The soulmate bit was inspired by a tumblr edit post that had Piper and Aerrow sharing each other's eye colors. https://www.tumblr.com/nosfelixculpa/714758518746529792/wake-up-babe-new-binding-lore-idea-what-if-when-u?source=share

Not gonna lie, this is mostly good ol' angst with some fluff at the start to make the angst hurt worse. It was supposed to only be around 1.5k words but then it got out of hand. Aerrow and Piper are one of my top OTPs. I don't know who is left in the fandom but I hope someone enjoys this.

    Growing up, Aerrow didn't think too hard about the subject of soulmates. He was just a kid. It wasn't anything special. One day he had two green eyes and the next he had one green and one carnelian that complemented the eye's of the new girl that had joined his and Finn's little orphan posse. 

    Turns out, the adults viewed finding your soulmate as the pinnacle of closeness or whatever. It was a pretty big deal and Piper and Aerrow were apparently extremely fortunate to have found each other so young. People's high opinion and awe over the matter had never truly affected how they saw each other. To them, they were just Aerrow and Piper.

    Later, they became the Storm Hawks, Sky Knight and Navigator, fighting to finish a war that was not their own but passed onto them. Perhaps people were right to say that the newest iteration of the Storm Hawks was far too young to be in battle. But fighting was all they had ever known growing up in a land marred by war. The Storm Hawks held their heads high against the naysayers, meeting and conquering every challenge with the blind tenacious faith of youth. 

    Through their countless battles, they gained experience, becoming a little bit older and a little bit wiser. But not wise enough. The scars from the years of bloodshed ran deep for everyone, but Aerrow had not been prudent enough to observe the warnings. He had grown complacent. Somehow, their continual victories had led to a belief they were invulnerable. Sure, peril hounded their every step, but its teeth always snapped shut on thin air. It was a dangerous dance he and his squadron seemed to relish.

    However, their youth did not guarantee that death would not one day find a way to ensnare them. Aerrow knew that now. He was reminded every time he looked at his soulmate. It had been a week since the failed assault on Cyclonia; and though Piper tried putting up a bold front, Aerrow could see the tiredness in her movements and the brief winces of pain across her face. Her strength was fading despite not using the Binding since their last battle.

    He had never considered losing her because they still had their whole lives stretching out before them like an endless horizon. Piper had just always been there, and their soulmate bond had been immovable. He had taken that for granted.

    There was the saying: 'It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.' Clearly the person who penned that had not ever had nor lost a soulmate.

    On Terra Saharr was the first time Aerrow had come across and actually spoken with someone who had lost his soulmate. One of the merchant's eyes was a vibrant forest green while the other was lifeless and dull with all trace of color clouded over. It was a pitiful sight to behold and the entire team had winced in sympathy. Yet Piper being Piper and ever curious had dared to tentatively question what it was like.

    The myriad of expressions that flickered across the man's face said more than if he had told them a hundred stories. He scrutinized Aerrow's and Piper's complementary eyes with a strained countenance. Finally, he settled on, "It is a wretched emptiness in the soul that I would not wish upon anyone, not even the Cyclonians. You would do well to relish every moment spent with each other."

    That merchant's haunted gaze and words lingered in the back of Aerrow's mind in the early morning hours even as a hundred other thoughts fought for precedence. 

    How long until Cyclonis tracked them down?

    What was happening to the scattered squadrons?

    Were any of their allies left?

    Realizing that he would not be getting anymore sleep, Aerrow forced himself to crawl out of bed. Maybe some quiet time on the bridge would help to clear his head.

    Aerrow's eyebrows shot up when he realized he wasn't the first on the bridge. His heart had no right to ache like that as he realized his first officer must have fallen asleep while poring over a stack of maps and data. He glared at the few crystals that were also strewn about the tabletop.

    Piper had her head buried in her arms, her body hunched forward in a position that could not be comfortable.

    He softly nudged her and she sleepily stirred. "Hmmph?" 

    She cracked her mismatched eyes open. "Aerrow?" 

