#selfship au

Idea synopsis:

Chapter 1 -

Blake is just your average dude living on Earth; he has type 2 autism, OCD, ADHD, lives in a crummy apartment, and works at a library. All-in-all, he's the last person anyone would suspect was destined for a glorious purpose. (Ha)

Everything was normal until scientists discovered something horrific; the sun was going out. They predicted that within twenty years, the sun would fade and leave Earth to freeze over. When they looked deeper, they found that Earth's sun wasn't alone; more suns like it were dying too.

Among all of this, Blake's sister—Madelyn—was in a state, working day and night with her fellow scientists to come up with a solution, desperate for any way to stop the inevitable.

It started when Blake visited the lab one day, completely oblivious to the situation, as they were frantically trying to find a solution before going public about it.

Blake mindlessly walked off while Madelyn was busy on call with one of her associates, only to stumble upon the readings. He noticed something that the other scientists, including Madelyn herself, wrote off as unimportant on the scans. Blake didn't fiddle with the lab's equipment normally—it wasn't his equipment after all—but curiosity and impulse won out, and he looked deeper into it.

By the time Madelyn realized what he was doing and rushed to stop him, Blake had made a very important discovery; a pattern. The suns going out all had one thing in common, and that was the catalyst that led Blake to being pulled into the situation.

Not many of the scientists were very keen on Blake being involved because of his 'issues', but it was undeniable that Blake had made an important discovery in this whole situation. So, he was brought along as an extra pair of eyes to oversee the situation.

Unlike Grace in Hail Mary, Blake wasn't allowed to participate in most of the scientific parts, unless he barged in himself when he realized there was a problem or noticed something the others didn't. Blake wasn't the 'autistic genius' stereotype by any stretch of the word; in fact, it was because of his lack of knowledge that made him better at noticing things the scientists didn't. Unencumbered by the odd social rules/politics of scientists, as well as having a completely different viewpoint.

Blake was, however, happy to help, and quickly developed a friendship with a few of the on-site people. Including an intern; Peter Parker, an astronaut; Steve Rogers, and one of Madelyn's colleagues; Bruce Banner. All this while they pieced together a plan to save the Earth and all life on it.

Ultimately, they couldn't quite figure out why that specific sun was immune to the horrific event, so they planned to send a small team f astronauts on a one-way trip to figure it out.

At first, the team consisted of four professional astronauts, affectionately referred to as the 'Fantastic Four' for their bravery and sacrifice. However, an explosion caused by a freak accident resulted in one of them; Johnny Storm, perishing. With nobody lined up to take his place, and time running out, everyone scrambled to figure out who could replace him.

...And unfortunately, there was only one person on-site that the higher-ups deemed useful AND disposable; Blake.

Blake fought hard against it, as anyone would, but stopped when his sister finally yelled at him: "Would you stop being a selfish coward for once in your life?!" A similar sentiment from his parents, who'd often call him selfish, freeloading, and lazy. Madelyn immediately apologized, explaining that she knew this wasn't fair and hated to send her baby brother away like this, but there wasn't a choice.

Blake was handed over to the other three members to prepare him, put into hibernation, and sent off.

Chapter 2 -

Things didn't go the way they planned, though. Somehow, something went wrong on the way there, and the remaining members of the 'Fantastic Four' died in hibernation, leaving Blake alone in a ship.

By the time Blake woke up and realized what happened, he felt a horrible sense of dread, regret, and hopelessness; the people who actually understood what they were doing were dead, and now the only person left has no training, no knowledge, and barely any idea what he's supposed to do.

Jumping at every shadow, Blake could almost swear he'd see someone walk around the ship, glimpses of bones, and other things.

Blake barely got the radios working, which were functional so far from Earth thanks to a scientist and engineer named Tony Stark, whom Blake didn't really get along with, in all honesty.

The first voice he heard, unsurprisingly, was Tony's, and Blake demanded to talk with Madelyn. Tony didn't relent until Blake told him in a loud, exasperated voice: "I can't put Reed Richards on because Reed Richards is dead!"

Finally, Tony put Madelyn on, and Blake had to explain to her what happened, and Madelyn felt the same hopelessness and turmoil Blake did. There were a few minutes of silence as they both realized, ultimately, sending Blake into space on this suicide mission was not only a waste of time but also condemned him to die for no reason.

After that, though, Madelyn begged Blake to try; desperate for the sacrifice to mean something and Blake tried his best. It was... very shaky at best, but it was working somewhat, at least.

B: "...Madelyn?" M: "Yes, Blake?" B: "...Do you really think I'm selfish?" M: "..."

Unfortunately, the radio's reach ended right at the cusp of the sun's orbit, turning to static and cutting out constantly; though it could still hear Blake, even if Blake couldn't hear whoever was on the other side.

That made Blake feel even worse, since Blake now was right where he needed to be, but had no way of knowing what to do next.

That was when Blake saw something; a large, white, angular thing covered in runes floating in the vacuum. Blake wasn't sure how to feel, especially when it launched a little... thing at his ship that just bounced right off. ...and a second one.

By the third one, whoever was on the other ship must've realized he couldn't grab them, so a massive bridge suddenly emerged to connect to his ship.

Blake was hesitant, but put on a spacesuit, checked everything repeatedly, neurotically, before stepping out and checking for himself.

And there they were; a large blue humanoid with bright red eyes and black hair stared back at him. Blake wasn't sure what to do or what to even think, but relaxed a little when the alien repeated one of his nervous stims back at him. They had a brief interaction where they just mirrored each other's movements before Blake finally tried to communicate properly with them.

Turns out this alien couldn't speak English, but could understand him, at least; so Blake tried sign language instead, which they could replicate. Turns out, this alien—named Loki—was sent on a similar mission from their home planet, and just like Blake, all the people on Loki's ship were dead. Unlike Blake, though, Loki actually knew what they were doing.

Blake was ecstatic, and there was a brief conversation where Blake had to explain to Loki that he was autistic and that's why he was so 'weird'. Loki, unlike some scientists from Earth, was far less judgemental and more patient.

L: "What is an autistic civilian doing in space?" B: "Uh... I don't know. I mean, I thought I knew, but... things kind of went out of control."

After a while, they broke off and went back to each other's ships, with Blake saying he'd come back when he woke up next. Blake immediately went to the radio first thing to tell whoever was on the other end that he came across an alien.

B: "I'm sure none of you believe me, but they're amazing! Kinda human-like, but with these big, beautiful red eyes and this pretty blue color in their skin. I think-... I think his ship might be made of some kind of ice? Maybe that's why they haven't gotten closer to the sun before I got here?"

Chapter 3 -

The next 'morning' when Blake woke back up, Loki was there. Blake fell out of his bed when he realized Loki was standing over him.

