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The Overwatch Incident.

Chapter one

"Slowly Loki."

My friend Akira warned. I shot a look at him.

"Quiet, I know what I'm doing here, I'm the Tech-Specialist after all."

The black-furred feline responded by sticking his tongue out at me.

I carefully replaced the damaged wires inside the air-locks control panel. We'd had enough trouble with it opening at random. The last thing we needed was a shoddy repair job.

Snapping the last wire into its place, I closed the access panel and pushed off, letting myself drift away from the ship.

"Rosencrest, Vanajiem. You two done yet?" The voice sounded through my suits speakers.

"Sergeant Rosencrest here, we just finished. Just have to ring the doorbell."

"Good," the lieutenant said. "I'd hate for you to miss the evening meal. Again."

"Got it sir. Be in in a sec."

"Go ahead Rosey." Akira grinned.

"No, no." I replied, using my suits thrusters to push him through the now open air-lock.

Akira Vanajiem had been my friend since the second grade, just a few inches shorter than I was, the black cat was a rambunctious, fun-loving soldier.

"Alright lieutenant. We're on our wa-"

-BOOM-

It's common knowledge that there is no sound in space, but there was enough oxygen built up in the control-panel that it made a bit of noise when it exploded. A single piece of metal can go all the way through the hull of a ship in zero gravity, due to a level of physics that I neither understand nor can explain. Which is why all interstellar ships have thick titanium hulls and shields. A shard of metal shot towards my helmet, making my use my only available option, leaning back.

The metal shattered my suits visor and hit the right side of my face, ripping upwards. I felt my eyeball sever followed by the shard exiting my face, just as the emergency visor slid into place, and everything went black.

"Loki? Loki!? Come on buddy, wake up, you gotta wake up. Do it for me, do it for Akira, it's me buddy, come on!"

Pain flared throughout my entire body. Akira was here?

"Please Loki, you can't do this. I need you here with me."

Despite all of my pain, a feeling of warmth spread through me. My best friend had not left my side.

"Come on. Open your eyes for me, please."

I groaned and obeyed. Panic flooded me. I couldn't see from my right eye.

"Akira?" I whimpered.

Warm hands softly touched my chest. One moving to my face and stroking it gently.

"Loki... you're up."

"Akira, I-I can't see..."

"I know bud, the shard cut right through your face." He told me.

"I want to see." I said.

"Loki, I don't think-"

"I said, I want to see!" I demanded.

The feline stood and grabbed my arms, helping me to my feet. He helped me to the mirror so I could see the damage that had been done. I slowly undid the bandage and took a breath before looking to the mirror. I paled. A large cut ran from my jawline to my forehead, passing right through my eye, which was dead and white. Akira moved to give me a hug, which I returned.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" He said.

"I won't, I promise."

Living without two eyes turned out to be a huge challenge for the first few weeks, which I spent most of the time running into things. I soon learned to judge depth perception instead of actually being able to use it normally. Though I eventually got back in the swing of things.

At the mess hall, the others sat away from me, I didn't blame them, not with how I looked. Akira was the only one who would sit next to me. Bunk-mate, best friend, fellow soldier, he was always there for me.

One day everything changed, I guess that's where it all started.

I was sitting with Akira in the mess hall for third meal, when a young soldier, a recent transfer to the ship approached me.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked.

I shook my head, knowing that as soon as I turned my face he'd just run off, oh well, might as well get it over with.

"Private Sashi Uridge."

I took his hand, showing my whole face. "Sergeant Loki Rosencrest. And this is my Bunk-mate Akira Vanajiem."

The soldier paled at the sight of my face.

"H-how did you get that?" He asked.

I sighed and prepared to tell my usual story when Akira burst out.

"IT WAS ALL MY FAULT!"

Sashi and I turned to him.

"What?" I asked.

"I was your back up, I was supposed to check the wires after you. it should've blown on ME!"

Tears streamed down the felines cheeks. He stood and stormed off.

"Akira. Wait!" I called, running after him.

I knocked on the door to our room. "Akira?"

"YES LOKI!?" came the angry reply.

"I'm coming in okay?"

"Fine, bring the whole goddammed crew as well."

Stepping into the room I felt my ears flatten, the feline lay on my bed, half-empty bottle in hand.

"You're drunk." I said.

"I am..."

I grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him to his feet.

"Hold still please." I asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"So I can do this."

My fist connected solidly with his jaw and he crumpled. I sighed and picked him up. I disrobed him and put him under the shower and turned it on and cleaned him up. Once I'd finished, I carried the feline to my bed and laid him in it and started up the later to the other bed.

"L-Loki?"

I stopped and looked down.

"Yeah bud?"

"You remember that time in basic, that exercise when they dropped us in the woods and it was so cold we slept together to stay warm?"

I nodded.

"C-can we do that again?"

I blushed.

"Are you cold?"

The feline shook his head.

"I'm afraid."

I sat beside him. "Of what?"

He took my hand and looked onto my eyes.

"I'm afraid of loosing you."

Then he kissed me, fully, on the lips, a throaty purr building in his throat. Nothing ever felt so right.

"Yes, I'll stay with you."