Stronger Together

Ducky cannot find his batchmates anywhere. They were with him in the mess hall at breakfast, but then he’d been put on dish detail, and when he’d arrived back at their shared quarters, they were nowhere to be found. Now he’s scouring the halls to no avail. There aren’t any trainings scheduled for today, so where else could they be?

An inspiration strikes him, quick as the lightning that flickers in the sky outside. Trying to look as casual as possible, Ducky makes his way to the receiving bay, where incoming shipments of supplies are unloaded and unpacked. While he’s not sure this is generally a place that cadets are supposed to be, nobody has ever told him he can’t be there either, so he and his batchmates go there from time to time, as a sort of tiny adventure. In a life with such a strict daily routine, any break from the norm feels thrilling.

Ducky glances around the bay and – sure enough – he spots Chips and Lex right where he expects, sitting on top of the tallest stack of crates, feet swinging off the edge. They’re talking, but too quietly for even him to hear. He moves closer, keeping an eye out for dock staff, then starts scaling the crates. His brothers, finally noticing him, watch as he climbs up toward them. They don’t say anything, but Chips looks a little guilty.

“See,” Lex says to Chips as Ducky hoists himself over the edge to sit between the two of them, “I told you he’d come looking.”

Ducky doesn’t say anything, just waits for an explanation. To his left, Lex folds his arms. To his right, Chips is looking away. There is a moment of silence, and then Lex speaks.

“Chips is worried things will change between us all,” he says quietly, “since you got picked for command.”

Things fall into place in Ducky’s mind. He mulls it over for a moment before responding.

“Chips,” he says, “the reason they picked me is that they like how I handle problems. And how I work with my team. With you. We just have to keep doing what we always do, and improve as much as we can. Of course this won’t break our bond, vod. It’ll make us stronger.” He gives his brother a friendly nudge, and Chips leans over to rest his head on Ducky’s shoulder. He whuffs out a sigh, reassured.

“Sorry,” Chips whispers.

“It’s okay,” Ducky says softly, pressing his cheek to the top of his brother’s head. “You don’t have to worry, Chips. They might have picked me for commander, but I couldn’t get anything done without you two. We’re so much stronger together. Besides,” he adds as Lex, not to be left out, piles onto his other shoulder, “you’re my batchmates. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

Lex’s whickering laugh comes from one side of him, Chips’ snort from the other. Ducky grins, pulling them both closer. They’ll have to get back to their quarters soon before someone misses them, but for a few moments more, all that matters is sitting here with his arms around his closest brothers.