After The Helmet Comes Off

Ch. 2

Landing the ship near the trading yard, Dyn asks you to stay back with the kid.

"Sure." You grin at the baby as he holds his ball up to you, asking you to see the new shiny toy. You pick him up, oohing and aahing at the ball for his amusement.

Dyn lets you press a quick kiss to his lips before he exits the ship. Entering the yard, he begins to look at the various ships in their different states of repair. He stops at one a little bit smaller than The Razor Crest, with a few scratches across the side. Nothing serious, but hopefully a bargaining point.

"Looking for a new ride?" A voice asks. Dyn turns around to a woman in mechanics clothing.

"Something like that." His naked voice still feels foreign to his ears.

"Got something to trade?" She wipes her hands on the front of her slacks, leaving oily black trails on the brownish fabric.

"The one over there," he turns slightly towards the ship. You and the child are playing by the entrance of the Razor Crest. He looks back at the woman.

"Gotta get your wife and kid somewhere?" She asks.

"Uh—Something like that."

The woman smirks at him, "This one..." she runs her hand across the most prominent gash on the metal, "well, with its damage on the outside, it still flies pretty well."

"Can I see the inside?"

She nods, leading him into the ship, "the two rooms take up most of the interior, but the cockpit is still roomy enough for two adults and a small kid."

He nods along, asking the occasional question.

"And down here, there's storage. Not a lot, but it works for light traveling."

It was clean and something the Guild and others wouldn't recognize. Better for a complete escape from the life he's led and better to start a new one where you and the kid would be safe.

"Would you like to see the Razor Crest before we work out a deal?"

••

The woman agrees to trade ship for ship, throwing in a few credits and supplies for damages to the new ship.

"Pack up your stuff, we're going to be switching ships," Dyn says to you.

"Why?" You clutch at the kid, his little fingers reaching between you two.

"I want to—" he pauses, "restart our life. Move onto a new planet. Permanently."

You smile, handing him the kid, "Watch him. I won't take too long."

Packing up the few things you owned, you look around the ship for a few minutes before meeting them outside.

"Ready?" Dyn asks. The child looks up at the two of you, ball in hand. The kid makes grabby hands at Dyn, who picks him up.

"Yes," you hold out your hand to Dyn. He stares at it before looking back at you.

"C'mon," you make a grabby hand to him. He finally takes your hand, intertwining your fingers. You bump shoulders occasionally as you walk away from the past.

**

"So, where are we going?" You ask him from the copilot seat. The kid plays with a ball on the floor, moving it high above himself before letting it drop down and catching it.

"Nepoz," he looks over at you.

"Nepoz... I've never heard of it."

"It's far away from the Guild."

You nod, understanding, "What are we going to do?"

He doesn't answer right away, "We'll... build a home and then go from there."

Reaching over, you take his hand in yours, "Okay."

**

Landing in a town on Nepoz, Dyn made quick work of selling the ship to get money for supplies and a ride out of the village

"We don't need the ship anymore," he had explained.

"Are you one-hundred percent sure?" You asked nervously. What if we needed a quick getaway?

"We are safe here." He had assured me, his hands on your arms, rubbing soothingly. You believed him. His brown eyes gentle and genuine.

Gathering up the child, who had fallen asleep while Dyn negotiated with the locals, you head off in the wagon he's bought from a local. You leaned up against his chest in the wagon, the child swaddled in a blanket in your arms. The little guy yawns in his sleep, cuddling closer to your chest. Dyn's fingers brush against the babies' fuzzy ear affectionately. You smile, your fingers brushing against his.

**

"I got a temporary shelter from the market," he says as you both begin to unload the wagon. Dyn starts to set up the shelter as you gather firewood. The child hugs your leg, babbling.

"You hungry, bub?" He continues to babble, "Yeah? Should we ask Daddy what he bought?"

Dyn is putting away the last of our stuff, "Here." He hands me a can of something.

"Is this what you want?" you ask the little guy. He grabs at the can looking up at you expectantly.

**

The kid falls asleep with a full belly. Laying him down in the shelter, you head back out to the fire and sit down next to Dyn.

"The kid asleep?" he pokes at the fire with a stick.

"Yes," you stretch out your legs, "I think we should think of a name for him."

"Yeah?"

"Calling him the kid can't fly if we're going to start a new life. We have to seem like... we're his parents. And a parent usually names their kid."

Dyn grins, "No one's going to believe we made him."

The darkness and the firelight hide your blush, "No, but even adoptive parents call their kids by their name." Silence kills the conversation, the sounds of the wildlife quietly hum.

"How about Kou?"

You glance over at him, "Kou..." You test out the name.

"Childhood friend." He continues to tend to the fire.

"I like it." You brush your fingers against his lightly. Dropping the fire stick, he pulls you closer, draping his arm around your shoulders.

"Do you think you'll be happy here with the ki--Kou and... me?" he asks.

You smile, "I've been happy with both of you this entire year. Nothing's really changed."

He tries to hide his small smile by pressing a kiss to your temple.