Loki explained that normally, the atmosphere of Blake's ship would've killed them, but his species can spread a layer of specialized ice over their bodies to keep themselves stable. This while using a machine that Loki created to translate their language somewhat into English, but also supplementing with ASL for blind spots in the machine's translations.

Blake, of course, was very interested, and while Loki explained further that his species also has a habit of watching each other sleep for safety reasons, Blake traced the ice on Loki's arm with his fingers and was more than happy to converse with them. Blake and Loki fiddled with the machine before Blake found a 'perfect voice' for Loki.

B: "...Oh, here's a good one! This is the voice of an actor from Earth; I think his name is... Tom Hiddleston?"

Loki quickly went into the intricacies of the situation with Blake, using a few helpful illusion visuals to get their point across—Blake, of course, being mesmerized by Loki being able to make illusions. Loki had already determined that the nearby planet caused the sun's survival; they just had to figure out what about it specifically.

Blake happily helped as much as he could, while the two shared stories about their home planets, their families, and other things.

B: "A brother?" L: "Yes, an older brother; Thor." B: "Oh, you're the youngest in your family?" *Loki nods* "So am I!" L: "Is that right?" B: "Yeah, I have an older sister; Madelyn. She's fantastic. She got married some time ago." L: "Ah, my brother has a mate, too. ...Come to think of it, she's a lot like you." *Loki shakes their head* "What of your parents?" B: "Ah-... I... don't really talk to my parents much. They're a little... uh..." *gestures vaguely* L: "Ah... my parents are the same way." B: "Really? Man, we're really similar!" ------ B: "A mate? ...No. Most people don't want to be mates with someone like me; too much hassle. Autism and ADHD can be... a bit of a pain in the ass." L: "Love is about sacrifice and hardship, isn't it? It sounds like the people of your planet just don't like putting in work." B: "Maybe. ...What about you? Do you have a mate?" L: "No. Most avoid me; I'm considered a..." *ASL for 'runt'.* B: "You, a runt?! How big are the rest of your people if you're considered small???" *Loki laughs.*

Loki has no spacesuit, so Blake is the one who has to go out on the ship to do repairs, but the whole time, Loki is there over the comm lines talking him through it. Every time Blake asks them to keep talking when he's scared, Loki does so without a second thought.

While they spend time together, Loki ends up absent-mindedly supporting Blake in all the blind spots he needs. Loki doesn't even think about it, really; it just comes naturally for them.

Blake eventually realized Loki was sleep-deprived, and when asked, Loki simply reminded Blake that their species watch one another sleep. Thus, Loki's species can't sleep when they're alone without being restless.

Blake offers to watch for them, and though initially hesitant, Loki returned to the tunnel, inside their ship's entry door—made of clear ice—and almost immediately fell asleep when they laid down. While Loki slept, Blake took that opportunity to doodle, ending up with a doodle of Loki themself.

When Loki woke up, Blake showed the doodle to them, which—since trees didn't exist on Loki's planet—was entirely foreign to them. Sure, they had art, but it was usually statues or engravings, not drawings. Loki was enamored, especially when they found out Blake could simply erase any mistakes.

L: "My people's art is permanent. We can't remove mistakes; we either must live with them, or start over on a new canvas." B: "...Wow. That sounds... frustrating." L: "Frustrating, yes... but more honest." B: "Yeah, but honesty isn't always a good thing, right?" L: "...Mmm... maybe."

Blake and Loki both end up talking to the radio after a while, unsure if anyone on the other end is even listening to them.

L, to the radio: "My ship, made of Jotunheim's ice, can't get close to the planet below without melting. Therefore, we must rely on Blake's ship; which, unfortunately, neither of us know how to fly." B: "I sort of know." L: "Are you confident that you could enter, then exit, the planet's atmosphere?" B: "...No." :( L: "Exactly."

It's at this point that Loki learns about the things Blake has been seeing, though Blake only mentioned it in passing. Loki immediately gets tense about it, specifically because Loki apparently has been seeing the same thing since they arrived. Though initially wrote it off as a symptom of sleep deprivation.

Neither of them is sure what that means, but something in Blake feels that it's the planet causing it. Loki is unsure, but notes Blake's suspicions.

Chapter 4 -

Loki finds out quickly that Blake was sent out here on a suicide mission, and Blake tells him that, unfortunately, there wasn't enough fuel to make a return trip to Earth. So, ultimately, Blake is resigned to potentially dying of suffocation, hunger, or other things, since he doesn't even know how the scientists planned to execute themselves.

Loki hesitates, but offers that they have enough fuel in their ship that they could give his ship enough to get back home. Blake, shocked, doesn't know what to say, but ultimately settles on a sudden hug that makes Loki wince. Though this hug is quickly returned with a smile.

Loki returns to his ship, readying for what would come next. As soon as Loki leaves, however, Blake sees it again; a silhouette passes a nearby doorway.

Blake tries to follow it, only for the ship to suddenly shift and tumble. Blake looks out a porthole window to see his ship unlatched from Loki's by accident and tumble into the planet's gravitational pull. If Blake had been in the same room before, he would've noticed what was going on and stopped it, of course.

Blake, terrified, buckled into the pilot's chair before the ship crashed into what Blake could only describe as an ocean of red liquid he couldn't quite identify.

Blake go whiplash from the impact of the ocean's surface, sank deeper and deeper, which made the metal groan around him. Blake almost thought it wouldn't hold, but thankfully, he was only on the edge of a full drop-off. The pressure was harsh here, but not bad enough to damage the ship.

Blake looked out a porthole, unsure what to do. He immediately went to the radio, hoping to get in contact with Loki, only to suddenly hear Madelyn's voice on the other side.

B: "M-Madelyn?!" M: "Blake! There you are! I was trying to get in contact with you for weeks!" B: "I- I'm sorry, th-the ship's radio must've gotten out of range or something. Uh-... fuck, so much has happened, and-... I'm stuck on a planet's ocean! W-what do I do?!" M: "An ocean...?"

Oddly enough, the ship is equipped for seafaring, using the thrusters differently, though Blake isn't sure why. He uses them to the best of his ability, trying to get to a beach or something and back to the surface. As he does so, talking to Madelyn about everything that's been happening since they last talked.

Blake sees something out the camera, but Madelyn shrugs it off. Blake doesn't, though, as he starts getting a weird feeling that makes the hair on his nape stand up.

That's when Blake comes across another ship; broken and ripped apart.

B: "...Madelyn?" M: "Yes?" B: "...Are you... sure that I'm the only person you sent out here?" M: "...Keep driving."

The sudden change in Madelyn's tone fills Blake with some anxiety. So, instead of ignoring it and continuing on like Madelyn suggested, Blake drives closer.

As Blake gets close, the ship's computers connect to it, and end up downloading something. Blake hesitates, but pulls up the audio recordings; all recorded through the radio. The recordings play, and Blake listens in horror as the people on the other side explain that life is the answer—as the bacteria in the blood of this planet's ocean is what keeps it safe, but something keeps blocking their attempts at taking some.

