We're all the same, even if from another world

by snowyy133

Summary:

A year after the end of chapter 13

Life seems quiet on the city of New Mira, but one day Elma and Neilnail discovered some ruins that completely changed their perception of the planet they're in

The story follows Aiden (Cross) as he gets his new custom Skell ready to investigate the ruins, while also spending some time with the residents of New Mira

Notes:

Hi hi! This fic has some OCs later on but they shouldn't be too intrusive since it'll still focus on the canon characters!
The main OC here is Aiden who was my player character, his boyfriend Matt is another OC that will show up later

Besides these 2 there's Sophia, Raquel and Megumi, but they're gonna be more side characters than anything, so if you're looking for canon character stuff, you might still enjoy this!

Chapter 1

Summary:

Aiden and Lin are finishing up tests on Apollo, a custom Skell, but Elma has some interesting news to share

-Alright, Aiden! - Said Lin - Everything seems to be functioning properly, you're free to land

-Roger that!

After doing a loop just to show off, Aiden turned off cruise mode on his newly made Skell and began to slowly descend, landing safely on the platform. It shimmered under the bright sunlight as Aiden hopped off to Lin walking up to him.

-Great job out there! Man, I gotta learn how to do those tricks someday…

-Thanks - He chuckled - maybe I'll teach you once the testing on Apollo is complete, just the weapons left, right?

-Yup! Just check in with Liesel and Alicia when they're not as busy, though it should take a few days so why don't we grab something to eat at the Ma-Non ship?

-Lemme guess, pizza?

-Duh, what else do they have there?

They both laughed as they began to walk to the teleporter, which instantly led them to the ship that overlooked the humble settlement of New Mira. The buildings were rather small since most of the facilities were handled inside the ship, but the city still bustled with humans and Xenos alike.

-Honestly i still can't believe we got this much done with just a year of being on this planet - Aiden said while taking in the view as they walked to the cafeteria

-Harmonia’s indigens aren't as hostile as Mira's and we don't have the Ganglion to worry about but… - her voice trembled

-Yeah, i get it, i miss Mira too - he puts his hand on Lin's shoulder in a parental way

After a bit more walking the cafeteria doors open as Aiden bumps into two people -Ouch, sorry - he says while backing up -Oh, Elma, Neil! What's up!

-Hey there, Rook - said Elma - Neilnail and I were just finishing up a talk about Harmonia. We were actually gonna head to the barracks and talk about it with Al, you two should come by, you'll probably wanna hear it

-It is quite unlike anything I have ever seen, might I add! - Said Neilnail, eyes sparkling with excitement

-Alrighty, we'll catch you guys there! - Said Lin

The duo spent a bit eating their lunch and chatting about Skells and reminiscing about the past, until they felt full enough to meet the rest of the crew at the barracks. As they arrived there, Elma and the others had already finished their conversation.

-Well you two sure took your time - Said Elma with a smile

Lin gave her an awkward laugh - Sorry guys, didn't mean to keep you waiting, the food was just really good

-Don't sweat it, Lin - Said Al - We just finished our little meeting so we can just give you the abridged version

-RIGHT! … ahem, sorry got a bit excited there - Said Neil, immediately lowering her tone - Essentially, Elma and I, alongside some other Blades were out exploring, as we do, and we came across-

-Wait and you didn't invite us? - Aiden interjected with a disappointed tone to his voice

Elma immediately shot him down.
-Come on Rook, you already had your hands full with Apollo testing, do you want to burn yourself out again?

Aiden took a few seconds to respond
-Right, my bad, you can continue, Neil

-Sooooooo… as I was saying, we came across an island not too far from where New Mira is located, and on it were the remains of what I can only assume is a gigantic tower, bigger than even what we saw in Volitaris!

