AN: Just a pre-warning, I do not know any Spanish whatsoever, so everything was translated from Google, which I know-Doesn't make it accurate, but I really didn't have any other options, I'd appreciate corrections if you have any issues with this, and all translations are located at the bottom, so even if it's wrong you can at least see what I mean.
This is probably one of the rare few straight stories I've put up on this site and it's based off Starship, the pairing being Taz x Up, one of my favourite couples.

Promises - Chapter 01: You Promised...

It wasn't surprising that people looked down on Taz. First being that the girl was short, small-Both of those words, though she'd more than likely deck anyone who used them to her face. Secondly, she was a girl, and while there were other females in G.L.E.E, even a few who'd chosen to act as Rangers, not many of them actually applied for many of the more physcially positions in the force.

Taz was anything but a damsal in distress, she'd been that more times than she'd like to mention, and threatened Up about the results if he ever mentioned the times he'd had to save her ass, but for the most part she could hold her own. She was tough.

That didn't make the Academy any easier, and training was hell, specifically because she had a particular way of getting under the Drill Sergeant's skin and he made sure she paid for every muttered insult, even the one's he didn't understand. This was what left her outside, running the test course for the thirteenth time so far, rain stinging against her skin and her clothing soaked and covered in mud.

"Taz-Taz!" Up shouted over the sound of the rain, arms crossing his chest and a frown on his features, the only-barely graying hair damp and stuck against his forehead. "Dammit, Taz!" He shouted, and the female paid him no heed.

She was stubborn to the core. It was only halfway through the sixteenth run through that her feet gave out in the mud and she ended up half covered in the mess, mud dripping down her face and her hands balling into fists.

"Eres un hijo muerto de puta!" Taz cried out bitterly, kicking at the mud as if it would make a distance, sitting back in the dirt, her arms draped over her knees and her head hanging.

Up didn't take too long to get to her, it'd been programmed in his head since the moment he'd met the foul-mouthed girl to protect her, whether she berated him for it later or not. The physical stuff he could do, but this seemed a bit more than that, "Hey-C'mon, I'll get you inside before you catch a cold," He muttered, crouching down beside her.

That had been a mistake.

Taz wasted no time in shoving him back, his balance disappearing for a moment, elbow jerking out to catch himself, but it did nothing to prevent the fresh layer of mud coating him, and for a moment he sat there staring at her, laughter leaving the female, her shoulders shaking and her eyes moving up to him, "Idiota..." She managed under her breath.

Up chuckled, settling into the mud and nudging his shoulder against hers, "What's this all about, Taz?" He questioned, she'd never been big on sharing her feelings, despite how much he pestered her about it, she would shrug it off and keep on moving like it didn't matter.

"I have to get better, tougher-Like you," Taz responded and Up raised a brow, "I'm your Commander-I'm always going to be better," He chuckled, "Where'd this come from, anyway? You're one of the best Rangers here, everyone knows it-You don't need to keep proving yourself," He assured her, Dead-God knew she'd come far since he'd found her tattered and broken at the party all those years ago.

Lifting her arm and wiping her face on the back of her hand, she dug into her pocket and pulled out a crumbled letter, holding it out to him.

"Yo no significan para ver ..." She mumbled, "They're shipping you out, Up," She said quietly, "And I don't have enough time to get better at this...this mierda!" She spoke out bitterly, bringing her arm back to her knees as he took the letter, opening it out, his lips forming a grim line as he read, putting it aside after a few seconds.

An attack on the supposed 'ground zero' of the Robot invasion. This was what he'd been waiting for, the highlight of his career. Though, to be honest, the glory of the mission was slowly ebbing away at the thought of ditching Taz. He'd grown attached to her, and their relationship had definitely turned heads and caused whispers, until Taz had proved she didn't take any of that bullshit.

"It's better, Taz-This is gonna be dangerous-"

"No me tratan como a un niño, imbécil," Taz huffed, fixing him with a glare, "I can handle it, Up. You know I can-And you promised you wouldn't leave me behind-Don't you dare go back on that promise," She said firmly, "Yo nunca le perdonará si lo hace," She informed him.

"I know, I just-"

"No excuses-Up, you promised. Besides, you wouldn't survive if I wasn't there to save you, idiota," Taz said and the Commander's expression softened.

"C'mon," He said, getting to his feet and tugging her to her own, "Come where?" Taz asked, raising a brow at the grin nagging his lips, "I promised, didn't I-I'm gonna get you on this mission, Taz," He said, patting her on the back and not missing the genuine smile lighting her own expression, no matter how quickly she tried to hide it.

A promise was a promise, and Up didn't break his promises.

Besides, part of him, the selfish part, would miss her sharp-wit if he left her behind.

xxx

Eres un hijo muerto de puta! (You dead son of a bitch!)
Idiota. (Idiot.)
Yo no significan para ver ... (I didn't mean to see...)
Mierda! (Crap!)
No me tratan como a un niño, imbécil. (Don't treat me like a child, asshole.)
Yo nunca le perdonará si lo hace. (I will never forgive you if you do.)