Madelyn's voice on the radio cuts back on and pushes Blake to ignore the message, claiming the blood should be left where it is and could be dangerous to Earth. It's at that point Blake realizes something is wrong with the voice.

B: "...Madelyn?" M: "Yes, what?" B: "...What's my last name?" M: "...The same as mine, obviously; Grahm." B: "...No, it's not."

Sure enough, as soon as Blake points that out, something happens. Suddenly, more shapes appear outside the portholes and cameras, all vaguely in the shape of humans.

They all start shoving and banging on the ship's exterior, trying to break it open, and Blake jumps to the controls, only to be stopped by two shapes - the same ones he's been seeing in the ship before.

A pair of vaguely humanoid shapes with shifting features, mimicking the voices of his parents, who immediately start on him: "Always the freeloader, you can't even save the Earth on your own, can you?!", "Selfish, taking another planet's resources, I should've raised you better than this!", "What? Running away from your parents again like a coward?!", "Thank God the social workers rescued you, right?! So far from home, and left to die?! Is that what you wanted so badly that you left us?!", "Go ahead, cut us off again after all we've done for you!", etc. These things also being repeated through the radio in Madelyn's voice.

Blake begins having a panic attack as blood pours from the radio. Flashes of his past coming to mind as he hears every little guilt-ridden internal voice repeated back at him externally in the voices of his abusers and the sister who comforted him.

Finally, he hears the emergency lights, and the ship's automated voice calls out: "Warning, warning! Damage imminent! Emergency escape protocols engaged!" The screens switch from camera views of the ship's exterior to instructions pointing to the controls behind the figures.

Finally, he screams, "I'm done being played with! By you, by those suits on Earth, by whatever creatures are on this planet! I deserve to be free!" and lunges, rams the figures, who burst on contact like water balloons, covering Blake in blood, but he doesn't stop.

Instead, Blake grabs the controls and pushes back harshly while Madelyn's voice screams through the radio static. The figures outside the ship all burst and convene on one dark figure in front of the ship, which Blake doesn't hesitate to set the ship's thrusters to full ramming speed. "Come and try, you son of a bitch!"

Chapter 5 -

With a loud, screeching cry through the radio, loud enough to make Blake's ears ring, the ship slams into the creature at full speed and emerges from the blood ocean.

The flight thrusters kick back on automatically, and the force of the impact rips the creature in two, falling back into the blood ocean before the radio dies.

Breaking the planet's atmosphere, Blake's ship stops abruptly from the sudden lack of fuel; all of Blake's fuel having been taken up by the full-thruster impact. Of course, Blake doesn't get out of this unscathed, as the sudden stop caused him to jerk forward and his head to slam into a nearby screen, breaking it.

Blake fell back and lost consciousness near-instantly.

Meanwhile, Loki witnesses Blake emerge from the planet's atmosphere, and immediately speeds his ship over and connects them again. (Insert implication that Loki had their own misadventure with silhouettes of their family)

Loki rushes aboard, calls out for Blake and looks everywhere, horrified at the state of the place, covered in blood. Then, finds Blake unconscious, bleeding from the nose and multiple cuts on his face.

Loki immediately uses their ice abilities to put the stabilizing layer of specialized ice over Blake's body, which slows Blake's bleeding and settles his vitals. Though in doing this, Loki's ice layer falls, and they start overheating.

Loki grabs Blake quickly, rushing him to the medical wing of the ship, Loki stumbles in, shoves Blake on the medical table so the on-ship medical robot can help him, and collapses to the floor as they feel their insides cooking from the heat and pressure of the ship's atmosphere.

By the time Blake wakes up again, he gets up and realizes where he is, only to see Loki beside the medical table, unconscious on the ground, with only a thin layer of their protective ice from their attempt to set it back up before passing out.

Blake immediately gets down to see them, horrified. Blake picks them up as best he can, almost dragging them onto the table—which is much too small for Loki—and begging the ship's computers to help them.

Days pass, Blake finds the blood drooling out of the radio; none of it hardening or drying at all somehow. Blake collects some of it, remembering what the radio recordings said, and analyzes it as best he can without Loki's help.

With little else to do, and not trusting the radio so close to the planet, Blake talks to Loki instead, as he watches them, still unconscious.

More days pass, and Blake is still by Loki's side, not even leaving the room anymore; doodling more as he waits for any sign that Loki is alive or dead.

Finally, after a few more days, having gone as far as he could with his research on the planet's blood, he sits doodling beside Loki again, mumbling out whatever was on his mind.

"...Do you really enjoy drawing me this much?" Blake looks up instantly and sees Loki finally awake again! Immediately, Blake drops everything and hugs them again, which Loki gladly returns without a second thought, as Blake blubbers and tears run down his face.

B: "I thought- I thought you weren't gonna come back!" L: "I wouldn't leave you alone here. I told you I'd get you home, and I intend to do just that."

Loki wipes away Blake's tears, and Blake leans into the touch without hesitation. Then, slowly, it turns into a gentle, loving kiss. "I love you." "I love you, too..."

Chapter 6 -

Once Loki is back to semi-normal, Blake shows them the progress he made; which Loki is impressed by, given Blake's lack of knowledge in this area. Loki finishes the job for him, and they successfully separate the bacteria that's been feasting on the deadly sun-eating micro-organisms.

With that, they celebrate, as they finally have what they need to save both their planets.

By the end of the celebration, Loki gives Blake a gift; a ring, which includes their iconic horned-helm symbol.

L: "On my planet, we give our mates a trinket to wear with our symbol on it; so it's easy for others to know who has our hearts." B: "Thank you. ...Um..." *He tries to think of something to give them.* "Oh, here!" *Pulls off the ring he's been wearing this whole time.* "Here. It doesn't exactly have a 'symbol' of mine, but... it has a lot of sentimental value to me."

Loki wears the ring on a chain around their neck, and the two spend one last 'night' with each other. Loki offers to let Blake see their ship, and Blake happily accepts, as Loki fills Blake's ship with enough fuel to get them back home.

Then... they say goodbye.

B, hesitating to leave: "...Do you think... we'll ever see each other again?" L, also hesitating: "I hope so. ...If we're truly meant to be, I'm sure circumstances will align for us."

They kind of linger for a bit, neither wanting to leave. Taking every tiny reason to stay just a smidge longer. Until finally, they can't put it off any longer, and they have to leave.

As soon as Blake leaves the area, he finds the radio doesn't kick back on. Assuming it was damaged and just wouldn't work again, Blake continues on. ...Until something happens.

See, the containers keeping the bacteria were made partially of Loki's ice, but as Blake continued on his trip, he realized the containers were being eaten through by the bacteria. Blake fixed it, but just as he did, he realized something: Loki's ship was made of ice.

Blake doesn't know what to do, so he just speaks his mind to the radio, hoping saying it aloud would help. And it does... as Blake realizes something.

