#whoops about 130 words over 'drabble' limits...

[nitewrighter]

Could we have a Marsey drabble por favor?

Marti watched the muscles in Seye’s back shift as he bent over the worktable, goggles over his eyes and several small screws pressed between his lips as he worked. A large bandage was splayed across his ribs, stretching around his side, and his right arm was also smattered with a mosaic of bandages over the points where the burns from his own gauntlets had gotten him the worst.

“You need to sleep,” she said, stepping up alongside him.

“I will,” he said, looking up at her, his voice muffled between a tight jaw and screw-holding lips, “When this is done.”

“You’ll heal faster if you sleep.”

“I’ll sleep easier when this is done,” said Seye, pushing his goggles up and rubbing at his eyes and taking a screw from his mouth, squinting at the gauntlets as he screwed it in.

Marti huffed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why I thought you’d get less stubborn when you left Talon,” she muttered.

“Stubbornness is one of the reasons I’m leaving Talon,” said Seye.

“Yeah and the massive bioethics violations and brainwashed super-soldiers were just icing on the cake.”

“We all give more credit to the people who raised us than is due,” said Seye with a shrug.

“Offer still stands,” said Marti.

“The offer has been standing for the past 16 hours,” said Seye, smirking a little, “No… Overwatch isn’t my scene.”

“We don’t need another splinter group in this mess,” said Marti.

“Splinter group?” Seye repeated, “Martina, I have standards. Give a man some credit.” He grabbed a soldering iron and continued working, “Not exactly as if I can start working with Helix either…’Hey remember me? My dad tore through one of your prisons like tissue paper. Oh and you’re probably crawling with Talon moles, too. I’m sure I won’t get assassinated in an elevator while I’m here.’”

Marti sighed and rounded the table. “So you’re starting a mercenary organization.”

“A security consulting and enforcing organization, yes,” said Seye, continuing to work.

Marti snorted. Seye pressed a thumb to the gauntlet on his worktable and watched as a small graviton surge alighted on the palm of the gauntlet.

“Do you know what wins wars?” said Seye, pressing his thumb at the gauntlet again and powering the graviton down.

“Superior firepower?” said Marti.

“Before that.”

“Believing the right things.”

“Come on, Marts, you’re smarter than that.”

“Money.”

“Branding.”

Marti furrowed her brow at him. “Branding,” she repeated.

“Which… technically is a combination of money and what you believe–”

“You’re talking about propaganda,” said Marti.

“Calling it propaganda isn’t good propaganda,” said Seye, “People want heroes. They’re always going to want heroes. And when they can’t find heroes, they make their own. Overwatch worked as well as it did for as long as it did because people believed in it. The key here is not overstaying your welcome. Being there only as long as they need you.” 

“But people did need Overwatch, even when it—” Marti huffed.

“Overwatch’s big mistake was not letting itself fade into obscurity as a function of the UN. Of course, thanks to the Omnic Crisis, there was no way it could really do that.” 

“So you’re going to be that hero,” said Marti, picking up a mask from Seye’s worktable, “And then when your job is done… whoosh, you’re gone.”

“Something like that,” said Seye, reaching for the mask.

Marti pulled it away. “How are you going to know your job is done though?”

“When the Talon and Overwatch mess is over, then I’ll call it,” said Seye, grabbing for the mask again. 

Marti frowned down at the mask, then looked back up at Seye. “Branding,” she said.

“Branding,” Seye said in agreement.

“And what brand is that, exactly?” said Marti, waving the mask with a smirk.

“…Still working on that,” said Seye.

“That’s encouraging,” said Marti.

Seye resumed looking over his gauntlet. “It’s going to be greek,” he murmured, testing the finger joints of the gauntlet, “Everyone knows greek and everyone thinks they’re clever for knowing greek. Easy recognition.” 

“This is the rich boy corporate marketing strategist talking, isn’t it?” said Marti, leaning against the worktable.

“Can’t be Ares–Too negative, too scary. Arriktos–More noble, but too esoteric.”

“Remember the part where I said you should sleep?” said Marti, noticing his mutterings were getting a bit more throaty, “I can keep watch. You can figure this out later.”

“I can’t sleep when there are this many things to figure out,” muttered Seye.

“It’s a wonder you slept at all with Talon.”

“Insomnia was another reason I left, honestly.”

“Moral anguish keeping you up at night?“ 

"Mostly logistics. The moral anguish was responsible for ten, maybe maybe fifteen percent of the insomnia.”

“Ay…” Marti rubbed at her temples.

“You know, you can sleep,” said Seye.

Marti just shot a glare at him.

“Just a suggestion,” said Seye.

“You think just because you defected I’ll trust you any more?” said Marti, “You got another thing coming.”

“Ah, I’ve been speaking to ‘Mission Marti’ this whole time, I take it?” said Seye, smiling at her. 

“Damn straight,” said Marti, pulling up a swivel chair next to Seye’s worktalbe and sitting , “And I’ll be keeping a close eye on you all night, Seye Ogundimu.”

“Of course,” said Seye, “I’d expect nothing less.”

—

“Earthshaker,” said Seye.

Marti jolted awake, jerking up from where her head was resting on the worktable. “HNGWHAT?!” she blurted out, looking around. 

Seye smirked at her.

“It was only a couple of minutes,” said Marti.

“Of course it was,” said Seye, flexing his fingers slightly.

Marti shot a glare at him.

“You’re a cute sleeper, you know that, right?” said Seye.

“You wouldn’t know that because I was obviously just resting my eyes,” said Marti.

“Resting your eyes with those cute little snores,” said Seye.

“Say ‘cute’ again, I dare you,” said Marti, before pausing, “What was that you said about Earthquake?”

“Earthshaker,” said Seye, “The brand, you know. It works, right? Epithet of Poseidon… kind of primal, but heroic… a little sexy….” 

“Sexy?” Marti repeated.

“A little sexy,” said Seye, “Non-Profit. Just enough to cover costs–”

“But still a mercenary organization,” said Marti.

“Well how’s Overwatch keeping itself supported?” asked Seye.

Marti opened her mouth, then paused.

“Non-profit?” said Seye.

“Non-profit,” muttered Marti.

Seye smirked again. God, she hated that smirk. God, she loved that smirk. 

“I’m like… 80% sure I’m going to pass out in the next 5 minutes,” said Seye.

“I can keep watch,” said Marti.

“Great,” said Seye, moving to get up and then almost immediately collapsing as Marti caught him.

“Y’know, positions are open…” Seye’s voice was hazy as Marti half-walked, half-dragged him over to the cot.

“I’ve kind of got a thing already,” said Marti, helping him down to the cot.

“I’ll… put you down… as a ‘maybe’…” said Seye as Marti kissed his temple and let him fall into unconsciousness.