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A snarl curled his lip as the fearless Commander shifted his weight before landing a powerful blow, knocking the offending door before him off of its hinges and clattering to the ground. His ear twitched at the sound of whimpers in response, and he stepped through the small cluster of dust that was stirred. He needn't wait for his eye to adjust, as his cybernetic attachment allowed him to analyze the room.
One elderly Galra, two cowering kits. 'Hm...Two.'
"Hand them over in the name of the Empire," he barked, deciding on the spot. It was paramount that he bring a young, parent-less kit to the Emperor at once. Without knowing which and not caring to ask, he settled for both. His task, if he could really call it that, felt to be both a waste of his time and his talents. But, if Zarkon commanded it, then he shall see it done. Although he couldn't help the curiousity as to why Zarkon required an orphaned kit, especially with the Emperor's vague response upon his questioning.
"There are those with the power to Create...and those with the power to Destroy."
"P-Please, they're just--" the short furred elder began, interrupted by Sendak.
"I will not repeat myself a second time," he growled, taking a step closer. The kits kept their faces hidden as the elder kneeled next to them. He fought the urge to smirk, maintaining his scowl as the other Galra's gaze lowered to the little ones. He always enjoyed the fear caused by his mere presence, but having his own race quiver before him sent pleasurable little sensations creeping over his skin.
"You can take them, please, just don't hurt them," the elderly Galra choked out in fear, trying to nudge the kits towards the towering Commander. Each whimpered in protest, grasping at the older one's clothes and fighting against their motions, not yet old or wise enough to understand their predicament or just who it was they were dealing with.
The two looked nothing alike, so Sendak definitely ruled out any relation. One was a soft purple, covered in a puffy fuzz to protect itself against the environment in its youth. The other was soft and sleek, a River Galra, much like his Lieutenant, although why it was not residing on a water-based planet was beyond his understanding. Whichever the Emperor discarded, perhaps he could have them raised to be a fine warrior under his command. It was hard to come by loyal soldiers who weren't playing in to their own gain.
"Sin, Hepta," the Galra spoke, trying to steer them away. They were met with soft whimpers and sounds of protest from the kits, each fighting to cling closer and avoid the inevitable. The elder's voice, despite the warmth, was not convincing. "Don't fret, little ones..."
"Hmph," Sendak grunted impatiently, moving in. He reached down, snatching the River Galra with his large, mechanical claw, leaving it sitting against the ground. The cub squealed out, squirming in vain, trying to squeeze out of the metal grasp. The other kit narrowly escaped him, slipping from between his fingers, and ducking from a second attempt, but falling in the process. Instead of continuing to escape, the cub remained on the ground and with a couple sputtering sobs, curled up into a ball instead. 'This is what the Emperor seeks. Quivering kits that can hardly stand on their own.'
He leaned down, scooping up the remaining cub in his hand, its entire torso fitting in his palm with its legs hanging loosely in defeat as it continued to sob quietly into its dirtied little paws. The River Galra had given up its battle, opting to cling to two of the prongs from his large prosthetic claw, softly humming in concern as it waited. He drew his arm back to himself, causing the kit to squeak, and try to twist around within his grasp to upright itself. He loosened his hold enough for it to do so as he rested the other kit sideways against his hip, laying in the crook of his elbow. 'One submits, the other abandons hope. How pitiful.'
"Please..." the kneeling elder murmured, "Don't hurt the kits. They're innocent, I beg you..."
Sendak snarled, scoffing at the foolish Galra. What was to be done with the kits was little of his concern, unless it continued to correlate with his missions. Extract the kit(s); mission successful. Return them to Zarkon; mission now in progress. He turned on his heel, exiting the small building and returning to the warmth of the dual suns outside.
He hated to admit it, but he missed the feeling of the heat against his body and the traces of the breeze sifting through his fur. He rarely had time to enjoy such trivial things, even when he was physically invading a planet, Sendak was in no mind space to be enjoying the environment. Not that most planets suited his preferences, anyways. But this one, home primarily to lighter furred Galra, met most of his environmental cravings.