B: "...Madelyn. ...I have enough fuel to either get me home back to you; so you don't have to feel guilty for condemning me, or to catch up with Loki; and stop them from being killed by these bacteria. ...I know you told me not to be selfish, but I think I have to be one more time. So... forgive me for that."

Blake sends all the ship's information and the bacteria samples into shuttle pods—as originally planned—on course to Earth. Then, sets his ship's course for Loki's ship coordinates.

By the time Blake gets there, Loki's ship is trashed; half of it eaten away already. Blake finds Loki at the control panel, half-conscious. Blake barely gets Loki out of there, and once back on Blake's ship, Loki's ship crumbles behind them.

Once Loki is fully aware again, they remark about the bacteria, but Blake shows one canister he kept, which can be multiplied into more easily.

L: "What about your home, Blake...?" B: "...You're my home now, love."

Epilogue -

Some time later, Blake is curled up in bed with Loki, the two snuggling happily before a knock on the door wakes them.

Thor's voice comes through the door, telling them to wake up as the castle's servants have finished preparing a breakfast feast for 'Jotunheim's saviors'. With another voice—Jane Foster—exclaiming that it's human-friendly foods, this time.

Blake and Loki share a chuckle, and Blake asks them if they'd finally explain where Jane came from. Loki nods, telling Blake as they wake and stretch that Jane randomly fell from space in an oddly shaped ship, much like Blake's own. Though it was before the suns were going out, so it wasn't like the one that Blake found on the blood planet.

As they get ready, they kiss and share another mutual 'I love you'.

Meanwhile, Blake's last message plays over the radio as Madelyn listens in; all the messages Blake and Loki made were recorded on the ship's database and sent alongside the bacteria and instructions. Madelyn, now having quit her previous career and relaxing at home, ponders what Blake must be doing right now on whatever planet 'Jotunheim' is.

Extra stuff:

I came up with this AU days ago, and I wanna draw stuff for it so badly.

I could easily make a version of this AU with a bunch of my F/Os, Starscream especially comes to mind, but idk if I'll go as in-depth as this one, lol.

Like what’s funny is that I’m still not fucking Jax. Mino wants nothing to do with that bitch but I thought it’d be funny if Leeroy/Lee was like in the middle of healing and he meets some other emotionally complicated genderqueer faggot (who he unknowingly met in another life) and he’s like ouuuughhh I need that bitch so bad but I have to be chill about it

They have a weird avoidant but also desperate for connection (but trying not to seem desperate/emotionally vulnerable about it) FWB friendship going on. Ohhhh yes. It’s LeeRin time

They’ll probably be okay though. They won’t be like a forever thing but they won’t crash and burn. Probably stay in touch as Discord friends

To preface this fanfic, it's important to note that this does not take place during Battle Tendency and has nothing to do with part 2 at all. This is an alternate universe set in a semi-ambiguous time period. For instance, ancient technology exists in this universe and they live similarly to how those in The Legend of Zelda and Avatar: The Last Airbender would live. A lot of elements from canon have been changed, such as all of the pillarfolk from The Tribe of Darkness are still alive, Kars is half human, Esidisi is a village doctor, and Wamuu is considered a hero amongst pillarfolk, humans, and elves. If this story is too far away from canon for you and makes you upset for that reason, you are more than welcome to not read it. You are welcome to not read this fanfic for any reason, I mainly write for myself and my own entertainment because it's a passion of mine. If you choose to give it a read, I hope you enjoy it!

A soft gust of wind caresses delicate tufts of grass along the hillside. The sun peers out from beyond the horizon, drenching the land in its comforting warmth. A long gleaming ray scatters across the plain, alerting the earth's inhabitants that morning has come. 

Viewing this marvel of nature is a tall, muscular man, concealing violet coils of hair underneath a black head-covering. He leans against a stone column, the shade cast over his strong body, for he cannot bask in the glow of the heavens… The light he covets so deeply turns his flesh into stone, among other beings of his kind. This fact ails the crimson eyed man, aching him inside, yearning for the loving embrace of the sun like a lovesick man yearning for the touch of his lover.

“Kars?” That deep, charming, familiar voice speaks behind him, “You must come to bed, the sun has risen…” A tender hand rests upon Kars's shoulder. Kars turns his head slightly to look at his beloved. He looks back at the sun drenched land before him, then sighs,

“Of course, Esidisi. My, my… where has the time gone?” Kars lovingly caresses his husband's cheek, admiring his appearance. Afro as white as snow, golden nose ring, kind eyes, a handsome jawline, the orange “X” tattoo across his face, and those soft smiling lips all just for Kars to plant a kiss. Kars leans in slowly and kisses Esidisi, feeling his husband's lips curl into a smile. They break apart, making a small sound as their lips disconnect.

Deep underground lies a civilization of beings older than humans, older than elves… the mighty pillarfolk. This species of people were the first to evolve sapience and intelligence and are revered as such. Their priority is to be protectors of the earth and its residents, making sure that harmony and peace reigns above all else. 

Above ground walks two species of people, the humans and elves. Humans are the youngest of the three peoples, elves are the middle. 

Elves possess the powers of the elements: water, wind, earth, and fire. Water elves typically travel the world in groups known as “The Ocean Travelers” or simply “The Ocean Tribe”. They always remain by the sea. Wind elves reside on mountain tops, staying close to the heavens and embracing the natural winds, soaring around the sky. They are known as “The Gliders”. Earth elves prefer to live in hive-like caves and caverns, to be as close to the earth as possible. They are called, “The Terrain Territory”. Fire elves reside in hotter climates, especially near volcanic activity. They call themselves, “The Fire Empire”! The elemental elves use their powers to aid the pillarfolk in protecting the earth and its people.

However… over the past hundred years, humans have become more hostile towards the pillarfolk and elves…

The next night

“Wamuu!” Esidisi speed walks down the stone hall of his family's underground abode, “Where in the world is he?” Esidisi looks around and sighs sharply, “Wamuu!” 

He hurriedly makes his way around the halls, finding his husband along his journey, 

“My love, have you seen Wamuu?”

“I'm afraid not since he left for the training grounds,” Kars looks up from sketching elegant drawings of the different species of birds he has found, “Did you need him for something?”

“Yes, I need him to pack his supplies for our trip to the surface. He hasn't even placed a single personal item in any of his bags!” Esidisi crosses his arms with a huff. Kars’s lashes lower and he goes back to sketching his birds, 

“He'll only have himself to blame if he needs something only for it to be back here at home.”

