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homicidalfantrolls · 2 years ago

Text

Past Tense

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As you watch the shuttle doors close, and Dia wave at you from behind them, dread still dug into your chest.

You didn’t like the thought of Dia lying to you, even if you both knew at this point he had. He wasn’t going to see his friend rollerskate or his moirail fight. He was doing something far more dangerous, far more risky, and far more stupid.

Your thumb runs over the worn face of a small, circular toy in your pocket. You don’t move from your spot as the shuttle detaches and jettisons towards the direction of Alternia, carrying your medic with it.

You don’t move even when he’s out of sight, even when the bell rings for dinner. You just open your palm to stare at the faded toy compass in your hand.

You regret not giving it to Dia. Even if it didn’t work, part of you hoped it could still help him find his way home.

—

Ever since you had made the decision to transfer one Jodiah Monark onto your ship, life had been…different. Not bad, just…different. In all your sweeps in the fleet, a coffee machine had never exploded on your ship. A member of your crew had not curb stomped your sunglasses in front of recruits, nor had gone out of his way to fix things you had no idea were broken. A medic had never asked you if you wanted pain medication before suturing a stab wound, never decided he was going to stay overday in your block out of concern you wouldn’t let the wound heal.

He’d certainly never climbed into bed with you. Never admitted to being in love with you.

And you’d certainly never admitted to loving him back.

Unfortunately for every fiber of faux moral high ground you possessed, every conviction or concern for your crew or position. You were up shit creek without a paddle. No. No, you were in shit ocean clinging to a piece of driftwood and every second that you spent with him your grip got looser.

Maybe what you thought was an ocean of shit was just a lake of chocolate.

Your nose crinkles at the thought. It was no secret why you decided to join the military instead of becoming a poet. Your skill with words was akin to Ship Cat’s knowledge of calculus. Enough to get by, but not enough to go anywhere with.

…Maybe Dia was right about you overworking. The stab wound in your hand hadn’t even completely healed yet, and here you were, typing away and imagining the chief mouser on your ship being a professor at a prestigious university.

She would make a shit teacher.

Hand rising to pinch the bridge of your nose, you sigh. A brief glance at the clock tells you its just about time to head out. Dia had only given you reluctant permission to return to work if you swore you wouldn’t do any overtime, lest he take away your work privileges entirely. The only one on this ship with any sort of command over you. You knew him well enough at this point to be confident it wasn't an empty threat.

You had just hovered your mouse over “clock out” when your monitor flashed with an alert. A warning about a stolen fleet vessel being reported in your sector and to not engage in any way shape or form. A fleet vessel piloted by a Doctor Hanagi Cheong and…Twitch Monark.

Your eyes widen behind your aviators, shocked that Twitch of all people stole a fleet ship. Twitch had always loved rules to the point of what your younger self considered obsession. Even so, how could someone as high in the ranks as her steal a ship? Surely she didn’t even really need to ask, even if she was more administrative to your recollection. Beyond that…why would she? Why would Twitch Monark steal a fleet ship with a fucking doctor.

It had to be a mistake. You actually chuckle at the thought of this being anything but a hoax. No, Twitch wouldn’t steal from the fleet. You’d sooner believe someone had hacked into the fleet communications arrat as a prank.

You lift up your cell, about to dial Dia. He would get a kick out of this. His younger sister, who you had always joked about having a stick so far up her ass you could see it in when she talked. You couldn’t wait to hear him laugh again.

Ring.

While you had expected to hear the noise in your ear, it instead came from behind you. The red landline phone behind your desk. Your personal line. You found yourself frequently forgetting such a line existed; the main fleet branches so frequently forgot you existed, after all. The line’s only purpose was really to reach out to you for orders to divert course for something important, or, in exceedingly rare cases, prepare for a space dog fight. Considering that your ship was filled to the brim with trigger happy recruits and was intentionally kept far away from any hostile territories, you had never once received that call.

A soft frown creases your lips.

You answer.

“Hello! Is this Officer Almiss?”

Your ears twitch curiously at the unfamiliar voice. The rank it addressed you with was wrong as well. Your frown deepens. “Yes? May I ask who’s calling?”

"Oh, great! I was hoping I got the right number,” the voice answers in a sort of forced glee, "This is Palola, you might remember me as Dia's twin. I hope now is not a bad time—I had some pressing matters to bring up.”

Palola? It was mostly via spending so much time with Dia lately that you’d been remembering more about the Monarks, though you’re not sure you ever spent so much time with Palola. He was softer than Dia, who even then was about as firm as cooked pasta. Most of his time had been spent with plants. You had only just opened your mouth to ask how he is when he continues onto business. You had remembered him at least being more sociable, so it was a bit of a surprise.

