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The medical staff is already attending to Hayato when Musashi brings the Bear in for a landing. He’d gotten banged up pretty bad in that last fight with the Invaders, and though he insists it’s nothing lethal, Musashi has learned that she can’t trust her teammates to be honest when their life is being threatened. Too much bravado, too much willingness to die for the cause.
Not that she’s any better.
She hauls ass to the Jaguar to get a look at Hayato herself. She makes it at the same time as Ryoma, who apparently had the same idea. Together, the two of them watch Hayato be hauled away on a stretcher, the sheet covering his body already staining red with blood.
Ryoma clicks his tongue. “That guy… Always has to be so cool.”
“We got him home.” Musashi shrugs. “It’s out of our hands now. Besides, he’s a toughie. He’ll make it.”
“Of course he’ll make it. I just wish he could admit when he needs a hand.”
“Right. Because you’re so much better about that.” Musashi grins, putting a hand on Ryoma’s shoulder. “Remind me who had to be cut out of his cockpit with a circular saw last week?”
That gets a laugh out of him. “Yeah, yeah. I still remember the head wound that had you passing out the second you landed. Took twice as many people to get you to the infirmary.”
She pats her stomach. “This bulk is what lets me stand up to the punishment you and Hayato shrug off, ya freaks of nature!”
“Yeah. Not so bad when you’ve got your own built-in airbags.”
The two of them laugh together, and Musashi counts that as a win. It’s always stressful when one of them needs a medic after a fight, but while Musashi knows she isn’t half the warrior her teammates are, she takes pride in keeping their spirits up and their ire pointed at the enemy. Let her be the unsung hero in the background, and let the boys get the glory. She doesn’t need it.
“Musashi!” Michiru runs into the hangar, making a beeline right for her. She wraps her arms tight around Musashi’s arm, tugging slightly. “Are you hungry? I made your favorites!”
Yeah. She doesn’t need the glory. She already gets the girl.
“I’ve always got room for your cooking, Michiru~” She says, letting herself be led away from Ryoma. She turns her head back to him for a moment. “We’ll go check on him once the docs are done with him.”
Ryoma just rolls his eyes, managing not to pout as Musashi’s girlfriend pulls her away.
A couple of years ago, back when Getter Robo was still fighting the Dinosaur Empire, it was a common joke how unfair it was that the Saotome Institute had only one girl to however many hundred guys (itself a situation borne in no small part of systemic sexism in the scientific community). After Musashi came out and everyone got it through their heads that she’s a woman, the joke shifted to be about how unfair it was that there were two girls at the Saotome Institute and they were both gay.
There are more than two girls at the Saotome Institute now, though that hasn’t been much help for Ryoma or Hayato’s love lives.
“You sure you don’t want me to clean up first?” Musashi asks as Michiru leads her to the residential sector. “I worked up a sweat out there.”
“Don’t you dare~.” She warns with a smile.
Musashi knows what it means when Michiru sits her down on the couch and starts bringing food to the shorter coffee table as opposed to the proper dining table in the kitchen. But she says nothing as Michiru brings in platters of food. Steak, beignets, salsa, vegetable tempura, hummus, scalloped potatoes, and even a spinach quiche. Musashi’s mouth waters at the spread, and Michiru’s grin widens as she watches her girl savor the first bite.
“You spoil me so much!” Musashi comments between bites, every dish cooked to perfection. Risking her life in the Getter always works up an appetite, but it’s all worth it to protect this. This woman. This perfect woman. “I’m serious, Michiru. You’re my dream girl.”
Michiru sits next to her, leaning against her on the couch, and takes a bite herself. She doesn’t have Musashi’s appetite, but she can agree with her assessment. She’s a damn good cook.
“So…” Musashi says as her eating slows down, “...do you wanna talk about it?”
Michiru looks up at her. “Talk about what?”
“Come on, Michi. I know you cook when you’re anxious. Not that I’m gonna complain about a feast like this, but it tells me that something’s eating at’cha.” She wraps an arm around her. “If you don’t wanna talk, you don’t have to. But I’m here for you either way.”
She sighs and snuggles closer, finding her happy place wrapped in Musashi’s strong, protective arm, with her cheek pressed to Musashi’s soft, comforting bosom. She wraps an arm around Musashi’s middle, rubbing her hand up and down her girl’s stomach. “...It’s Dad.”
“He’s not sick or something, is he?” Musashi’s pretty sure Dr. Saotome is the type to keep his illness a secret so no one tries to stop him from working. But Michiru shakes her head.
“It isn’t that. It’s the Getter Rays. Dad and Dr. Stinger and Dr. Cowen have been studying them for years now, and at first it seemed like it was fine. But I think I just didn’t notice what was happening.” Her hand trails down until it finds Musashi’s and squeezes it for comfort. “They’ve been acting stranger with each passing day, like they’re obsessed. Maybe even possessed. Sometimes I hear Dad talking in his lab like he’s speaking to someone, but he’s all alone in there. It worries me.”
“Probably pretty easy for those brainy-types to get obsessed with Getter when they’ve seen what it can do.” And it isn’t like Musashi hasn’t noticed Dr. Saotome becoming more standoffish and irritable lately. She had just chalked it up to stress over the Moon Wars. The Invaders are a much more impersonal threat than the Dinosaur Empire or the Hyakki Empire had been, and more powerful too, standing up to not just one Getter Robo, but the entire Getter Army. “But if you think this is something deeper… Well, you know your dad better than any of us.”
“Sometimes I’m not sure I know him at all…”
Musashi hugs her a little tighter, stroking her upper arm.
“I want you to make me a promise.” Michiru says after a moment. “In case something happens to me.”
“You think something’ll happen to you before it happens to me?” Musashi asks, raising an eyebrow. “I’m the one out there in Getter Robo, you know.”
“You never know. And besides, with things the way they are, I’ve been training to pilot too. You’re not the only one whose life is on the line.”
“Point taken. Alright, ask away. I’d do anything for you.”
“If something happens to me, and I’m not around anymore… I want you to look after Genki.” Her fingers interlace with Musashi’s and she holds on tight. “I don’t trust Dad to do it, and I want to be sure she’ll be in good hands.”
Musashi pulls their hands up and kisses Michiru’s knuckles. “You don’t even have to ask. I promise you, I’ll take care of Genki like she’s my own daughter.”
Michiru does look reassured, if just a little, and she presses up to kiss Musashi on the cheek. “I’ll hold you to it. You wouldn’t want me haunting you, after all.”
Musashi laughs. “Besides, us trans girls gotta stick together. I won’t let anything happen to her so long as I’m around.”
“I’m glad… I know I can count on you, Musashi.”
“And you know…” She turns in her seat so they can face each other properly, “...I won’t let anything happen to you either.”
Michiru leans up, bringing their lips closer together. Thinking she’s got the hint, Musashi moves to close the distance.
But finds her lips pressed to another beignet.
“You better eat up.” Michiru says with a sly smile. “You’ll need the energy.”
“Well that’s definitely true.” Musashi lets a playful growl into her voice. “Since there’s only one thing I love eating more than your cooking~”
Michiru instantly turns bright pink and she turns around, covering her face. But she still conspicuously keeps her back pressed to Musashi’s side, unwilling to lose even that much contact with her while Musashi laughs and digs back into her meal.