    The navigator jerked more fully awake upon recognition, bolting upright a little too quickly. Her hand reflexively went to her forehead and she failed to fully disguise her wince. She looked guiltily between Aerrow and her work, attempting to explain herself, "I–I needed to make sure we were on a safe course and plot some backup courses in case the Cyclonians find us and..."

    "Stork's got us on a safe course," interrupted Aerrow gently. "You've already steered us to safety."

    "I know, but just in case," fretted Piper, already with her navigation instruments poised over the maps.

    The Sky Knight deftly plucked the compass and pencil from her hand. 

    "Aerrow." Piper's voice took on an oh-so familiar annoyed tone as she held her hand out expectantly.

    Secretly pleased to have elicited a spark of indignation, Aerrow casually waltzed over to the lounge and settled himself into the cushions. He patted the space beside him invitingly and set the instruments there. "If you have to finish, at least do your plotting somewhere comfortable."

    Piper narrowed her eyes at him, no doubt seeing through his ploy and calculating the possibility of liberating her tools. She knew as well as he did that by the time she retrieved her pencil and compass, Aerrow will have snagged something else. Piper conceded to huffily gathering her charts and settling  beside Aerrow. Despite her annoyance with him, she leaned into him as she read through her maps. When she finished, she simply set the papers aside and tucked herself further into his side. 

    The Sky Knight couldn't help himself as he slung an arm around her and teased, "What? Too tired to finish?"

    "I finished," grumbled Piper. "Just too comfy to move. That was your plan all along."

    "Oh yes. My evil, diabolical plan to get my first officer to get some rest," smirked Aerrow.

    Piper scoffed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

    They sat in serene silence for a good while as the first rays of dawn began to stretch across the sky and into the bridge. Aerrow occasionally let his eyes drift downward to gaze at his dozing navigator. The sunbeams made her warm skin tone positively glow. He sighed minutely, letting his head fall back against the lounge. 

    If he screwed his eyes shut, he could reach out and feel their strong soulmate bond and pretend everything was right and perfect. That there wasn't the link of the Binding winding its way around their bond, threatening to choke it off like a strangling vine. He could pretend they had beaten Cyclonia and that all the Atmos was at peace instead of crumbling beneath Cyclonis' tyranny.

    He twitched slightly as Piper spoke as if sensing his guilt. He thought she had fallen asleep.

    "It's not your fault, y'know."

    He met her eyes. She knew him too well. "Isn't it though? I lead everyone into a massacre."

    Piper shook her head. "You couldn't have anticipated Cyclonis' new powers from the Far Side. I should've—"

    Aerrow quickly shut down their self-blame game before it could continue. "No. We did everything we could and Cyclonis still won."

    "For now..." corrected Piper. "She's only won for now."