"I assure you, you aren't in trouble, I am actually calling about Jodiah. I am...quite relieved you were the one he was transferred to, if I'm honest. I don't believe I could safely make this request with anyone else...This is going to sound odd, but I need you to not let Jodiah leave. Your ship, I mean. Don't accept any transfers or time off requests." He pauses. "...Please."

Your ears flatten against your head as he speaks, gears turning in your pan as you process it. “…Why?” you finally ask after a few moments, a part of you hating yourself for even humoring it. Dia had already made it abundantly clear how he felt about people making decisions for him.

Palola sighs into the receiver.

"I was sorta hoping you wouldn't ask, if I am honest. But I hate lying more than I hate gossip. I'm sure you know Dia by now, he likes to keep his heart close...and I'm sure you got the notification about Twitch. Dia...doesn't know. About Twitch, I mean. And I'm worried what he'll do when he finds out."

Oh. You sigh as well, crossing your legs as you lean back in your chair. Your mouth feels dry.

“I’m sorry, but I’m sure you can understand why I couldn’t just..forbid him without knowing the reason,” you explain softly, hesitantly. “Why would you be worried…? I saw on the report that she stole the ship but I thought it must have been a mistake. It was that Dr. Cheong, wasn’t it? Twitch would never.”

There’s a long pause, followed by a sigh.

“There’s been...issues…with Twitch lately, to say the least. My concerns don’t stem from Twitch’s behavior as much as they do Dia’s.”

He pauses again, but only for a second, “If I tell you the whole truth, Officer Almiss…and JD finds out…you know he’ll go nuclear on both of us. If that’s a risk you’re willing to take, I can go more in depth. Though I implore you to just…trust me.”

Frown deepening, you place the phone down to lock the doors to your office and shut the blinds. A very rare but very understood sign you couldn’t be disturbed.

“Palola, while I know you care and I know you’re Dia’s brother, I…unfortunately cannot take your word for it in this situation. Dia already recently became very…irate when I second guessed his decision about what he does or doesn’t need to do. To be honest, even if he hadn’t, I’ve made a rule of it myself,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“I care about Dia, like my whole crew. I can’t make an unfounded order but I also…don’t want to go behind his back, Palola,” you explain carefully, this whole situation already having your head spin.

Another soft sigh can be heard, one of unmistakable resignation.

“…Alright, I can respect that. I’m glad he has a boss that doesn’t mind just how prickly he can be,” he explains in a way that tells you he didn’t entirely agree.

“I’m worried, once JD finds out Twitch is in trouble, he’s going to try and leave so he can find her. Which wouldn’t be a huge issue, but….I’m sure you know how intense Jodiah can be. JD doesn’t know that she’s gone yet because you beat Annihilation to him. He was on his way but got sidetracked…and you came in just in time…and the last time Dad broke news like this over the phone…it broke him. It was like The JD I grew up with died when Festur did. He just…hasn’t been the same. He doesn’t talk to me anymore. Or anyone, for that matter. He’s reckless and fleeting, he’s…dangerous to himself.” Palola sounded like a man who just got done running a marathon, exhaustion leaking from every word.

“…I-I’m sorry, Pa- Officer Almiss, I don’t mean to ramble…or put you in a bad situation. I...I don’t want Jodiah to follow her when he finds out. I don’t know what caused him to have a breakdown and steal that ship. I don’t know why you agreed to take him. But he loves Twitch…and she’s gone. I don’t…I can’t lose them both.”

The longer Palola speaks, the further into the ground your pusher sinks. A confirmation you had never hoped to hear.. Festur was dead. You had hoped maybe they’d broken up, fallen out of love…anything but…

You use the remote to dim the lights in your office to remove your sunglasses and set them on your desk. “Paenit is fine, Palola,” you tell him, voice soft as you take in everything. “I’m sorry about all of this. I can’t imagine what you two—all of the Monarks— are going through. But I just…” you sigh again.

“You want me to keep him here? For how long? He has a moirail on planet, I don’t…it’s not fair to restrict that. Shouldn’t his moirail be able to help anyways?”

Palola barely lets you finish. “Don’t.” He says quickly, with a newfound urgency, “Don’t trust him- he--…he has a moirail but don’t trust him. I-I know that sounds horrible but Jodiah- he’s—he’s a liar.”

He laughs softly, sadly, that unmistakable exhaustion still permeating every syllable. “That’s…that’s pretty sad, isn’t it? I’m sorry for dragging you into all of this…uh, I…I’m not sure how long. I can have our lusus try to catch you guys at a fuel dock..? I’ll…have to get back to you on that one…” he murmurs.

“There’s…only so much I can do from where I am. Don’t—don’t like…think you have to do anything different…if you think he might know, or he—he’s acting weird…can you let me know? You can call at any time.”