He couldn't help but think of his Lieutenant. Haxus would surely have preferred a less sunlit planet. One which was cooler, and hosted a dampness in the air. He wasn't fond of dry air, he remembers the Lieutenant complaining most emphatically of the terrible effects it has on his skin. While Sendak did enjoy the feeling of the sun, he definitely preferred cooler to colder climates as well, but not those which were damp. His thoughts were cut short as the murmurs from other Galra and mix-breeds returned him to the present- the kit-stealing present.
The bystanders looked on in worry and wonder- was that the right hand of the Emperor? What's he doing here? Are those kits? Where's he taking them? What could Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire want with two kits? What is going on? Did someone do something to offend the Emperor? He ignored all the various mutterings and strode onwards. It doesn't matter what they think, they know nothing, and he'll never see the likes of them again. Let them be wary, let them be afraid.
He returned to his ship with the kit in his claw looking around curiously, while the other continued to lay like a little sack of berries against his hip; soft and probably very easy to bruise. He entered a small elevator, beginning to wonder if the furred one passed out, before he felt the River cub moving around. He was reaching out to one of the streams of lights as the platform began rising. Drawing his attention away from the sad sack of berries, he gently moved his claw close enough that the kit could reach through the prongs to one of the purple light beams. It made a little bewildered sound in awe, tiny fingers curling as though to try and grab a hold of it to no avail.
"You cannot hold light," he commented, and the River kit looked up at him in continued bewilderment.
Sendak wasn't even sure if it could understand him, but the look on its face told him it wanted to. With a sigh, he lowered the claw back to his side, there was little reason for him to try and explain something such as that to such a young cub. He figured it was unlikely to remember the explanation anyways, so he would be wasting his breath. Quiznak knows he's already wasted more than enough time with this silly missions alone, even Throk could have done such a simple task. As he reached the bridge, he still couldn't comprehend why it was so important that Zarkon's greatest fighter be sent on some remedial fetch-quest across the other side of the universe with complimentary babysitting.
"Was your mission-"
"Here," Sendak grunted, reaching his prosthetic forwards, prongs opening as he dangerously slid the kit to Haxus. The Lieutenant fumbled but caught the small Galra, only to have the second thrust against him as well immediately after. The River Galra sat against his waist, watching Sendak, as the other began its protests once more, trying to push away as it quietly whined.
"What-"
"Keep them alive," Sendak ordered dismissively as he continued passed to the command post, "Prepare to leave this planet at once, set a course for Central Command."
"That's enough," Haxus snapped hushedly, earning a glance back from Sendak. It turned out he was speaking to the fluffy Galra, whose triangular ears flattened and eyes teared up presumably in shame or frustration or both, before it flopped against his shoulder, muffling its little cries in defeat. Much to Sendak's surprise, the little River Galra began nuzzling Haxus, rubbing its cheek against his other shoulder and under his chin. This was an act Sendak had only known to be done by mates; scent marking. The cub clearly took a shining to him, rubbing it's own scent, while simultaneously taking on his. The Lieutenant scowled for a quick moment, trying to lean away at first. "You, stop that. I'm not your parent, you don't even know who I am."
The cub paused with a happy grin, looking up at the displeased Galra before giggling and continuing. He sighed, shifting the featherlight weights of the kits in his arms. Haxus looked to the Commander, who had returned his attention to the console. "Do they have names?"
"One of them is Sin, the other is Hepta," Sendak answered haphazardly, reviewing the mappings of their course and scrolling through some of the system statuses. He furrowed his brow, noting the necessary stops to refuel and resupply they'll have to make after completing their mission.
"Are you Sin? You seem like a Sin," Haxus asked, grumbling the last part. The River kit stared up at him, one hand in its mouth. It paused before suddenly using its other hand to point at the furred Galra that was continuing to quietly moan and whine pathetically into his other shoulder. "No, you're right, that one seems more like a problem child. You must be Hepta."
Again, the kit paused as if taking in his words slowly before nodding. He repeated Hepta's name alone and the kit nodded much quicker the second time. Both Haxus and Hepta turned their attention as Sendak spoke to the two soldiers on the lower deck, tending to the ship's functions. "How long until we arrive?"
