked my shoulder. "Let's go, Aun'Rox. We gotta call your space friends." I threw another narrow eyed look at him. He said that but I had also caught him having conversations with them as well, or making comments when I was on the call. Usually it was either to Mare-aidee or to Gal'rug and with Gal'rug it was wanting to talk about the arena and who could enter and what it took to fight a winged horror. Which meant that Gal'rug completely forgave him for the non-verbal 'fight me!' debacle and was close to making a new best friend. Which I wasn't jealous about. Nope. Not at all.

We made it to the exit and I waited while he did his sweep. Shortly after we were back on the ship and I was opening up the comms, excitement flooding me as I heard the pings. I was aware Hudson had moved to stand beside me but I didn't care. The call answered and At'kat'vo was front and center. I squealed with excitement, "At'kat! I've missed you so much, buddy!"

I watched as he clicked his mandibles together as if a bit nervous. "I do apologize for breaking my word. I said I wouldn't moult and then I did." He waved his spider leg fingers and Hudson stiffened beside me.