Rage Fire - The General Way he loves his Husband. 19.

“Now all we need to do is pick up our… pick up our pace. They need that part as soon as possible”

Molly caught and carefully corrected herself. It’d been her bright idea to bring Tatsumi with them as it’d be an overnight trip outside the base

“Yes. We definitely have to pick up our pace. I’m worried about our pace”

“Our pace will be fine. It’s you I’m worried about”

“Don’t worry about me, once we pick up our pace I’ll swap with you”

Molly had become extremely popular on base and not for all the right reasons. She’d made on man cry during combat training, leading to a host of fellow soldiers falling in love with her. The older soldier’s that could be her grandfather all liked to compliment her nice personality and she’d had a butt pat at one point. Thanks to her popularity the woman, He Quan, who was third in charge of the base and seemed to have popped out with no manners now kept Molly working in her office nearly all of the time leaving her still attempting to find some sort of balance. Molly didn’t seem to mind her, and Maki was only really filthy with her as she’d been the cause of cancelling date 3 out of the 6 attempted dates he’d tried to have with his husband since Tatsumi arrived on Paradisi. So far their date total was a whole damn zero… the closest they’d gotten was Tatsumi dropping off a large bag of pastries at the base and Maki hadn’t gotten a single one until after he’d been teased by Qin over his attentive husband.

Smiling happily, Molly giggled as she finally started driving 

“Thanks. All I want to do is my job, I’m too damn likeable”

Maki rolled his eyes 

“I know the feeling. Thanks for getting the diff loaded”

“It’s fine. We don’t get to have all these fancy licences for nothing”

“They seriously picked the best time with it being the weekend”

“Ah, well… they said they could fix it onsite so I said we’d bring a new one instead so we could find the cause of the break. You know, so it doesn’t happen again”

What Molly was saying made sense, but Maki knew what she was really saying. It gave them an excuse to leave base, for him to see Tatsumi, and for him to actually see one of the mine sites being established. The “Fang” and “Gong” series were the mines set to become defunct. All of the new mines had been given the base name of “Instinct” then the standard numbering format after. The “Instinct” mines were all rare earth too, and they were supposed to be what Maki was looking after

“Thanks. We should investigate. For all we know there may be something in the soil or defective with the transport trucks. Once we pick up the pace I’ll think about it”

“I’ve sent the correct documents to your comms. Instinct One inherited some of the Fang series appliances seeing its nearly on top of Fang Five”

“Instinct Eight is the underwater base, isn’t it?”

“Qin personally went out there. He enjoyed it so much he decided we can’t get close”

Fucking Qin. When Maki had arrived one of the first things he’d said had been “I may on the fast track but I believe in a job done right. I’m new here, you guys aren’t and I respect that. You don’t need a bunch of upstart’s stirring shit, so please teach us and we’ll do what we can to help”. Tatsumi had said to be respectful and acknowledge the work of the people already on base. Qin had puffed out and huffed about it. Quan had said they weren’t needed at all. And Shu of the science team had told them that they’d basically be shunned forever seeing their superiors had been there far longer and “deserved” the new projects. Tatsumi had had many late night calls to listen to him about this.

Heading into to the city, Maki gave Molly directions. His heart leaping as he saw his husband standing outside their apartment building with his winter jacket on and backpack over his shoulder. Tatsumi was too cute. He must have been on his way home after work and stopped to do as Maki said. Parking in front of Tatsumi, Tatsumi smiled as he came to the truck door window

“Hello you two. They finally let you out?”

Maki opened the door from the inside, then slid back and nearly into Molly’s lap in his rush to make space 

“Yep, get in”

“Get in?”

“You’re coming for a drive”

“I am?”

“Yep. Hurry up. We’ve picked the pace up”

Molly snorted and undid her belt

“Right, I’ll be in the back. Don’t crash” 

Rather than getting out and walking around, she simply started climbing through to cab to the tray. Tatsumi stood there watching

“Should I ask?”

“I’m finally out and I need my husband’s opinion on things. We’re going for a drive”

“I don’t have clearance”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll drop you before the base and pick you back up… Come on already, I’ve missed you”

Slinging off his bag, Tatsumi opened the truck door properly, then threw his bag to Maki

“I shouldn’t be encouraging this”

Maki placed the bag down in the footwell and patted the spot beside him

“I’m a desperate man here. I was not missing my chance at all”

Climbing into the cab, Tatsumi shut the door and pulled his seatbelt on

“You’re lucky I too am a desperate man. I’ve missed you”

“Don’t even go there. I’ll explain as I drive. We’re headed out to Instinct One, so it’s a nice long drive”

“Isn’t that…?”