"Uh....four quintant," one of the lesser soldiers below replied with uncertainty, "i-if we're lucky. It could take a full movement, Sir."
"Mm," Sendak grunted, checking the proposed routes which would have led them to the ship much sooner, had their not been a cosmic storm in the making. They couldn't risk it with such...'valuable' cargo. "Very well. Initiate take-off."
Haxus and the kit watched the soldier visibly release his held breath in a relieved sigh. He had expected a far worse response to the less than favourable news. As Haxus looked back to the kit, Hepta took in a deep breath, puffing his chest, before letting it out in a big sigh, similar to the solider. He rolled his eyes. At least the kits were at a learning stage in their development. That bode very well for both the cubs and the crew. However, Haxus knew that had meant they were still too young to regulate their own body temperatures. And without their own miniature body suits to assist, they would be completely reliant on others. It didn't help that they were taken from a warmer climate planet to be brought aboard a cooler temperatured ship. And unfortunately, the cooler temperatures were mandatory to prevent developing bacteria from other worlds- which reminded him.
"Sir, permission to decontaminate the foreign bodies," Haxus requested, typical protocol for exiting the bridge and passing off his duties. Still, his phrasing amused Sendak.
"Granted. Utilize my private quarters to keep it contained." Sendak grunted, briefly glancing down at himself. He realized that he had come in contact with the colony and kits the most. Regardless, it was better to keep them out of the communal utilities until they were thoroughly cleaned. It wasn't as though they were coming from some primitive planet, but he'll be damned if anything gets spread throughout his crew. He scowled, turning and leaving his post. "Hold our course and send a status update to Emperor Zarkon. Summon me if anything arises."
"Vrepit Sa," the two soldiers responded, pressing their fists to their chests.
"Vrepit Sa," Haxus replied in place of the Commander who had left the bridge. He followed Sendak out with both kits still in his arms, Hepta continuing to look between them both. The second benefit to the kits being in their learning stage was that they would be silent and observant. It was during this period that they sought to learn and develop themselves as Galra to be able to continue existing. This meant learning to communicate, forming pack-mates to band together until they can defend themselves independently, and finally, obtaining skills crucial for survival in a potentially hostile environment.
"Use your private quarters to 'keep it contained', hm?" Haxus hummed once they were several halls away from the two soldiers on the bridge. He earned a grunt from Sendak, who shot a look back at him with a raised brow. His Lieutenant was awfully smug, however the two kits in his arm reduced his reputation significantly.
"And what do you suppose I should have said?" Sendak inquired, pausing to allow Haxus to fall in step with him. His lip twitched in distaste as Haxus leaned the purple cub up against his chest plate gently. Begrudgingly, he took the kit with his physical hand. Glancing down at it as they continued down more halls, passing some sentries on their patrol paths, he noticed that it had fallen asleep.
"Nothing," Haxus finally remarked coyly, waiting as they stopped in front of his dormitory, ensuring that they were alone. Sendak huffed, carefully shifting the slumbering cub into his claw. He then used his palm against the holographic key pad to unlock and open his door, gesturing for Haxus to enter ahead of him. "You needn't justify your actions to the likes of them."
"Nor do I need the insubordination of my Lieutenant," Sendak growled as he turned in quickly, pushing his hips against Haxus' to pin him to the wall. Haxus snarled in turn, as Sendak smirked down at him. They were interrupted by Hepta, who gave the least convincing growl as he pushed against Sendak's chest. Sendak choked out a gravelly laugh in response to the little one before nudging his large cheek against Haxus' temple, a low purr hardly audible from his throat.
"At least close the door first," Haxus grumbled, reaching back to the holo-pad. Despite shutting and securing the door, Haxus opted to slip from between Sendak and the wall, heading for the bathing chamber. "In case you hadn't noticed, that one drools."