    The Sky Knight could only smile at her tenacity. In times where his faith wavered, she was always there to back him up. Maybe she just needed more time for her strength to come back. Yes. Before long, Piper would rebound to her old self, come up with a brilliant plan to kick Cyclonia's butt, and they would live in a land unburdened by the threat of war. She had to be okay. He couldn't bear it if he lost her.

~~~~~~

    Another week passed and Piper's health continued to decline. In his close observations, Aerrow discovered Piper weaseling her way out of meals. He wasn't the only one to be keeping a closer eye on her. The other boys were also beginning to take note of her poor wellbeing. While they might be dense on occasion, they cared deeply for their teammate. The entire team, barring Junko, were wiry due to their lifestyles, but Piper's lean form was becoming alarmingly skeletal.

    Junko was the sweet brave soul to finally confront her at dinner after Finn had just finished regaling them with the tale of his latest prank against the Cyclonians. "Hey, Piper, are you gonna finish that?"

    Piper looked up from where she had been studiously jotting down notes in her logbook. Her other hand had been absentmindedly poking at her small portion of air chili. "Um, no. Do you want it?"

    Junko quickly refused as he nervously toyed with his hands. "No, no! I was... was just wondering because I didn't see you eat breakfast... or lunch."

    "I just haven't been that hungry." The lie rolled off her tongue easily enough. "Besides, we're rationing anyways so it's not that big a deal."

    Great. Now all the boys were staring at her worriedly. 

    Finn pointed out, "Well that's gonna go bad by tomorrow so might as well finish it off."

    Piper worked to not scrunch her face up in distaste at the thought of eating. Nowadays, it seemed to do more harm than good as even a small snack either came back up or left her with horrible stomach cramps. But with everyone watching, she didn't have much of a choice. She scarfed down the few bites of chili, certain that she was going to regret it later.

    And regret it she did. Curse the Condor's metal interior that channeled sound across the entire ship as she retched up dinner. It wasn't just her stomach that protested. Every nerve in her body seemed to be on fire and every muscle cramped up as she curled in on herself in front of the toilet. She was so preoccupied with trying to remember to breath that she almost didn't hear the bathroom door slide open.

    A flash of red told her that Aerrow was on his knees beside her. His hands hovered anxiously over her, one eventually coming to rest on her back and the other gripping her hand in support. He hated how he could feel her bones jutting out.

    Piper's breathing evened out as the wave of pain and nausea subsided. She cringed as she realized everyone had come to her aid. Even Stork, who absolutely despised even the mere thought of sickness, was hovering outside the doorframe. Granted, he was clad in a protective full-body suit and had a can of disinfectant spray in each hand, but he was still there.

    "Dude, are you okay?" asked Finn, genuine concern lacing his tone. It was so un-Finn-like and Piper hated being the cause of it. 

    He really shouldn't have asked that because Piper's automatic, stubborn response was, "Of course! I'm fine. Just a little indigestion."

    She wasn't fooling anyone, least of all herself, but she doggedly pushed herself to her feet, brushing off Aerrow's worried attempts to help her up. She swayed on her feet slightly but managed to stay upright because fainting in front of the crew really wasn't the best way to make them see she was alright. 

    She kept her head held high as she marched past the boys. Her glare dared them to comment. They wisely remained silent.

    The next day, Stork went out to stir up trouble for the Raptors while the rest of the team stayed behind on the Condor. Finn, Junko, and Aerrow roughhoused in the hanger bay with Radarr playing referee. 

    Finn had been leaping toward Aerrow, looking to land a pretty severe kick across his ribs when the sharpshooter pulled up short and landed in a tangled heap. He didn't even bother to right himself as his wide blue eyes stared up at the Sky Knight.

    Aerrow didn't need to take in the guys' frozen forms around him to know what was happening. He felt the surge of power through his limbs, that feeling of invincibility. His heart still gave a sputter as he held up his glowing hands in front of his face. Underneath that power, he could feel their soulmate bond give the smallest of shudders. While he gained strength, Piper was losing it.

    "Stay here."

    Faster than anyone could blink, he was gone from the room and kicking open Piper's door, all sense of propriety thrown away in the moment. 

    His admonishment was an agonized shout, equal parts fear and fury.

    "Piper!" 

    The crystals floating around the navigator's cross-legged form clinked to the ground. She managed to catch herself before her body pitched forward in a noble attempt to give up consciousness.

    "Piper." Aerrow's voice held livid disapproval as he crouched beside her. With more force than was necessary, he swiped the crystals away. 

    "I'm okay, I'm okay," repeated Piper breathlessly, even as pained whimpers escaped her lips.