You frown, sighing as this whole situation just gets more and more convoluted. It’s as if a claw had just descended from the sky and plopped you into a maze. You didn’t know which way was out, what doors had cheese behind them and which ones would electrocute you. You didn’t know if Dia was always like this and you’d just been too angry or apathetic to see it when you were younger, but it was…difficult to hear.

“You don’t have to apologize. If…Annihilation wants to see Dia, talk to him…if you think that’ll help, I’m happy to do whatever I can to make it happen,” you assure him. You would try your damndest to be unavailable to meet him though.

That was one door you were certain of what lay behind.

“I can try. He’s going to find out sooner or later. He’s already been pilfering my block, I imagine my files are next,” you laugh, though it’s too tired to contain much humor. Your files were at least infinitely more secure than your pants drawer. The fleet had no stake in the latter.

An almost bitter laugh floats through the speaker of the phone. "I'm not sure what will help at this point...but I don't want to see him just...launch himself towards certain death to try and save someone who's...already lost."

A soft laugh escapes him. "I…he's been stealing from you? Oh, dear...when I said he was a thief, I meant along the lines of his last...outburst, yeah? I hadn't realized he made a habit of it. I've only ever known him to repeatedly borrow from those he likes. Maybe it's a good sign?" He pauses to sigh again. "You've got yourself quite the handful, Of-, er, Paenit. I wish you luck."

Though you had expected him to hang up, he instead just pauses and continues, "...You can also call me if you need help. I...I know he can be a handful...and I don't mean to micromanage...or make you think he isn't independent, messiahs know he likes his independence...I worry about him. Thank you for being understanding."

“I appreciate it, Palola and I’ll…do my best to protect your brother. At this point, I think we’d be lost without him,” you admit with a soft sigh.

You hang up and rub your temples. You open your computer, clicking through to Jodiah’s file. You hesitate for what feels like an hour before you finally mark any time off requests from Dia as needing approval before going through. It felt…wrong. But you had to trust Palola. For now.

—

“What the fuck is this?”

“A compass.”

“I see that, dipshit. It doesn’t even work.”

“Of course it doesn’t work, it’s a toy.”

“Are you that fucking stupid you think I’d want a toy compass that doesn’t even work?”

Jodiah Monark snickered, brandishing a grin missing a tooth or two. He’d always been a late bloomer, still growing teeth back even at this age. He wordlessly held up an empty snack bag which was snatched from his hand with an irritated scowl.

“Cracker Jacks? This popcorn tastes like shit. And it comes with a toy? What are you, two?” Paenit scoffed, flicking the bag back at the limeblood who scrambled to catch it before it got caught in the wind and blew away. His dad had always told him never to litter.

“I don’t buy it for the toys or the popcorn, I get it because it reminds me of you.”

The mismatched eyes of the blueblood widened ever so slightly, ears perking with interest. If one didn’t know him, they could guess the emotion on his face was flustered.

“…What? How the fuck does popcorn remind you of me?” he scoffed, forcing disdain into every word.

Dia rolled his blinding lime eyes, a playful smile on his face despite the annoyed gesture. Once more, he held up the snack bag to Paenit’s face.

“It’s not the popcorn, idiot. It’s the peanuts.”

Paenit hissed as his vision turned red, hands lunging like a viper. While Dia was fast, jumping back in case of a hit, Paenit still came out with the empty bag.

“You fucking little shit I am going to beat the fuck—“

“Almiss!”

The two children stopped dead at the deep, commanding voice. Both their gazes shifted to the shuttle a few dozen yards away. A tall, muscular woman stood in the doorway, a crate of medical supplies held under her arm.

Her bandanna kept her hair in place, but the wind from the shuttle blades starting up threatened to blow it off.

“C’mon, Pae. Gotta get back to base,” Daisee Monark told her young charge, voice softer but still holding that same level of authority it always had.

Paenit growled under his breath. “Yes, Captain,” he called back over the roar of the engine.

“You too, JD. Nile’s waiting. Gonna be sun up soon and he said he’s making korma,” she informed her brother, smiling softly.

Dia perked up, a grin that had flashed on his face being shucked away at the impact of a cellophane bag hitting it, courtesy of Paenit.

“Next time I see you Monark, you’re gonna fucking wish I died in a plane crash,” the recruit hissed, pocketing the compass pendant and marching to his commanding officer, jumping into the open door without the assistance of Daisee’s offered hand.

Daisee chuckled, flashing a wink and a grin at her brother. Dia smiled.

“See ya in the stars, JD.”

And then she was gone.

#i spent a decent amount of time on this so if you could please read and also reblog that would be great!!!!#i love how it turned out #twitch belongs to byrdstrolls dia daisee palola and annhilation belong to jazztrols #trolls*#paenit almiss #corpse writes

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