Sendak tilted his head a fraction before looking down to the cub. Sure enough, still asleep...and drooling right over the crest on the chest plate, dripping down his armour. He shook his head with a sigh, crossing the room to meet Haxus with the kit. His Lieutenant had set Hepta down in order to focus on preparing a bath. Apparently the little River Galra took that as an invitation to explore and touch anything within reach. He'd seemed especially fond of the lights that traced the edges of the counter and corners of the room, being sure to run his hands across the different surfaces and textures. He even grabbed the handles of the drawers and cupboards, pulling them open, then closed, then open again before investigating the contents.
After setting the sleeping cub next to the kneeling Haxus, Sendak began to remove his saliva-spattered armour. Once stripped to his body suit, he set his large prosthetic on the floor in the corner on a designated pad and deactivated it. The pad lit up as it began to recharge his claw. He then removed the eyepiece, placing it up on the counter, out of reach from Hepta.
"Come here," Haxus spoke suddenly, startling Hepta, causing him to drop two purple fur filled brushes he'd picked up. He froze, looking directly to Haxus, awaiting any sort of response. "Well, pick them up."
Hepta stared at him, putting the fingers of one hand in his mouth. Haxus pointed to the spot where the two brushes laid on the floor, waiting for Hepta to put it together. He then mimed reaching to pick something up off the ground, and pointed to the brushes once more. He enunciated, speaking slowly. "Pick - it - up."
Much to Sendak's surprise, Hepta looked to the brushes before squatting down and picking them both up. Haxus then pointed to the drawer Hepta had left open. He then gestured to set them back inside. "Put it away."
Hepta hesitated, and looked over to Sendak, as if he just remembered he was there. Haxus leaned over to try and see what Hepta was doing as he wandered over to the Commander and squatted down, gently running the brush over the top of Sendak's furred foot. Greatly disliking the sensation, he nudged the brush away, but unfortunately for him, Hepta was persistent. He put one brush down in order to hold his ankle and try to brush him again with the other. Haxus snorted, snickering as he checked the water's temperature one last time before turning it off.
"That is hardly enough water," Sendak muttered, trying to step away from Hepta. Instead, he merely dragged the clinging kit along with his foot, causing it to erupt into giggles. Still filled with determination, the River cub remained on his belly, awkwardly trying to lift the brush well enough to reach.
"I'm not trying to drown them," he spat, gesturing to the very small, sleeping kit next to himself. It clicked in for him; didn't make sense to fill the tub full, for two mit-sized kits. Haxus gently lifted the ball of fluff curled up next to his thigh. "Time to wake up. You both need a bath."
"Bath!!" Hepta chirped, abandoning the brush as it pushed itself up off the floor and scurried over. Both Sendak and Haxus were taken aback by the sudden outburst. The kits had not spoken a single word until this moment. Haxus wondered if they were older than he had thought, but he couldn't be sure. It may very well be a fluke. Or perhaps the River Galra felt safe enough with them, again, for reasons beyond his understanding as they have never met the kits before, to experiment with some of the words he was hearing. Was Hepta really that trusting of them so soon? Sendak, on the other hand, didn't know that speech was a possibility for the kits, he thought they were far too young. Not that he knew when kits actually began to speak anyways.
"Nnnnn...." Sin groaned, rubbing its eyes through a yawn, as Hepta beamed up excitedly at Haxus. He lift Sin, sitting the cub on his lap to wake up while he tended to Hepta, gently helping to free the kit from its clothes.
"Sheath slit...Hepta's a boy," Haxus murmured to Sendak, who had begun peeling himself out of his own flight suit so that he may use the walk-in shower across from the tub. He entered the large stall, turning on and testing the water with his hand. Haxus lifted the giddy Galra boy, sliding him into the bath tub. "Sin, it's your turn now."
"Mm-mm," Sin protested, shaking their head, and leaning away. Haxus ignored their quiet groans as he helped the little one out of their clothes as well. Hepta was happily rolling around and splashing the water over himself.
"Hard to tell with all the kit fur...but I believe Sin is also a boy," Haxus mused aloud. He went to lift the second boy into the tub, but was met with a loud cry and a desperate attempt to stay outside of it, feet planted on the outside of the tub. Hepta had leapt up to push against Sin to help keep him out. Haxus surrendered to the two, noticing Sin's tear-filled eyes and heavy breathing as the little one reached out to him. He moved the cub closer to himself and it wrapped its small arms around his neck, holding him tightly as it whimpered. Sendak had heard the ordeal and stepped back out, watching.