“Kars! Don't say that! Our boys need to be prepared for anything!” Esidisi glances away with a pouting lip, “And that includes delightful vacations…” 

“Well then… Why do you not fetch him? I already told you he's at the training grounds… Or send Santana to fetch him.” Kars begins painting effortlessly beautiful lines on his sketches. Esidisi gets up behind Kars and leans in over his shoulder. Kars's lips curve slightly into a smile as he flicks his ruby eyes at his beloved for a moment. Esidisi wraps his arms around Kars's shoulders and rests his chin on the top of his love’s head. Esidisi nuzzles the fabric of Kars's head-covering, pressing his cheek against the top of Kars's head. He speaks through a squished mouth, 

“Come with me. Hm?”

“Oh, my darling, you know I would… but I'm just so busy.” Kars pats Esidisi's bicep and chuckles softly. 

“You truly are the meanest pillarman in the tribe!” Esidisi buries his face in Kars's neck and complains. 

“Yes, yes, yes, I know.” Kars closes his eyes and turns his nose up, playfully acting as if he's prideful, “Now go get our son, will you?” He quickly turns his head and gives Esidisi a quick peck on the lips. Esidisi laughs softly and goes on his way. 

At the training grounds

FWOOOOSH!!! Gusts of wind blast away wooden dummies and send dust from the training grounds flying every which way. With a hearty laugh and an earth rumbling stamp of his foot, Wamuu swirls his arms around in the air, a glorious dance of a fluid element. Suddenly a one-man applause occurs from behind Wamuu. The immense man turns around with curiosity. Esidisi’s smiling face greets him,

“Well done, my dear son. You’ve proven yourself a worthy warrior…” Esidisi rubs his chin and lowers his lashes, pretending to be lost in thought, “Mmm, yes… a worthy warrior indeed.”

“Master Esidisi!” Wamuu’s shoulders relax and his eyes widen, “I was just on my way back home!”

“Heheheh… Sure you were.” Esidisi crosses his arms, shaking his head with that all-too-familiar fatherly smile. Wamuu grins, knowing he had been caught fooling around instead of preparing for their family trip to the surface. With a hefty pat on his son’s back, the two head back to their home.

The smooth, paved stone path feels delightfully cool beneath the pillarmen’s soles. The gentle glow of blue and green bioluminescent moss covering the vast and spacious cavern ceiling resembles that of the night sky. Wamuu gently grazes his hand along a rocky wall covered in this delightful foliage, feeling the softness at his fingertips. Soon, the glow of blue torches in the distance grow closer, signifying their return to the main pillarfolk village. 

The village is already bustling with pillarpeople going about their night, from merchants, to bakers, artists, ceramic makers, tailors, and everyone in between. As Wamuu and Esidisi make their way past passersby, the villagers admire Wamuu as usual, whispering thanks and praise to the powerful warrior. Wamuu humbly accepts the praise from his people as usual, although he feels rather awkward since one of his fathers is present for this. Esidisi glances back at Wamuu and speaks gently yet firmly,

“Chin up, shoulders back, son.” He chuckles as Wamuu obeys, taking great pride in his son. The two pillarmen head back home, greeting Kars and Santana on their way inside. The family of four gathers their things and packs the vampire horse drawn carriage. Esidisi and Kars sit next to each other, Esidisi holding the reigns,

“Are we ready for the surface?”

Wamuu gives his beloved horse one last nuzzle on her muzzle, pressing his forehead against hers, 

“Yes, Master Esidisi.” He leaps up and swings himself into the carriage next to Santana. Santana glances at Wamuu then playfully smacks his brother's bicep signaling his excitement to go on a trip. Wamuu smiles,

“It certainly has been a while since we have visited the palace above ground, isn’t that so, Santana?”

“Yes...” Santana speaks plainly. Even though it may not seem like it outwardly, Santana is very excited for this vacation, “It… has been... a very... long time.”

Kars leans back and keeps his head held high, not giving any of the other pillarfolk even a passing glance. The horses trot down the stone paved road leading out of the village and past the entrance. Kars lets out a barely audible sigh, but his husband catches it. Esidisi speaks quietly,

“This will be good for us.”

“Indeed. However…” Kars looks to his right, watching the village shrink as the carriage climbs the spiral leading up to another cave system, “There is something that has been on my mind lately.” He looks down at his lap, eyelids lowered, “I’m just not sure how to articulate it.”

“I could tell, but I didn’t want to pry.” Esidisi watches the road in front of them. He glances at Kars, tilting his head a bit, “What has been eating you up, my love?”

“I was thinking…” Kars rests his chin on the palm of his hand, and his elbow on his thigh, “What if… what if we just…” He finds it more and more difficult to speak.

“What if we just… what?” Esidisi’s brows, or lack thereof, furrow in worry.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Let us not trouble ourselves with silliness, especially since we are taking a well deserved holiday upstairs.” Kars waves his hand around, dismissing the thought.

“Kars… Whatever it is, I am certain we can communicate about it. We have been together for well over 10,000 years at this point,” Esidisi looks back at the road, listening for a bit as the horses trot merrily, “I will understand- or at least… do my best to understand.”

“I am afraid this goes further than simple anxieties and displeasure, Esidisi. This is something that could potentially uproot our entire family.” Kars leans back, not looking at his husband.

“Ay?! What could you possibly be talking about?!” Esidisi instantly worries, his hands clenching the reins. Kars adjusts his head-covering and turns his head away from Esidisi,

“I’m talking about leaving. All of us… what if we simply just… vanished from the village in the dead of the day? What if we left no trace of our existence and simply parted ways from the Tribe of Darkness?”

A long, dreaded silence fills the air like smog. Esidisi just stares at Kars while Kars looks straight ahead, lips forming a line at the awkward tension. Kars’s ruby eyes flick at Esidisi’s face for a brief moment before flicking back straight ahead at the road. Esidisi does not stop staring at Kars,

“Leave. The village…?!” Esidisi’s left eye squints a little bit, “Where in the world do you suppose we go after that?! You cannot possibly mean actually LIVING on the surface, can you?!”

“I say it’s worth trying.” Kars nonchalantly twirls his loose purple curly bang with a finger, “Think about it. It’s the perfect opportunity to travel the land, the earth, and see what humans get to see.”

“I see what this is about…” Esidisi looks back at the trail.

“What?” Kars whips his head towards his husband with offense, heart rate spiking, “Enlighten me.”

Esidisi just shakes his head. Kars gets increasingly more irritated but keeps his voice down,

“Well? Go on, I want to hear what you have to say. What is this about?”

Before Esidisi can speak-

CRRRCCKHH… CCRRRRCCCKHHH!!! The two pillarmen look to their upper left and Wamuu peers out of the curtain of the carriage. Kars mutters,

“That’s not good.” He points at Esidisi, “Full speed ahead!” He leans over Esidisi’s lap and looks at Wamuu, “Wamuu! Come with me!”

“Yes, Lord Kars!” Wamuu and Kars leap out and off of the carriage as Esidisi takes it swiftly up the cave wall. The father and son duo hop up the wall with godlike quickness and agility.

“What is it?!” Wamuu asks Kars.

