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razorblade180 · 4 years ago

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Sunshower 12

“Wow, That sure is a lot of you just dumped onto me.” Kali said to Ilia. The two women sat on the Belladonna porch and drunk tea, discussing the events that had transpired recently. “So, did it feel good?” The feline smiled.

Ilia slouched in her chair. “I don’t see how that is important.”

“Mmmmm I think you do.” Kali bluntly stated. “It’s definitely not the most important, but definitely top ten. Five...maybe three?”

“Can we move on from this if I answer the question?”

“Of course!” A childish smile grew on Kali, as if she was a gossiping school girl. Ilia took a long sip of her tea before looking into it. She had an answer to Kali’s question. Thinking about it was just so...much. Damn Sun, making her brain do these mental gymnastics. “It felt...gratifying. No, that’s not the word. Each time was under a different circumstance but all three times had this strange feeling I can’t quite describe. I just know the feeling wasn’t a bad one. It was very exposing, in more ways than one.”

Kali nodded, “I see. Makes perfect sense”

“What makes you say that? I sound like a riddle.”

“Yeah that’s emotions for you, they don’t make sense most of the time. Not unless you take the time to understand what causes them.” Kali watched Ilia’s face scrunch up. Kali couldn’t help but giggle. “Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of your situation by any means. I just wasn’t expecting such a face.”

“You should’ve. What exactly do you mean by ‘understand what causes them?’ I hope you’re not implying…” Ilia turned a little pink.

“Ha! That’s between you and him” Kali waved her back forth. She would never give such reckless advice, on the first go around. “All I meant was to look inward, ask the big questions you know you’re avoiding. Making mountains out of molehills is a problem both you and Blake share.”

Hearing that didn’t exactly give Ilia a warm feeling. Thinking about Blake still made her very upset. Kali caught on to the girl’s unpleasant silence.

“Sun gave off that same demeanor when he was around Blake.” Ilia snapped back into the conversation now she was looking guilty. Kali smiled softly. “Now, now, no need for that face. Like I said before, emotions take time to understand. The same way hurt needs time to heal. I do hope you both don’t remain upset with my daughter. You mean so much to her.”

Coming to Kali was a good idea. Her words were always so understanding. Neptune had been doing a good job but it felt good to have a more familiar face to confide in. Judy would’ve been good if she wasn’t so….Judy all the time.

“I know. The problem was she meant more to me than I did her, but I’d rather not get into that at the moment. Let’s back pedal a bit. What do you personally think would be a good way to start sorting things out?”

“You see I’m more of a full throttle kind of woman, but that might be too much for you.”She laughed lewdly, emotions make themselves known in the heat of the moment.”

Ilia was once again rethinking her decision to tell Kali. “Please be serious.”

“I am!!!” Kali exclaimed, her tea almost spilling. “That’s up to you though. It gets results though.” More pink spread on Ilia’s face. “Kali, that’s not an option! In case you have forgotten, I’m me!”

“So?”

“What do you mean so? Sun is outside my particular wheelhouse. That would be weird, completely out of the question.”

“Yet here you are, telling me he’s taken you to bed.”

“Hey, I took him to bed. Not the other way around.” Ilia corrected.

“Sweetie you are only making my point more valid.”

“I...well...that doesn’t change anything! Listen this is uncharted territory for me and it’s for good reason. Guys don’t do it for me. Never have, never will. Connecting, confiding, simply just being myself; I’ve learned a long time ago who brings those out of me. It would be insensitive to Sun if I toyed with him in such a way. He’s a good guy, a friend. He’s my friend.” Those words made her smile. It was nice to call him a friend. So why did it make her feel selfish too. Inconsiderate even.

Kali kept carefully watching the girl as she poured more tea. Though Ilia was fairly mature for her age, Kali had to remember most of it came from experience derived from sorrow. Outward forces had shaped her. It was tough to say just how much internal self reflection she’s done, but Kali was positive the subject of romantic feelings was one Ilia had a thorough rasp on. Still, like everyone, there’s always a few things that get overlooked or haven’t been explored yet.

“You have a good point, You would know yourself better than anyone else would. I bet this is a topic you’ve had with yourself countless times. Yet I can’t but wonder….” her voice trailed off, confusing Ilia.

“Wonder what?”