"What happened?" He questioned, approaching the two on the floor. Hepta sat back down in the warmth of the water, hands on his ankles as he watched the interaction curiously.
"I think he's afraid of the bath," Haxus replied unsure, gently stroking the kits back, "Can you take him into the shower?"
"Mm," Sendak hummed in confirmation, reaching down to collect the little kit. Haxus helped situate him since Sendak was short an arm and an eye for his showering endeavours. Sin squirmed a little to readjust, but kept nestled up against Sendak's soft fur. Once tucked safely against his chest, he slowly brought the kit to the walk-in showers with him. He'd already turned the water on beforehand, and decided to slowly introduce the cub one step at a time, beginning with having the water run down over his own shoulders and down the back of the boy. Sin kept a firm hold of Sendak, making a small sound of uncertainty as he felt the water, but remaining still in his arms nonetheless. "He seems fine."
Haxus muttered something about Sin definitely being a problem child, pouring out a thin stream of his bodywash he kept in Sendak's room in a spiral on top of Hepta's head. The boy preoccupied himself with his toes, watching the visual distortion the water created as he pulled his foot in and out of the water, wiggling his toes before trying to grab them. Haxus began massaging the foaming liquid into the incredibly short, primarily water resistant fur that was hardly visible on the little River Galra. Hepta hummed happily leaning into Haxus' touch as he rubbed along the outside of the ears, working down to the base. He squeaked and giggled as the older Galra ran his hands through the fur tufts on the back of his neck before lathering his shoulders and down his arms.
Sendak remained under the stream of hot water, completely unaware of when he started gently rocking from foot to foot with the kit. If it had fur anything like his own, it would be a nightmare to fully saturate, and even worse to rinse and dry. Although, the cub had the benefit of being a lot smaller than he, which meant it would take much less time altogether. He watched as little streams of water slowly began to flatten the puff of Sin's fur, droplets forming atop his head, and clinging to the back of his ears. The kit sat with its head tucked under Sendak's chin, and it reminded him of his youth, so very many, many deca-phoebs ago. He remembered bathing with his parents, sitting in their arms afterwards as they groomed him traditionally.
The young were bathed with water and scentless soaps to remove dirt or bacteria, and once thoroughly rinsed, they were groomed by tongue. This manner of bathing would rid the kits of excess water from the undercoat of their fur while simultaneously scent marking their young. He remembered that scent marking was especially prominent in families with higher standings or peak physical genetics. It allowed for others to sense or smell their potential, especially for other kits. They would then pack-bond with other kits of similar or higher 'ranking', which often determined a kit's social standings amongst the others, and scent mark each other as though it were a label of who they surrounded themselves with. Naturally, Sendak had been extremely popular; born of the purest genetics from a strong bloodline, a very sturdy family of warriors. He was scent marked with pride, and found himself surrounded by many who wanted to be close to him.
His body jerked as a sudden droning sound ripped him from his thoughts. He saw the blurred form of Haxus standing by the counter. Using his shoulder, Sendak slowly ran his armless side against the foggy glass, clearing a spot for him to briefly see through. Sure enough, Hepta was sitting on the countertop, half-wrapped in a towel as Haxus used the industrial dryer on the lowest setting. The kit kept his eyes closed, trying in vain to push away from the airflow. It entertained Haxus to watch the boy pawing relentlessly at nothing. It wasn't necessary to blow-dry Hepta, granted his extremely limited fur, but it was better to ensure his skin was dry beneath the short coat to better prevent the boy from getting cold from the dampness.
Whether satisfied or giving up, Sendak could very well assume both, Haxus turned the dryer off and set it aside, giving Hepta one last scrub down with the towel before setting him at ground level. Hepta reached for his clothes, but Haxus snatched them up before he could lay a finger on them. He looked up at him and waited. "You can't wear these, they're dirty."