“The river above ground.” Kars protracts his brilliant bone blades from his forearms to get a better grip on climbing up the cave wall, “Ungh! Look!” He points at water seeping out of the cracks above them, “For thousands of years, the river above us would flood during storms… After all this time, it appears that same river finally managed to erode the wall.” Kars and Wamuu continue to climb up the wall until they reach the source of the water, the erosion.

“Wamuu, I am going to use my light mode and chip away at these rocks. I will need you to use your strength to smash this clay into the cracks to prevent any more water from gushing out!” Wamuu nods and obeys Kars. 

As Kars follows through with his plan, using his light mode to slice through rock as if it were butter, crushing it into a fine paste using the water from the cracks in the wall and allowing Wamuu to mold it into the massive cracks with ease! Kars nods affirmatively as Wamuu pounds his fist into the wall repeatedly. Kars looks down as they both hang off of the wall, watching his husband drive the carriage. Esidisi rushes the horses up the spiral.

Fssssstt… Wamuu pounds his fist into the wall, trying to stop water from leaking out, but it only manages to worsen,

“Lord Kars, please provide me more clay!!!” Wamuu’s voice wobbles with panic. Kars crushes up some more rock to mash into a paste, however it’s too late. Water bursts out of different cracks in the wall. Wamuu presses his back against the gushing water threatening to come out,

“Aaaaugh! If we don’t do something about this, then the entire village could be flooded!!!”

“I’m more concerned about Esidisi, Santana, and all of our supplies not making it.” Kars speaks matter-of-factly through slightly gritted teeth.

“Lord Kars!!!” Wamuu squeezes his eyes shut, gusts of air blasting around him in a vain attempt to at least dry the water. Kars looks back and forth between Wamuu pressing his body against the cracking wall, hearing the crashing of the river above them, and Esidisi making his way up the spiral.

“Come on…” Kars mutters to himself, crimson eyes locked on the carriage. Wamuu strains his back against the wall, blasting air around,

“Lord Kars…! Please!! I cannot hold this for much longer! M-Master Esidisi could melt the rock and I could cool the lava, that would fix this!”

“He certainly could…” Kars looks up in realization then turns to Wamuu, “I will be right back.” Kars leaps off of the wall and catches up to the carriage. He lands on top of it with a thud, startling Santana inside. Esidisi shouts as Kars climbs down and sits next to him,

“HEY!!! Where on earth is Wamuu?!”

“Up there. Give me the reins.” Kars points to Wamuu struggling to stop the wall from breaking open, and reaches for the reins.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU’RE GOING TO LET WAMUU-”

“No,” Kars snatches the reins away from Esidisi and points at him, “You are going to go up there and use your boiling blood to melt the rock into lava, and Wamuu will cool it and create a new sturdier barrier for the river water.”

“I-I-...” Esidisi’s eyes are wide but he nods, “Y-yes!!!” He leaps up and begins scaling the wall as best as he can to catch up to where Wamuu is. Kars tightens his head-covering and firmly holds the reins, 

“Hold on tight, Santana, this is going to be a bumpy ride.”

Esidisi makes it up to where Wamuu is and begins melting some rock,

“I’m sorry, my son! Just hang in there for a few moments longer!”

Wamuu clenches his jaw and frowns his brows as he grunts from the tension in the wall. Esidisi slathers the lava across the wall, slowly causing Wamuu to move out of the way. Wamuu blows a gust of air to cool the lava and finally stop the flood. The pillarmen pant, look at each other, and chuckle.

Kars calls up to them,

“Well well! Don’t just hang around up there all night, we have places to be!” He smirks. Esidisi laughs in relief and begins climbing down with Wamuu.

“Lord Kars!” Wamuu shakes his head as they make their way to the carriage.

As the men finally get themselves settled and head into the upper cave system, Esidisi keeps looking up at the newly fixed part of the wall. He gives a look of concern to Kars,

“Do you really think that will hold? Should I have made the lava thicker?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” Kars says with eerie calmness, “Not right now anyway.” 

“Very well then…” Esidisi settles in physically, but still feels great unease mentally. 

On the surface

Twinkling sparkles glimmer across the endless dark blue heavens. The sounds of crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and the general variety of nature singing its love song to the earth ring pleasantly in the pillarmen’s ears. Santana sticks his head out of the curtain and sniffs the air enjoying the scent of petrichor emanating throughout the land. The rain freshly passed over the surface leaving a quaint dampness and delightful scent of earth in its wake. Wamuu pulls back the curtain on his side and stares up at the night sky in awe and wonder. 

Esidisi leans against Kars lovingly and holds onto his bicep, he looks up at his husband with an adoring smile. Kars returns the smile and leans into Esidisi. The family makes their way to the above ground palace where they used to share many summers, and unpacks their things. The horses are released from the carriage and freed to roam and graze until morning light comes. 

Santana makes his way over to an area with soft clay, freshly made from the rain. He stands on the spot, feeling the silky, squishy earth beneath his soles. He kneels down and presses his hands in the puddle, leaving hand prints. He picks up a handful of the clay and goes to gather some twigs to fashion into carving tools. Meanwhile, Wamuu helps Kars and Esidisi unpack each of their things while inside of the palace. Kars puts his hand up lazily,

“That’s fine, Wamuu. You may relax now.”

“Yes, Lord Kars.” Wamuu gives Kars a respectful bow and sheepishly looks to the open columns of the palace.

“You may go outside if you wish.” Kars tells his son while browsing the wines in the wooden cabinet. Esidisi clasps his hands together,

“Indeed! Why not give your brother some company, hm?” He gives his son a delightful smile.

“Yes, Master Esidisi.” Wamuu nods and gives him a little bow as well before heading outside and down the stone steps. Kars holds up a dusty bottle of red wine,

“Hm, It’s been well over one hundred years since we have visited this place, yes?”

“Ay!” Esidisi grins and closes his eyes while putting his hands on his hips.

“Well, we are quite lucky that no purloiners decided to commandeer our liquor, wouldn’t you say so?” Kars chuckles and waves the unopened wine around. Esidisi crosses his arms and chuckles heartily.

Outside

Wamuu sits on the stone steps while Santana makes his clay sculpture on the ground. With a slow inhale and exhale, Wamuu takes in the serenity of the surface’s night. Santana molds the small bit of clay into a very intricate sculpture of a baby sea turtle. He walks up to Wamuu and shows his creation to his older brother.

“My heavens! This is beautiful, Santana. It is so detailed... I am truly very impressed.” Wamuu gazes at the sculpture in awe. Santana hands it to Wamuu, insisting that he take the sculpture as a gift. “For me? You are too kind. Here, allow me to dry this.” Wamuu blows a gust of air all around the sculpture, drying it nicely. Santana sits next to Wamuu, very pleased that his brother enjoys the gift,

“I… would like to visit… the ocean again…”

“Perhaps tomorrow night we shall ask Lord Kars and Master Esidisi if we are able to go back to the beach.” Wamuu smiles and they both watch the stars together. After a while of sitting together, Santana decides to go inside the palace and into his respective room while Wamuu stays outside for a while. 