Maki grinned happily and a little dreamily as he nodded

“Five hours there. A diff broke so Molly intercepted the call in and we’re taking a new on out there and bringing the old one back for examination. She told them we’d bring a new one up instead of getting them to repair it”

“And you had to pay it personal attention”

“Naturally. We code named you “pace”. So we we’ve been joking about picking up the pace”

“I’m glad I’m that important… it only took a month”

Maki’s stomach flopped. Tatsumi was always important. His husband said he understood yet that only made him feel worse when they spoke 

“I’m sorry. I’m not a very good husband”

“You’re fine. I meant the code name… and maybe a bit about being important. I’m sorry too, I know you’re being treated harshly. Today was shitty”

“What happened?”

“Class stuff. You know how it is. Anyway, are we staying here now you’ve picked up the pace?”

Maki snorted at the code name then sighed sadly. Getting himself positioned properly, the alpha started the transport truck back up 

“No, as much as I’d like to. I thought I’d have moved in already”

“I had the feeling this would happen. It’s alright. Having the place to myself isn’t so bad. It gives me time to work on everyone’s work with the attention it needs, and I don’t have to consider anyone else’s feelings”

“You said the grades were poor”

“I’m doing side tutoring and teaching people to read. We’re so goddamn advanced and then there’s people who can’t write their goddamn names because they slipped through the cracks. I definitely understand Amelia’s struggles more and more. Still, it’s nice out here. It’s like time forgot to drag everyone along with it”

Maki nodded along. Not long after Tatsumi arrived he’d had to cancel his and Li’s unpacking trip to the apartment. His husband was sad at the time, but he’d also been having fun fixing things around the place. Maki had wanted the landlord to, yet Tatsumi decided he wanted to do it himself. The alpha suspecting it was because he no longer had access to his Goliath or Poaw to tinker with

“What’s your approach?”

“We’re doing basics. Save me from myself and talk to me about these mines. What model truck was it?”

Despite supposing to stay in the back, Molly stuck her head threw into the cab

“Do you know about transport trucks?”

“Hey, I thought you were busy now we’d picked up the pace?”

Molly promptly ignored him

“I’m busy eavesdropping. Tatsumi, do you know anything about trucks? Is 250,000 too much to allocate to repairs? That seems an awfully big budget”

“Not really. About 10 years ago… no, it would have been about… seven years ago, Samara had a bitch and there were recalls. It was the HZ line”

“Oh… ours aren’t that line… they’re all Monsoon line”

“Monsoon? Fuck, that’s older than I am. I thought new appliances were being brought in?”

“We got a bunch of old mining stuff from one of the old Fangs. They only had small quartz mines here before and they only use quartz now for cheap inlays”

“They’ve always used quartz for cheap inlays. I’m planning a hiking trip to see one of the old mines”

Maki drew his brow

“You didn’t tell me that”

“You’re busy”

“Can you just go hiking like that? Aren’t there signs and laws?”

“Why not? I went two weeks ago and came back fine”

“You didn’t tell me that! Why didn’t you come to the base? You’ve got your pass. No one’s stopping you from coming by”

“You’re busy enough”

“But you could have come and seen me”

“And done what? I can’t do your work for you”

If Tatsumi had time to be hiking, then he had time to visit Maki on base. The alpha huffing

“You could hang out”

“And do what?”

“I don’t know. Advise me? Help me out? Let me show you off?”

“Where’s my clearance?”

“You have a pass”

“And you’re the one with the career now. I’m simply the husband”

“You’re not just my husband. If I’m struggling to get off base to see you, why can’t you come see me?”

“Because there’s no place for me there?”

“That’s because you say there’s no place for you. I have a place for you”

“I’m your husband and I’m ex-military. If I show up there acting like I’m still a soldier that’s just asking for trouble”

“I didn’t say you have to. But you could come visit. You haven’t asked to see my apartment at all”

“I’ve been busy”

“Busy doing things without me”

“Well what the fuck else am I going to do when you’re too fucking busy to come home after I set up our home and waited for you! Six failed dates and every single time I’m eating the dinner I made for both of us by myself!”

Molly slowly withdrew from between them. Maki none too pleased with Tatsumi snapping at him or that his husband had to snap at him

“It’s not like I want to be on base all the time”

“I know that”

“Then why do you never visit me?”

“I don’t have a place there”

“We could…”

“It’s not your job to make a place for me. My career is in teaching now”

“Do you want to be a soldier again?”