As he set them up in the sink, he turned around in time to see Hepta gallivant out of the bathing chamber and into Sendak's main room. Haxus groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He'd deal with the naked kit later, since it couldn't leave the room anyways. He began to remove his clothes, starting with the discreet chest plate Sin had cried and drooled upon. He set it next to Sendak's collection of pieces, before peeling off his own flight suit and tossing it into a hamper. He looked at Sendak's abandoned suit on the floor before picking it up and tossing it in as well. He peeked out of the bathing chamber to see Hepta sitting cross-legged on the floor rubbing his cheek with what appeared to be another piece of clothing discarded by Sendak at some point. Squinting, he realized that no, it was in fact an article of his own clothing, more than likely left behind from the night prior. He rolled his eyes at himself. 'How indecorous and plebeian.'
With a sigh, he returned to the steamed room, entering the shower and slipping behind Sendak. He brushed his long fingers through the thick, wet fur over his hips, trailing them down over his strong thighs. He could never get enough of the pure muscle hidden beneath his Commander's pelt. How strong and stiff his body was, especially when rigid beneath his very touch. He began kneading along his sides, assisting in penetrating his thick coat with the water. A shiver rolled down his spine as Sendak released a short, pleasurable groan in response. Oh, how he adored that sound. Among its other hoarse, throaty brethren. It was a delight to his ears.
Haxus worked his hands up over Sendak's tense shoulders, working his palms into them. He rested his head against Sendak's mid-back, feeling the small juts of the great Galra's spine, hidden beneath the fur. With water running down his face, he rubbed his cheek against him. To his dismay, Sendak slowly spun in his arms, facing him with the drenched, albeit warm little kit nestled up against his collarbone.
"What is it doing," the Commander muttered, hardly a question at all. It became very obvious to Haxus that Sendak had little experience with Galra young- if any at all.
"Resting," Haxus replied, reaching to brush his fingers through Sin's wet fuzz, ensuring he was completely sodden, "Probably listening to your breathing."
"Why would it be doing that?" he inquired, watching Haxus fill his hands with Sendak's bodywash. He began scrubbing it around Sendak's neck and shoulders before working inwards towards the kit. It didn't take much to soap the boy, which meant his fur was not as thick as Sendak's, nor would it grow to be as long once the kit fluff was shed.
"It's relaxing," Haxus murmured, ears flattening against his head. He'd never admit it, but he greatly enjoyed laying against Sendak's chest, listening to his heartbeat and the sturdy pattern of his breathing. Or even the raspy purring Sendak emanated from time to time within his throat. "-it builds a sense of trust and security for kits."
"The trust, I can understand," sort of, he thought, "But why a sense of security?"
"Perhaps because you're not afraid to leave yourself vulnerable," Haxus mused, referring to him holding the kit right by his throat. He pulled his nails through the thick fur around Sendak's head and ears before beginning on the arm hosting the kit, "If you have no reason to fear being in that position, then why should the kit be concerned? Although it's purely hypothesis. And I severely doubt our mediocre war-medic knows much about kits to answer that."
Sendak grunted in response, leaning forwards with Sin once Haxus finished his forearm. He took that to hold the kit while Sendak finished the rest of his body himself, taking hold of the slippery boy. He frowned as the soapy cub shook it's bubbly head and shoulders, getting the soap off its ears and spraying Haxus with the foam.
"Thanks..." He groaned as the little purple kit began smearing bubbles from its hands and arms against his chest, frothing it up as Haxus had done to him, "How considerate."
Sendak released a breath containing traces of amusement, instinctively turning away to go about his washing. His brow furrowed as he felt something large pressed to his back, followed by a fit of giggles.
"You're small enough that I can use you as a scrub, you little lûffa," Haxus smirked smugly, dragging the soapsuds coated kit in large circles around Sendak's back. His fur was much longer going down his back than it was trailing over his chest and stomach. He did his best to ignore the two, it wasn't as though he could reach his back very well with one arm anyways. As annoying as it was to him, it was still very helpful. Once satisfied, Haxus pulled the kit back into his arms, stepping half under one of the streams. He began running a hand over Sin's head, carefully rinsing away the suds, followed by his body. Having experience with Sendak, Haxus knew he had to be thorough in the rinse, so as not to leave soap in the undercoat. The kit was not nearly as densely furred as Sendak, but he knew it was certainly capable of complaining much louder and longer than him if it was uncomfortable.