“I suppose… it wouldn’t hurt to venture to the beach just to see how much it has changed in a hundred years.” Wamuu stands up and stretches out his back, popping his spine a bit before wandering off into the woods. 

Moonlight pours through the canopy of the forest, thin strands of white light beam down across the old trail. Wamuu’s sandals make contact with the crunch of the sand as he finally steps onto the beach. The soft crash of the waves making contact with the shore is comforting to the pillarman. As soon as he is about to breathe a sigh of relief, he pauses and whips his body around swiftly,

“I heard that.” He speaks softly. Wamuu narrows his eyes, listening in with his keen sense of hearing.

Nothing.

“I know you are there.” Wamuu crosses his arms, sensing a being a lot smaller than him, “I mean you no harm. Are you lost?”

The being does not reply, however… Wamuu sees something glinting in the moonlight. His eyes widen as a spear is thrust towards him! 

“HYAH!!!” The little being is quick, but does not manage to land a hit on the pillarman! Wamuu uses his forearm braces to block the blows of the spear repeatedly. 

“Enough!” Wamuu grits his teeth and reaches for the spear handle, gripping it and holding the being above the ground. They dangle in the air as Wamuu looks them right in the face… His eyes meet their rich, deep, dark chocolate brown eyes being lit up by the moon. They look shocked that he managed to defeat them with such ease,

“What is this nonsense?! I mean you no harm and you attack me?! Dishonorable! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“I-I’m sorry!” The person stammers out. Wamuu notices that their ears are pointed and their hair is a rich sapphire blue, “I thought you were lying!”

“Why in the world would a warrior do such a thing?” Wamuu shakes his head, “I am no human. Clearly…” He sets them down gently and examines their form, their garb, and features, “And neither are you…”

“N-no, of course not. I’m an elf. A-an elven water mage from the Ocean Tribe!” They touch their chest. Wamuu looks down at them, analyzing their blue croptop and matching loincloth. They place their spear into the sheath on their back and analyze the pillarman in front of them in return,

“You’re a… a pillarperson.”

“Indeed.” Wamuu responds. The elf tilts their head at him curiously, to which Wamuu mimics.

“ I’ve never seen a pillarperson in real life before.” They giggle softly, which makes the pillarman smile and chuckle,

“I am called Wamuu. What do they call you, little one?”

“Hey! I’m not ‘little’, you’re just big!” The elf puts their hands on their hips and smirks, “Hmph, well… my name is Gratuity, but people call me Pixie.”

“Pixie…” Wamuu speaks their name on his lips, “Why is this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Hahaha!” Pixie gestures to themself and laughs. Wamuu scratches his head,

“Forgive me… I see the resemblance you possess to the fantastical being.” 

“Of course! So… what’s a pillarman doing out here? Don’t you all live underground?” Pixie gestures at Wamuu with confusion.

“My fathers, brother, and I are revisiting the surface for leisure. We used to come here every summer, however… in the past one hundred years, we have not been.”

“Wow… do other pillarfolk visit the surface?” Pixie sits on the sand and looks up at Wamuu. Wamuu casually joins them, sitting criss-cross,

“Yes. Plenty of them do and quite often. However… things have changed since the incident with the humans.”

“Right…” Pixie looks away, feeling irritated and saddened, bringing their knees up to their chin, “I’m not sure what changed. I was in my 20s when it all started. I’m 127 right now and things still haven’t gotten better.”

“It is unfortunate.” Wamuu glances down at Pixie, “Hm? A thought had just occurred to me, Pixie,” Wamuu shakes his head, “You Ocean Tribe members travel in groups. Where is your group?”

Pixie’s eyes widen. They lean back a little,

“Yeah. I sort of… got a little lost.”

“Lost? So my initial instinct was correct.” Wamuu stares at Pixie’s gem covered hair band and jewelry. He admires their attire and accessories, usually only used to seeing pillarfolk garb and jewelry.

“Yep. You were right! I-”

“How did you get lost- oh, my apologies, I interrupted you.” Wamuu covers his mouth lightly.

“It’s alright. Uh… I don’t really know exactly.” Pixie shrugs, “I just went off exploring one day without telling anyone, and I guess they decided to go look for me and… we just lost each other.”

“That sounds awful. My deepest condolences.” Wamuu touches his chest and bows his head a bit, “I am certain that you and your tribe will reunite again one day.”

“I hope so! I left behind a lot of friends… they’re probably worried sick about me. I know I’m worried about them too.” Pixie relaxes and stretches their legs out on the sand, “But hey! I’ve learned a lot of different things while on my journey to find them! My camp isn’t too far from here actually.”

“Heavens. How long have you been separated from your tribe?” Wamuu’s brows frown in concern for the elf.

“Hmmm… I’d say about a few weeks, maybe a month?” Pixie thinks for a bit.

“That sounds like a nightmare. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like if I were ever to be separated from my family.” Wamuu’s heart thuds painfully in his chest. The image of Pixie alone, all by themself, curled up in a tent with no one else around causes Wamuu’s protector instinct to flare. 

“You’ve never been out by yourself? But you’re on your own right now, Wamuu!” Pixie chuckles.

“No, no… well, yes. However, my family is only a little ways away.” The pillarman points behind himself, “Other than going on mini adventures either by myself or with my brother… no, I have not been too far from family.”

“Wow! You guys must be pretty tight-knit then. My tribe is pretty close, but we let each other have our space and everything.” Pixie messes with the sand, letting it fall through their fingers.

“Indeed we are. I would be lost without my family, metaphorically and literally.” Wamuu nods in agreement, “Perhaps we could help you reunite with your family as well.”

“Really? You would do that for a stranger?” Pixie looks up at Wamuu with starry brown eyes.

“Absolutely.” Wamuu smiles kindly and gives them a nod. The waves lap a little closer to the two newfound friends, a bit of mist from the ocean sprinkles on their legs. Pixie moves their hand around, manipulating the water from the wave,

“Behave, ocean, we’re trying to have a conversation!” Pixie speaks playfully, then splashes the water around gently.

“Ah!” Wamuu is in awe at the water manipulation being presented before him, “It had slipped my mind that elves possess elemental abilities.”

“Yeah! I’ve got water in my soul and all that haha!” Pixie moves the wave around and creates a swirl of water before letting it drop slowly.

“I too possess an elemental power…” Wamuu gives Pixie a mischievous glance and a playful smirk.

“Huh? Pillarpeople can’t have that! C… can they?” Pixie tilts their head curiously.