“You know I did. Because of you I stuck out my degree because you said I’d be a good teacher”

“You are a good teacher”

“Then pick a career and stick with it. You’re busy so I’m filling my time in doing things I want to do”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that you’re not liking being there?”

“Because you already know I miss you. What’s going to change? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You need to be available at the base, that’s what matters”

Tatsumi had been happy when they’d made all their plans to come out here. Maki pointing that out 

“You agreed to come here”

“I came because of you”

“Then move onto base”

Tatsumi sighed, shifting away from him

“You’re not listening”

“You’re not listening to me. I know I’m working but you know the stress I’m under”

“I do know. That’s why I don’t see why we have to argue about this. We both knew it’d be like this”

“You still came”

“I did. I’m making the most of it. This planet is really pretty once you start exploring”

“Exploring without me”

“Don’t…”

Maki ignored Tatsumi’s warning

“Don’t what? Be upset?”

“Don’t be upset at me. I can’t storm in there and demand to see my husband so casually. You’ll only cop more shit, like when I tried to drop off food before when I was lonely and hoped to see you. Until you’ve finally got this phase of the mining set up firmly locked in, there’s nothing we can change. How would you like it if I turned up like your mother and told the other kids to play fair? They’d only laugh”

“That… fuck… it wasn’t supposed to be this way! We were supposed to… we planned…”

“You’re being impatient. You’re still finding your feet here”

“And what about you?! I don’t even know what you’re doing”

Molly poked her head back through

“Maki, Tatsumi’s getting used to the planet. Tatsumi, Maki’s getting bullied and stonewalled. You’re both caught up now so no more fighting. Tatsumi, Maki had me pack a tent and a picnic for tonight. He’d been treated awfully at work and if we didn’t pick you up today I think he’d have quit. Even if you’re ex-military you have a really good grasp, so please help him out. Old man Qin is mean”

Tatsumi paused before answering

“Zolloto Qin?”

Molly nodded

“You know him?”

“He’s still alive?”

“And none to pleasant to work for”

“Of course not. He fucked up royally. He sent a hundred men to their death then disappeared. No one would know that out here”

Molly screeched as if they weren’t in enclosed space 

“How do you know that?!”

“I wanted the job teaching military history and because I wouldn’t sign a two year contract it went back to the same lecturer. The Qin family is highly respected and known to forgo feelings in the field. His great great great great…”

Tatsumi paused to count the “greats” on his fingers, then gave up with a shake of his head

“His great something or other grandfather was quite the war legend between the Empire and the Central Administration Alliance. It must have been about 400 years ago. Then again, my time is always off and I think about it differently… but anyway, the Qin family bloodline has always been extra strong and they’ve got permission to live on the third innermost ring. Zolloto gave up his right and about 60 years ago was part of a momentary cease in peace. I said he sent a hundred men to their deaths, and he was reamed in the media over it, but in reality it was always a suicide mission. His family name would have kept his job safe. He’s probably been bounced around a lot since then”

Maki noticed the way Tatsumi came close to saying what the old man had done then stopped. Molly didn’t seem to care 

“Okay… but why send in that many to die?”

“The Empire. It was about that time that the last of their biological weapons were used. Soldiers were fused physically to their mechs, after being enhanced chemically, and left brainless robots. Death was a gift. The men were already dead, with their mechs feeding on what was left. I don’t know that I wouldn’t have done the same. 100 men versus thousands if the tech was transferred to our side. Not that the Empire is clean”

“People suck”

“I’m glad that we’ve all calmed down, though the hunt for perfection is still ongoing. When you’re rich you have it all, when you’re poor you wish you were rich, when you’re poor and suddenly do get money it all goes on living and you go right back to square one. And to think, I was interested in being a guidance counsellor and staying at Rage Fire”

“Then why didn’t you sign on for another two years?”

“Maki might be busy now, but give it a year and things should have settled. He’s worth the wait”

Molly continued on steamrolling through things

“I thought you two were trying for a baby soon. Maki said that when we first moved out here. He was excited about you getting pregnant and building a family soon. He and Li were totally shopping online and making plans, they were both so excited. You shouldn’t have to worry about Maki not being around. Our CO’s are so mean. Other people live off base and get to go home more than we do, Maki especially. Oh. I’m sorry if I’m not meant to know that you guys are thinking of trying for a baby. Maki mentioned it when he told me you two legally married. Congratulations by the way”

“Thanks, I’m pretty happy about. As for everything else… well… There’s no point anymore…. I mean about worrying. It’s not going to happen this year or probably next. Until he’s finally taken seriously everything he does should be on getting work done and setting up a stable flowing environment on base. I’ve got enough suppressants to start on them again”