"There," Haxus spoke to the cub, earning Sendak's attention as well, "Let's get you dried and see what Hepta's gotten into."
He saw Haxus smiling down at the cub, and then noticed little tuft of fur at the bottom of Sin's back was wiggling excitedly. It wasn't uncommon for Galra to have tails, but the ones he had seen were typically long, otherwise they remained unseen beneath clothes or armour. He took a moment to wonder just how many of his soldier also had some form of tail hidden away. A long one could very easily be seen as a liability in battle, if one was not careful. From what he knew, most of Zarkon's elite didnt have tails, usually lost in one of their many battles for conquest. He too has a small tuft, but it was just a patch of fur, completely lacking structure and mobility. Shaking his head, he turned up the water pressure as they left, beginning the process of forcefully washing the soap out. It was mildly unpleasant, but it sped up the process significantly.
Content, Sendak turned the water off and began the process of wiping and ringing off as much water as he cared to, prior to grabbing the towel hanging just outside the large stall. Haxus had begun drying the now towel-ruffled kit, trying to dry his fluff downwards with little success. At least the cub was enjoying himself, happily scrubbing his cheek against Haxus' hand and stomach as he tried to maneuver the boy. Sendak gave himself a rough scrub down with the towel before tossing the wet mass into the hamper and grabbing another dry one to wrap around his waist. He left Haxus to continue trying to dry the little kit on his own.
In his main room, he saw the sheets of his bed pulled half off, pooled in a circular pile on the floor. As he approached, he could see little Hepta's ears poking out from the center. The boy looked up at him, and he noticed a different fur brush in his hands as he sat curled up in the makeshift nest of blanket, clean socks and a discarded bodysuit.
"What are you doing?"
River kit stared up at him, slowly blinking and continuing to watch Sendak as he reached one hand back with the brush and ran it through the bottom tuft of his hair a few times. He gave a heavy sigh, wondering why he bothered to ask, and took a look around his room. There were several drawers left open, and some of his and Haxus' belonging left strewn about. He left the boy to his nest and began to tidy up the room. He managed to get the last drawer shut when Haxus strode out in a towel with Sin hot on his heels. Upon seeing Hepta, Sin scurried off towards him instead.
"Damage report?" Haxus' tone was serious, though Sendak knew he was anything but, in this moment.
"Minimal," Sendak responded in turn, moving closer and setting his hand against his Lieutenant's exposed lower back, "The boys will live to see another day."
"Speaking of which," Haxus began, trying to lean away from the still damp, but now cold to the touch Commander. As per Galra protocol, Haxus was not permitted to speak out of turn nor was he to question his Commander's decisions or motives- unless he was acting against the best interest of the Empire of course. But now that they were alone together, many of those rules were bent in more ways than one. "I thought your mission had been to retrieve one orphaned kit. How exactly did we end up with two?"
"Our informant said the kit we sought was with the elder of the village," he recounted, sliding his hand up to Haxus' shoulder, "Upon entering the residence, there were two kits. Without specifications, I had no way of knowing which I was expected to seize."
"So you took them both," Haxus spoke, more of a statement than a question. Sendak merely stared him down, sending a silent message as if boldly daring him to continue. And as much as he wanted to, basking in the shiver rolling down his spine, he knew better, and instead looked to the kits, leaning up against his chilled, damp Commander. Through these measures, there was no risk for a shameful flight back out in the event he did select the wrong kit.
"Well, at least this way they can keep each other busy," he muttered, feeling Sendak move behind him, resting his large head atop Haxus' and wrapping his arm around the front of his waist. The boys were now sitting together in Hepta's little nest as he gently stuck the brush on and off of Sin's fuzzy puff on the scruff of his neck. The brush was much too large to be useful for or on a kit, but that certainly wasn't stopping Hepta from playing with it anyways, and Sin seemed to be enjoying the gentle attention. Haxus admired the little one's tenacity, a trait most beneficial in a Galra soldier. Although, without any proper logic or training, such a trait could quickly prove fatal.