“Observe.” Wamuu stands up and inhales deeply through his nose. Suddenly 6 fleshy pipes, that somewhat resemble cephalopod syphons, extend from below his ribcage as he raises his arms. Gusts of air shoot out of the pipes! Pixie’s big brown eyes widen and their lips frown deeply as they recoil in shock. Wamuu retracts the lung pipes and gets into a fighting stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground and holding out his fists. Blasts of air, resembling tornadoes, swirl around his forearms. Pixie stands up and gazes at this display of power with shock!

“This is not all… I can manipulate the air and light particles surrounding me, causing me to be invisible to the naked eye. However,” Wamuu looks up at the moon, “It works better in the daylight. That’s the only time I can go out in sunlight without my body turning to stone.”

“Oh my goodness!” Pixie covers their mouth with a gasp, “Wamuu! Y-you’re… you’re incredible!!! H-how did you even acquire such powers?!”

“My Lord Kars is very well-versed in science and alchemy. He had crafted masks of stone that possess other-worldly abilities and can bestow said abilities to any pillarperson who puts on one of those masks.” Wamuu crosses his arms and nods, “Before I was born, Lord Kars had crafted these special masks. He had wanted to share his creation with our tribe…” Wamuu looks to his lower left, “Unfortunately, from what he and Master Esidisi had told me, this did not go well.”

“What? Why not? What happened? Pixie steps closer, getting more and more intrigued at Wamuu’s past and family history.

“I probably should not say so much, but… Lord Kars was- er… is not very well liked in our community. The masks were his final hope at receiving grace and acceptance from our tribe, but he ultimately failed.” Wamuu sighs and looks at Pixie with a dejected expression, “The residents felt that this amount of power would create an imbalance in earth’s harmony, and even threatened to exile him for his inventions.” He begins walking down the beach, urging Pixie to come with him, “Luckily, Master Esidisi remained by his side and was able to get the villagers to calm down.”

“Goodness…” Pixie replies, not exactly sure how to react. Wamuu feels his cheeks get hot, getting embarrassed that he had suddenly dropped so much information on someone he had just met tonight,

“Forgive me…”

“For what?” Pixie looks up at him with genuine confusion.

“I am not usually this… vocal.” Wamuu glances away from Pixie’s direction.

“That’s alright. I don’t mind at all! In fact, I… I actually really like hearing you talk.”

“Hm?” Wamuu shifts his eyes back at them, “What is this?”

“Haha! It’s true! I like hearing you talk. You have a very soothing voice.” Pixie lets out a sweet giggle.

“I see. I have never had my voice described as such a thing.” Wamuu touches his lips as if his voice is a physically tangible thing.

“Well, now you have!” Pixie laughs and bounces around playfully, “Hey… you wanna see something amazing?”

“Oh? Something amazing?” Wamuu stops walking and watches Pixie. The elf manipulates the water in front of them and pulls it closer, they hop onto it, and have it carry them over the water. They surf across the edge of the shore with great speed! Wamuu trots beside them,

“Pixie! Wait for me!” He feels his lips curl into an open smile as he jogs down the beach, kicking up some sand. Pixie laughs and glides over top of the water and crashes on the sand, almost toppling over. Their boots hit the wet sand and they lift their arms into the air,

“Haha! What did you think about that? Pretty fun, huh?”

“Indeed!” Wamuu chuckles.

“Though… there is something I have been wanting to try,” Pixie dries themself off by physically pulling the water out of their clothes and tossing it back into the ocean, “My tribe is made up of water mages. What is cooler than water?”

“I am not sure.” Wamuu rubs his neck.

“Ice! Literally cooler than water! Ice and snow!” Pixie excitedly bounces, “I have been making it my mission for the past hundred years to find a way to learn how to freeze water and use it to my advantage!”

“How very interesting… any luck with that yet?” Wamuu inquires.

“Well… somewhat. I can do this.” Pixie takes a sphere of water from the ocean and squeezes their fist. The sphere pops and snowflakes glitter to the ground, “I haven’t figured out how to perfect the ice part of ice manipulation yet. So far only fluffy bits of snow.”

“My heavens, that is still rather impressive to say the least. You learned that all on your own as well.”

“Yep! That’s… the weird thing.” Pixie looks down at the puff of snow on the sand and kicks it a bit, “I showed the other members of my tribe and they were shocked that I was able to pull that off just by sheer will alone.” They manipulate the snow and sprinkle it above themself and Wamuu for fun and just let the snowflakes delicately cover them. It’s refreshing considering the heat of the summer night, “Legends have it that in the colder climates live elusive ice mage elves. But since my tribe and the other Ocean Tribes we’ve come across are all we have seen… it’s no wonder elves just assume that the ice mages are just a myth.”

“I see. But, you have shown this magic does in fact exist.” Wamuu taps his chin and feels the snow fall on his shoulders and hair, “That being said, perhaps… during the journey of reuniting you with your tribe, we could also try to find the mysterious elven ice mages for you.”

“Wamuu! You are much too kind. I’m afraid I cannot accept that offer.” Pixie’s brows frown.

“Why is this?” Wamuu looks concerned.

“Because… you’re already doing me a service for finding my tribe. I don’t want to continuously burden you and your family with my presence.” Pixie shakes their head, “I can find the ice mages with my tribe once we find them.” They smile and nod, “And one day you and I could meet again after that!”

“I see… Hm, if you change your mind, I would be more than happy to aid you on your journey.” Wamuu smiles, knowing that Pixie is very likely to change their mind, “But for now… would you like to come with me? I would be honored to introduce you to my family.”

“I-I don’t know, Wamuu…” Pixie rubs their forearm nervously, “I feel like I’m intruding. I don’t want to be an unwanted guest.”

“You are not unwanted here, Pixie.” Wamuu smiles, his lip rings glints in the moonlight, “Come… follow me. My family will be delighted to meet you. Perhaps Master Esidisi will make some of his famous orange spiced tea.”

Maybe they try to gently break it off due to the guilt of the power dynamic developing and Cole starts guilt tripping them about it. Using desperation tactics basically. Like he knew the whole time that Ren had this guilt the whole time and he obviously didn’t want them to feel guilty over something he reciprocated but them trying to leave makes him upset and he starts saying some shit to make them feel Terrible.

Like yes he was insecure about being the one taken cared of in the beginning but he’s been with Ren long enough to know what they got out of the relationship and one thing was a peace of mind. The feeling that they were helping someone directly and not just passively through charities or other funding support, even if they personally benefited in the process. He could absolutely start pulling at that thread.

Like don’t you get it? He needs Ren now. Ren made him too comfortable in this lifestyle they provided for him—at least give him some time before they cut him off completely so he can transition back to his lifestyle from before. Ren made him THEIR responsibility. So they can’t just leave. Leave him like that. How cruel would they be to do something like that?

In this AU, Cole probably does his most to provide for a lot of other needs Ren has to make up for the emasculating discomfort he gets sometimes from their dynamic. He will never have nor make more money than Ren in his lifetime, but he’s a quick learner for all sorts of things. He’ll find ways of taking care of them