“That’s so sad”

Maki didn’t know what to think when he heard his husband speaking as if not having a baby was easy to talk about as ordering coffee. He thought Tatsumi wanted a baby? Wasn’t that why his husband moved out to Paradisi so they could work on growing a family while he worked on base? His omega simply shrugged

“Sometime you have to be honest about the situation you’re now in. Soon I’ll be burden to my husband, which makes now the most important time for him to set himself up before that comes to pass and he actually has to use what time he does have chasing after me. Until then I’m going to teach, hike, work out, eat, sleep, and do whatever I feel like from the comfort of my apartment. The apartment we chose is close to where I work, and there’s no stairs. When I go blind, I’ll have memorised everything beforehand. Listen to me talk, today’s too cold to be this philosophical”

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Maki hated what he was hearing. In a month his husband had given up. Tatsumi had tried to sound upbeat when they talked, yet clearly his husband’s depression had come back. He had his friends and Tatsumi had… his comms. Molly now changing topic

“I’ve got the specs for the truck if you want something to read. I can’t guarantee it’ll be entertaining, but I’ve got them here with my paperwork”

“I’ve hit nag mode again. I’m sorry. I’ll be fine, I’m meant to be listening to Maki, not depressing everyone. I’m grateful you and Maki get along so well. He’s told me you’ve had a rough time too”

“I’m fine. It’s like Li says “It’s my own fault for being so likeable”

“You’ve got a point there. If you guys hadn’t chosen a fast track you’d be on your first set of stripes. Living our here makes it much less stressful on the off chance something happens”

“The only thing that happens around here is more paperwork. It’s not even on paper. It just builds and builds on my datapad”

Tatsumi sighed

“I remember those days. Your forms need forms and you’re like why can’t those forms be integrated into the first batch and the system is like not happening”

Molly gushed in agreement

“It’s so frustrating and worst of all there’s no one I can shoot over it”

“If it’s that bad you should just change the system to suit the people using it the most. Link your files on the server. Even if there’s a protest, you weren’t sent out here to remain stagnant and honestly your CO’s want to see you push back. Maki might have been recommended for the course, yet everyone else who wasn’t took it as an option to be here. If you’re going to be leaders then work out your basic needs and where areas are lacking and make the time to talk to those around you. Slowly implement the changes until they become normal practice. I estimate within three year’s you’ll have it right and be completely running the base”

Molly gave a giggle

“You can’t help yourself”

Tatsumi laughed with a nod

“Four years out and I can’t. I should, but I’m proud of you guys and I can’t stop myself”

Maki didn’t like the ugly emotions he was feeling. He didn’t want to keep waiting to try for a family and he didn’t want Tatsumi to keep struggling with his depression alone

“Five years, babe. I don’t want to wait that long to have a family with you”

“Let’s not keep dragging the mood down. The apartment’s convenient and things take time to settle down. Molly, what do you think of the Desolate Belt?”

“The same as everyone else? The money is great”

“Mmm. I told Maki and Li to never take a post out here. I never thought I would be either”

“At least you’re teaching. That can’t be too bad”

A pained expression came across his husband’s face. Damn Molly was getting more out of Tatsumi than he had

“It has it its moments. You’re not letting me change topic easily”

“Only because I don’t want mum and dad fighting again. We live on base and you live outside which makes your life infinitely more exciting”

Maki cleared his throat

“Weren’t you supposed to be staying in the back?”

Molly poked his cheek

“I was until you started fighting. Then I remembered you’d actually gotten married and I had to say congratulations. You chose a good man to marry, Tatsumi’s so easy to talk to”

“Go get your own husband. I’d like to talk to him too, you know”

“I see how it is. Sorry, Tatsumi. I’ve made mum mad. Forgive me”

“It’s okay, Molly. It’s a long drive there and back. We’ll talk properly later”

“If you get bored I’ve got food back here, truck specs, and two bench seats with enough space to squeeze onto”

“You make it sound so appealing. Don’t let me spoil your good time”

“As long as you remembered I offered. Mum, make sure you don’t upset dad again. Call me if you need me”

Molly withdrew back to the tray of the truck. Maki giving her a few seconds to make herself not listen before looking straight at his husband

“It seems we need to talk. Something you want to tell me?”

Looking out the truck window, Tatsumi tried to brush him off 

“Not really?”

“Tatsumi, spill. What the hell have you been hiding from me?”

“Not that much?”

“Tell me. You’re in trouble and you’re not getting out of things that easily. I’m not giving you the chance to say no, so tell me what’s been really going on”