[ Summary: There's more to the past than it really seems like. ]
[ LOCATION: The Skeld?  but irrelevant ]

--
Captain was at the Cafeteria table, having completed today's tasks. It took him a while. He looked over, and saw familiar purple and lime suits. He didn't acknowledge them, and they didn't acknowledge him. What did, however, was a string of memories.

Flight school hadn't been a cakewalk, not at all. As Mr. Egg had pointed to him in an argument, it's normally a very fast and few-month ordeal. Not for Captain. His vision was poor, but he didn't have glasses. Instead, he attempted over and over to hide his vision issues.

-

A few years of this continued. He entered, failed, repeat the next time it opened up. One day, he met someone new in the academy. He was wearing goggles. His outfit was a little dirty, as if he'd been fixing something.

"Hello!" He called out to the new person. The person turned around.

"Oh, good morning." was the reply that Captain received from him. "What is your name? I've never seen you here."

Captain paused. At the moment, he went by a name legally that he didn't enjoy. Hell, at this point in his life, he didn't go by Captain. He stated a name, a nickname he went by at the time.

The other, slightly shorter, man nodded. "Well, it's good to meet you. You can just call me Engineer." He gave a smile, more or less to try to make Captain more comfortable. "How long have you been in this place?"

Captain laughed. "Six years. I'm gonna get there some day!"

Engineer raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't mean months?"

Captain shook his head. "Nope! I've been trying to pass the final stretch for six years now. I.. don't know why I keep failing."

-

The memory began to fade out of exactness, all Captain remembered past this is that he and Engineer began to get along. Captain stared off in the distance, his mind occupied by more memories.

-

He failed the test another time, but he rejoined the academy yet again. Engineer by now had become a very good friend.

"Y'see, you do it this way." Engineer explained, gently guiding Captain's hand to flip the specific switches. "It's this one, that one, and the one way over there. Can you see that?"

"Not really." Captain replied, trying to remember where Engineer put his hand to flip the correct switches. "Was it this?"

"Too far to the left." Engineer replied.

"So how about this?" Captain asked, a bit more energy.

"Little too high up." Engineer sighed.

It took some time, but Captain managed to memorize the correct switches in this situation. He looked over to Engineer. "Hey, do you want to go get some lunch after this?"

Engineer paused before nodding. "Sure. I suppose I am getting hungry."

-

That lunch was something that Captain both loved and hated the memory of. While it was the start of his victory of his name, it was the source of some regrets.

-

The two had gone to a local fast food restaurant. Engineer had gotten a bacon burger while Captain settled for chicken tenders and fries. With barbecue sauce, of course.

"So," Engineer started, looking in Captain's direction. "I have been thinking about something. The odds of our encounter were low as it is, but for us to become friends? Even more so. I, uh.." He looked down. He took a bite of his burger, visibly thinking.

"What're you saying? I'm confused." Captain spoke.

"...Would you like to consider this a date?" Engineer's tone showed a hint of shyness.

A date. Captain blushed lightly, partly from surprise but because that sounded nice. A relationship. He'd never been in one. He nodded. "Sure. We can think of it like that!" He spoke in a happy tone.

This was the part that stung. A relationship with Engineer. It was a nice one, there were nights Captain remembered being in the other's arms, feeling comfortable and safe. Those were happy days. Captain even finally passed flight school, and began his new life as, well, Captain.

-

The memories grew sour not too long after. The two weren't ever the steadiest of relationships, and it got very confusing. Eventually, Engineer broke up with Captain. Then the events in Mira HQ happened. Captain held a bit of a grudge, bickering with Engineer, eventually voting him off alongside Poopyfarts96's suggestion. Captain never admitted it, but

Captain's train of thought got broken by a voice.

"Captain?" Veteran had appeared at some point. He didn't know how or when. Player was there too. Either Captian spaced out for a while, or they'd just shown up.

"Huh- Yeah?" He lightly flinched, shaking his head to clear his mind.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Player spoke up.

Captain looked at the two who had sat near him. He sighed. "Yeah."

Veteran sighed. "Is it about Engineer again?"

Captain flinched yet again. How did Veteran know that?

"I'm taking that as a yes." Veteran spoke again.

"H-How did you know about that? I wasn't thinking about.... About those days." Captain asked, a hint of fear in his voice. He'd never told anyone.

"He told me a few weeks ago, last time we went to the frisbee golf courses." Veteran shrugged.

"We knew because you were staring in his direction for a few minutes." Player added.

Right. Veteran knew Engineer. Captain had heard of Veteran before they all were on the ship together, too. Old friends. Captain didn't like Veteran taking Engineer's attention back then, and nowadays the same thing was happening between himself, Veteran, and Player. He was trying to work on that.

"I don't know why he'd tell you that." Captain replied, his voice holding a bitter tone. "It's none of your business."

Veteran looked at Captain,"Because he's a friend of mine. Also, just because he's an ex doesn't mean you have to outcast him, you understand that, right?"

Captain nearly growled. "I don't need relationship advice right now."

"You will at some point."