-That's not the strange part, though - Elma added - The architecture was eerily similar to that of Earth

-Any chance it's Samaarian? We are descended from them, right? - Said Lin while tilting her head to the side

-Nope - Said Al - It was similar to *modern* day Earth

-Wait, so is it possible Harmonia is this universe's version of Earth? - Aiden said with a rising tone to his voice

-Right on, Rook, heck, I'd argue it's likely

-So is there any chance we'll find humans here?! - Lin's eyes lit up

-I wouldn't get my hopes up, sorry - Neilnail Said while deflecting her gaze - The ruins appeared to be quite old, vegetation seemed to have taken over it

-Plus, look at how different the fauna is here, who knows how long it's been since this Earth's humanity had the same technology we had - Elma added

Lin's hands started trembling, Aiden immediately noticed so he held one of her hands and interrupted the conversation .
-Well, since the fauna has changed so much, who's to say we might not find other people here, even if not exactly human?

-That is one of our best case scenarios, yeah - Said Elma - Let's keep our hopes up

-Just one more question, who else knows about this?

-Oh! We let Vandham and Nagi know before coming here, so they'll probably decide how we should move forwards with this - Said Neil - No use in waiting around, we should just resume our usual activities while we wait for more leads

They spent some more time chatting and planning out future missions, little by little they all left until it was just Aiden and Lin sitting on the couch.

-Aiden… do you really think we'll find people in Harmonia? - Her voice was soft but her tone was defeated

-I can't say for sure, but like Elma said, we gotta hope for the best, right?

-I know but… yeah, i guess you're right, there's not much else we can do besides hope right now

-Yeah, for now let's just keep up what we've been doing, okay?

Aiden opened his arms for a hug and Lin went right in.
-I love you, dad

Those words stunned Aiden for a second, despite the two of them being this close for over two years already, it was the first time she had called him “dad”. His eyes began to tear up but he kept his composure and returned the hug.
-I love you too, Lin

Notes:

Thank you for reading this chapter! It's my first time writing anything that isn't a comic since i was like 13, so it was a bit intimidating but i ended up having fun!

I'm not sure how long i'll make this fic since i dont tend to do too well with long term projects but i'll try my best to keep it updated

Chapter 2

Summary:

Apollo is almost ready! While waiting, Aiden goes on a date with his boyfriend, Matt

Notes:

Wooooooo, chapter 2!

I'm a bit sick but i really wanted to write my favorite couple ever so here they are!!!

Aiden took off his helmet, letting his short-ish wavy golden hair flow, he looked up at Apollo as Alicia walked into the test room.

-You did great! The weapons are working exactly as expected, I'll just ask you to leave Apollo with us for a few more days for the final tweaks

-Thanks Alicia, i can't wait to take him out there once he's done

The two of them heard a familiar voice as the door opened one more time
-Try not to take Matt on too many scenic flights, Apollo should handle multiple people but it's still not ideal - It was Liesel, who had been observing the tests with Alicia on the other side

-Come on Liesel, don't act like you don't take Alicia on flights with Hraesvelg all the time - Aiden said with a smirk, Alicia blushed

-Hah, too true - Liesel replied - Either way, i never thought we'd get cruise mode on another Skell this soon

-Well, Apollo is still partially based on Hraesvelg, even if it's mostly inspired by Ares - Alicia pointed out - so we have yet to make a fully original Skell with cruise mode, but I know we can!

-Come on, Leesh, it's still a great achievement - Said Liesel while giving a reassuring look to her “bestie” - Either way, I'm sure we'll finish work on Apollo in time for that exploration mission Elma and Neil were talking about

-Oh, they told you guys? - Aiden furrowed his brow

-Yup, Elma passed here the day after you and Lin did that flight test, basically she said having Apollo ready would help out a lot since they're avoiding using the Ares as to not attract the Ghosts and all - said Liesel trying her best to recall the words Elma used

-Uhhhh, Liesel - Said Alicia - we have to get going, schedule is pretty tight today

-Ah, alright, see ya Aiden! Next time we talk it'll be with a shiny new Skell for you

-Bye, you two! It's been fun!

Aiden changed out of his piloting suit and walked out of the test site when he heard a notification on his phone, it was his boyfriend, inviting him for a walk around New Mira. He quickly accepted and rushed to the meeting spot next to the teleporter that leads to the Ma-Non ship.

-Matt! - Aiden said with a big smile on his face as he quickly walked up to his boyfriend

-Hey sweetie! - Matt put a hand on Aiden's reddish freckled cheek and the other on his waist before going in for a short but tender kiss

-You're so cheesy - Aiden let out a light chuckle while their faces were still close

-Come oooooon, “sweetie” is better than “babe” at least - Matt laughed while resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder

The two laughed a bit more before finishing their hug as Aiden ruffled Matt's wavy brown hair.

