//------------------------------//
// Recovery and Emotion 
// Story: A Cybernetic Life 
// by AxtontheMechanist 
//------------------------------//

"Told I'd come when you needed me." Zero proclaimed with a confident, yet somehow charming smile that contained a myriad of brightly shining titanium teeth. 

Trixie promptly burst into tears on the spot, her more sensitive side coming to show as tears poured down her well-kept face. Mascara trickled down the magician's cheeks like small, dark waterfalls. It'd be graceful if Trixie's crying face wasn't as bad as it looked now (It was like Jennifer Lawrence in Catching Fire, seriously). 

Zero smiled gently, his aquatic blue irises refocusing gently, camera lenses whirring as he leaned in and wrapped his metal clad arms around the female magician. Trixie immediately got goosebumps from the cold, hard metal that coated Zero like a second skin, but nonetheless continued to cry into the metal humanoid's icy yet warm embrace. 

"I was so w-worried!!" Trixie wailed in between sobs and gasps of air as her mercury and pale blue hair fell across Zero's silvery protective plating. Zero comforted her, hugging back.

"I've survived worse. Like biceps on hooves over there." Zero pointed behind him jokingly at Hammerfist, who grunted in annoyance and rolled his eyes, getting to sharpening his battleaxe; the heavy mithril weapon had taken a bit of a beating and some of it was heavily scratched or blunted from the copious amount of battle the group had gone through. 

Celia, on the other side of the small encampment, was tending to Fenrir's wounds, while Pipsqueak hung out with Tavi and Vinyl; the two agents and the child pirate were chatting amiably and jokingly at what 'secret stuff' Tavi and Vinyl had done over the years. 

"So" Celia smiled, cleaning up an nasty gash on Fenrir's back "You've been a pirate for how long?" curiosity was clear on her face, practically written all over it.

"Around 10 years, since my wife left me. After Pipsqueak was born." He grunted, irritated that he may have to bring up his.... less than pretty past. But his wound didn't really bother him, a mild stinging at the back of his mind. After all, he'd been through worse. Much worse. 

"I was wondering. I mean, you'd always seem brooding or grumpy whenever I brought up your past. But... y'know, sharing can help ease the burden of carrying that." She spoke sweetly, her voice having its usual layer of sugar to it. Not that kind of sugar. You dirty sods. 

Again, Fenrir grunted in annoyance as he said "I'll say it one more DAMN time. I don't. Want. To talk about... it. Especially not to someone I don't trust. And no offence, missy, but I don't trust anyone easily. The only one I trust here is tin can on the other side of the camp; that's cause he saved my life damn near twice and that he's about as trustworthy as my pa on a great day. And that's not even stretching it." Despite his clear annoyance on the subject, Fenrir's admiration for Zero's actions were pretty clear. 

"I know. But you can't keep running away from your past, Fenrir. It isn't right. You understand, right?" Her face now showed concern along her finely chiseled gryffonian face; it made her look rather angelic in the low light of the campfire, her wings snowy white and half open, with her golden eyes focused upon the grizzled pirate. Or rather, ex-pirate or adventurer would seem more appropriate in the current circumstance.

"I..... fine. Ten years ago, a long time I know, I had a wife. Her name was Electra, a mage-folk from Equestria; we met one time when I saved her and the rest of the people off of a sinking ship. She was beautiful... raven black hair that settled just right and silvery eyes. Not blind, some sort of birth gene mutation that made them that colour. Tall, but not lanky. Thin but not skeletal. Just right. She was amazing; witty, charming, smart, you name it, she had it. Until one day.... she became pregnant. Had the baby, Pip. Little Pip. And then... " The middle-aged man's eyes welled as his voice became a whisper "She left. Left because she couldn't handle having a kid. Took most of the money, the jewelry... heck, even sold the house to some rich estate agent bastard."

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty tough guy. But to see a full grown man recount such a heart pummeling story, then dissolve into tears? Damn. It ruins you. 

Celia blinked away some tears, holding him close, comforting him gently. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and upper body, warm and welcoming. Fenrir gently began to sob, his mind and will broken into tiny pieces from holding in that much emotion for nigh on 10 years. For having to stay strong for that long, not just for himself, but for Pipsqueak. 

Pip and the two agents, Vinyl and Tavi, couldn't hear them, lost in their tales of adventure and grandeur. Their faces were bright and full of laughter, a stark contrast to the atmosphere around Fenrir, which was a dark, stormy grey.  

Celia fell silent for a moment, then turned Fenrir's face to her own and quietly said "You are so brave. So, so brave. You've dealt with this burden for 10 years and took care of your son, Pip. And I admire that. A lot." Her gold eyes sparkled with affection and a bucket load of admiration quite literally coming off of her. 

And in that moment... they kissed. And explosion of sensations met the two people's lips and minds as their eyes closed, the two getting much more into it as the lips locked and tongues wrestled together. A blush had spread across their cheeks, red and blooming, not unlike the action of a flower spreading out its petals and flower head. 

They finally parted when Zero began getting everyone's tent set up as Celia and Fenrir held each other; the stormy blue of Fenrir's eyes met Celia's golden and glistening yellow as he quietly whispered, in a hoarse voice;

"Thank you"