"We should have them scanned in the med-bay," Sendak mumbled through his teeth. The kits had begun to watch them, and Hepta leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around Sin, who wiggled with a happy smile. He couldn't quite place his head on Sin's, instead settling for his shoulder.
"Perhaps after we find them something to wear..." Haxus retorted running his claws along Sendak's forearm. He listened to Sendak hum in contemplation, feeling it reverberate through to his core. He could help himself no longer, nuzzling the underside of his chin. "I don't suppose you stole any kit-sized clothes while you were there, did you?"
Sendak huffed, giving Haxus a quick little nip on the ear for his rhetorical sarcasm. He'd grit his teeth, but a small sound still escaped his lips. He growled quietly without any real resolve, returning his attention to the ever-curious kits. Sin had tilted his head slightly, but suddenly cried out, turning and shoving Hepta away with watery eyes and pouting lips. The River Galra, having seen Sendak's display, decided to give Sin a little bite as well. Hepta huffed smugly at him, and Sin pushed him again, this time knocking him over onto the excess pooling of sheets.
"That's enough," the Lieutenant spoke with an authoritative tone. He slipped away from Sendak to interdict the growing spat further, reaching down to pick Sin up and sit him up on the bed, "We'll wrap them in towels for now and have the medic disinfect their clothes."
"There will be several planets along the way where we can get them more garments if necessary," Sendak sighed. At least then they would be able to begin their resupply before Central Command. As Haxus walked by, Sendak reached out, tugging him close once more. He brushed his cheek against the top of his head, gently running his large hand down the back of his neck. The moment they were to exit the room, they would once again be strictly Commander and Lieutenant. He fought to choke back the deep rumbling in his throat, deciding then to release him.
Haxus opened his eyes releasing a warm breath, having let himself go during the interaction. He cleared his throat, briskly walking to one of the large wardrobes. With the press of a button, the door slid open, revealing spare armour pieces for Sendak hanging along a bar. At the end of the rod hung a single piece of Haxus' spare armour, a flight suit and top folded neatly inside. He would have to remember to bring another spare for the next time he decided to flagrantly disregard protocol.
While he began to dress, Sendak retrieved his stolen brush from Hepta to smooth out the towel-ruffled fur around his face, neck, and back of head. After carefully brushing up his ears, he acquired himself a flight suit from a drawer, followed by his own pieces of armour from the wardrobe. Haxus assisted where necessary, especially when it came to reattaching a new shoulder piece for his prosthetic arm. Sendak gave a brief grimace as it snapped into place, baring his fangs for half a tick.
"You should really have your arm re-fitted," Haxus uttered softly. He knew it was one of the touchier topics for Sendak. A constant reminder of his near-failure, paired with an absolute loathing of the Witch's druids. They work wonders beyond the foreseeable realms of possibility, and did give resolve his loss, but it certainly came with the price of pain and humiliation. Even with all the technology at their disposal, those twisted archaists took great pleasure in watching their victims writhe and suffer during the process. It was no surprise to Haxus that Sendak was delaying revisiting. Not that he really had the time to, being Zarkon's trusted right hand.
Sendak grunted in response, turning towards the door to the bathing chamber. He reached to the shoulder piece, turning it on. Within a tick, the prosthetic claw came launching into the room. The kits jumped back and lowered themselves flat down at first, but watched in awe as he caught the arm on the glowing strand, swinging and retracting it back into place. "I'll see the druids when we return."
Haxus placed his hand on Sendak's forearm before making his way back to the washing chamber. He brought back a couple of towels to wrap the boys, as well as their clothing in a bag and Sendak's eye piece. He lightly tossed it to Sendak, who then reattached it over his scarred, blind eye.
Standing at his full height, Haxus took in how small the kits really were. Hepta had gotten to his feet and still hardly reached Haxus' knees. Wrapping him in one of the towels, he scooped him up and passed the boy off to Sendak. Once Sin was snuggled up in a towel as well, they exited Sendak's room in complete silence, making their way to the med-bay.