-So, what did you wanna do?

-Honestly I'm not sure myself, just felt like wandering around the city and maybe ending the day at a café, it's just been so long since we got to go out together - Matt said while looking out at the city, Aiden's cheeks began to blush again as he looked at his boyfriend's face, the sun hitting his light brown skin, freckled just like his own, his silver eyes shining while looking at the product of the cooperation between humans and Xenos, it really had been that long since the two of them really had the time to be together like this.

-Yeah… I’m glad things have slowed down enough

The couple started walking with no set direction while passing by the residents of New Mira, the main residential building stood tall next to the Ma-Non ship, it’s there that mostly non-BLADEs lived, though the more time that passed, more people joined the organization, especially in the newly formed Builders division, which handled construction. The Builders had been expanding the new shopping district, it still had a couple of tents, but a lot of them had been given the proper infrastructure to operate by BLADE.

-So, how’s Lin doing? - Matt asked as he looked at the Builders working with the shopkeepers - I’ve been too busy to talk with her

-Now that things have been slowing down more i think she’s been doing a lot better, we don’t have that much on our plate since Apollo is almost ready, it’s been good to spend some more time with her - Aiden had a warm smile on his face.

-Gosh I wish I could join in… haven’t been the most present stepdad for her but the whole restructuring of BLADE really has tripled the workload for us Mediators - Matt said with a defeated but joking tone.

-Well we do have that one mission coming up but we’re still waiting for Ken to free up his schedule, Elma told me he really wants to come, plus finishing up Apollo too

-That thing you said about checking out some ruins? - Matt looked at his boyfriend and was met with a nod.

As he began to look forwards again, Matt noticed something unusual.
-Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that Nopon around

-I mean, there’s lots of them

-Yeah, I know that, but their hairstyle and clothing is a bit different from what Nopon usually wear, I feel like I’d recognize them

-Eh there’s probably nothing weird about them, just someone you missed

-Probably

The couple diverted the path towards a café, while the unfamiliar red Nopon headed in another direction. They sat down at a table and ordered their favorite drinks, a cappuccino for Aiden and a hot cocoa for Matt.

-I’m surprised you went decaf this time - Said Matt

-Ah, yeah, I’ve been trying to stay away from caffeine

-Awwwwww, I’m proud of you, you really have been taking it easier since we landed on Harmonia, I’m glad

Aiden looked to the side, a bit embarrassed.
-It’s thanks to you and Lin, really, heck even Elma has been helping

-You gotta give yourself some credit too man, it takes a lot of effort to unlearn all that stuff

-Yeah, that’s true

Time seemed to fly as they chatted about everything that’s been happening in their lives, suddenly it was sunset as they walked out of the café.

-Hey, so tomorrow I wanna check in with the other Mediators to see if I can get a small little vacation before you have to go on that big mission of yours - Matt said as he anxiously played with his hair using his free hand, the other holding his boyfriend’s hand - I was thinking… do you wanna invite Lin so we can have some family time? We can do anything really, watch some movies, cook together, anything

-Of course! - Aiden’s eyes lit up - She’d love to spend some time with you!

-Wait, really? I mean she’s way closer with you, Elma and Al, so i thought-

-I know what you mean, but she still wants to bond with you more, so it’s a perfect opportunity, just lemme know when you have the time, alright?

-Yeah, I’m looking forward to it!

-Same here!

The two walked back to the teleporter before parting ways, Matt had one more job to do for the day while Aiden had to be back for dinner.

-It was fun, I’m glad we finally got to go out like this! - Aiden said as he went in for a hug.

-I love you so so so so much, you have no idea - Matt held him tight and briefly lifted him up, despite them being almost the same height.

-I love you too, sweetie - Aiden smiled as he went in for a goodbye kiss, this time it lasted much longer.

The moon was shining brightly on Harmonia’s skies as they said their goodbyes for the day, it had felt like forever since those two had gone out on a date like this, but that was never going to change how special their connection was.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading! My plans for how i want the story to develop have started to solidify, but i still wanna keep the semi episodic format for now