    Despite the sweat beading on her brow, her body shivered with cold.

    Aerrow shook his head and pulled her close to him, unnerved by the unnatural tint that had overtaken her warm skin. "You're not. It's hurting you!" In poor choice of words, he firmly demanded, "As Sky Knight, I forbid you from using the Binding."

    In a sudden burst of energy, Piper pushed him away. Anger flared up in her. "You can't just order me not to use it! You said it yourself, this only chance we have at competing with Cyclonis' power!"

    "And I also said we'll find another way!" fired back Aerrow.

    "Aerrow! There is no other way! Do you see any other crystal mages in Atmos? Do you see any other people who can—" she gestured to the multicolored stones strewn about the floor of her room "—do whatever we do?" She took a deep breath, barely managing to bite back a cough. "I need to master the Binding, and I can't do that without practice. It's Atmos' only hope."

    "Not at the cost of your health," refused Aerrow fiercely. He clenched his jaw so tight his teeth threatened to crack. It suddenly felt as if the weight of the world was pressing in around them. When did they get forced to carry such heavy burdens and make such life-and-death decisions?

    "I don't care the cost!" cried Piper. "If we get this right, I'll be fine."

    "I care!" roared Aerrow. Again, in a softer tone, he repeated, "I care."

    As a Sky Knight, his duty was to protect Atmos. Yet, he realized with alarm, that he would gladly stand by and watch the land burn if it meant he wouldn't lose Piper. It was selfish and unheroic, but he couldn't stand by and let his best friend, his soulmate, waste away just to grant him mystical powers.

    That was what irked him so much. If it were just Cyclonis and the Dark Ace to face, Aerrow would do that in a heartbeat. He would take on the Talons and Raptors. People, he could fight. Sickness, not so much. 

    He stared into her eyes which mirrored his own. "I love you, Piper."

    Perhaps it was premature to say such meaningful words, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Yes, they were young, just kids, but war had aged them far beyond their physical years. As much as it pained him to admit, Aerrow knew it would be better for him to tell her now than never have the opportunity.

    He couldn't stop the tears from falling as he confessed, "And... and I'm killing you."

    Skies above, he hated himself for that. He couldn't find a way to save his soulmate because he was the cause of her illness, like a parasite leeching her life away. 

    Piper's face flooded with grief and she opened her mouth to say something but ended up breaking down into a coughing fit. Her hands did little to muffle the horrendous dry barking sound as her lungs seemed to try to expel themselves from her body.

    Aerrow could only sit by helplessly as her thin frame was wracked with coughs. For one horrible moment, it felt as if someone had taken a knife to his eye, stabbing it repeatedly. He blinked rapidly trying to restore sight to his left eye. Panic overtook him as he knew, he absolutely knew his amber eye was flickering in and out. Was this what it was like to lose a soulmate?

    After what was far, far too long, Piper's coughing died down and she could finally breathe easier. The sharp pain in Aerrow's eye subsided. He nervously checked his eye in a reflective piece of metal, relieved to find the warm amber still present though it appeared duller than before.

    The crystal mage slowly pulled her hands away from her mouth. Both Storm Hawks shivered as they immediately caught sight of the globs of blood coating her bony hand.

    In a soft thin voice, she admitted without her gaze wavering from the blood, "I know... I know I'm dying. That's why we need to hurry up and face Cyclonis, while I still have the strength to use the Binding."

    The resignation in her words felt so awful and wrong coming from her. She hugged herself against the cold that had seeped into every cell of her body. It was like Death was reminding her of his presence that was drawing ever closer.

    Wordlessly, Aerrow helped her tug the ruined glove off and hoisted her up into his arms, settling her on her bed and bundling the sheets close around her. He looked so lost standing there, hesitating on leaving or staying.

    Piper helped him as she reached out to snag his wrist when he turned to leave. "Stay. Please."

    Aerrow could never refuse her as he carefully crawled into the bed. Piper put her forehead to his and he wrapped his arms around her as if he could restore the warmth and vitality he had stolen from her. They didn't say anything because what more could possibly be said in such a situation. They simply gazed into the other's corresponding eyes and reveled in reaching out to remind themselves that their soulmate bond was still there. They were still there.

    He lay beside her, hoping... praying that she would be okay.

    Once he was certain she was asleep, the young Sky Knight turned on his side, clutching at his head as if that would somehow block out all noise.

    Hate spat that he was useless.

    Guilt reminded him all the ways he had failed as a leader and a friend.

    Fear shrieked that he was losing her.

    Despair darkened his spirits, telling him it was all over.

    Somewhere in the mix, hope whispered they would find a solution like always. Hope was really hard to hear.