“The world is a big place with countless people. Plenty of which fall into groups we don’t usually find ourselves associating with. Like how the White Fang. Many members chose a side that resonated with them, but it didn’t mean there weren’t a few who looked on the opposing side and saw someone and felt connected with. Haven is proof of that. You’re proof of that. I know I may be out of line and even far too presumptuous, but is it too crazy to think one person who doesn’t fit into your usual ‘wheelhouse’ might work just as well; that a single boy out of billions could...invoke feelings of some kind?

Ilia didn’t know how to respond to a question like that. She wasn’t even sure if she followed the logic correctly. It had to be false though, right? One out of two consistencies in her life had already been toppled over when she turned traitor. She was so sure about Adam’s actions. Her actions, but those were called into question; until eventually she realized the cracks in those beliefs. This was different though. It wasn’t political, it was personal. Ilia knew who she was in that regard. If she didn’t then…

“If you’re right, then what does that say about me?” Ilia clenched her teacup,cracking it from the pressure from her anxious hands. She didn’t know why but she could feel herself tear up. “I’ve never known anything about myself my entire life? That can’t be true.”

“It isn’t. It just means you’re growing. What you know is gaining more knowledge.”

“That’s frustrating. It’s downright upsetting, and scary.”

“Sounds like to me you just understood your feelings”

Ilia let out a small gasp. Her eyes widened, shocked about the way Kali had gotten an inkling of Ilia’s complex feelings figured out.

Kali took Ilia by the hand. “Now then, what are you going to do with that knowledge?”

“The million lien question. Doing nothing would be the terrible option huh?” Ilia rubbed her chin, putting critical thought into what her next moved to be. “I guess…”

xxxx

“You’re skipping out on tonight!?” Judy blurted out.

Ilia put her hand over the cops mouth to silence them. “Shhhh! Why are you being so loud!? I don’t think Dan wants to hear you from the kitchen!”

The waiter in question walked out with sparking mugs filled with coffee for the table of four. “Don’t worry, one more loudmouth doesn’t sound that much different from three.”

“Damn Daniel, you gonna shoot us like that? I thought we were friends? Especially after my tip.” Neptune said. He clenched his chest dramatically as if he was actually offended. Judy laughed.

“Wow goggles, couldn’t get it on with me last night so Dan got the tip instead? I respect that. Everyone’s head turned to Judy in shock, except Ilia. She slowly put her head down to cringe. How was her parole officer the least mature person here?

“Dan I think I need a little more caffeine in mine after dealing with that exhausting remark.”

“What if I put cream-” he cut himself off. He could see the corner of Judy’s lips start to turn up. “Sugar cubes, I’ll dump sugar cubes in yours.”

Ilia gave him a thumbs up and he went on his way. “As I was saying, I’m actually just going to stay home this time around. When the partying starts. A night to recuperate, have me time.” She took a long sip from her mug. It was hard to tell if it was the mental workout or the one in her home that had her tired. This caught Sun’s attention, along with her statement. He was pretty sure that this involved him. Good or bad, now that was a little bit harder to read, but he thought best not to pry. He could use a little me time as well.

“Okay, I hope it goes well.” He said. It caught Ilia a little off guard by the look she gave him. She wasn’t sure how he’d take that news most likely. Ilia smiled and nodded at him. Yeah, they were alright. That’s all Sun really needed to know.

“Did you two have sex?” Judy said, cutting back into the conversation the best way she knew how. Neptune choked on his coffee while Sun’s brain turned to static, an option that was safer than saying something he might regret. Ilia’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Somehow she managed to maintain the usual color of her skin, but that didn’t stop the heat rising to her face.

“Judy!” She shouted, “Why would you say that!?”

The cop shrugged, “It’s a valid question. You look tired, both of you were together for who knows how long, and anything is possible.”

“He’s not my type.” Ilia could feel herself saying that a lot in the future. It was the truth, but it made her feel a little bit of an ass. Like she was dismissing Sun in an ugly way.

Judy wasn’t convinced though and for good reason. “Ilia I’m not your type either but that hasn’t stopped us from some crazy nights.” Judy saw everyone’s jaw drop.

Neptune had barely recovered from her earlier question. “I’m...I’m sorry, you two have slept together?” He coughed.

“Oh yeah, Ilia and go way back. Oh I could tell stories.”

“Which you won’t!” Ilia said, now blushing.

“Don’t be ashamed. I’m irresistible. You could only survive so much of my flirting. I had a way of pushing your buttons, along with flipping switches.”

Sun raised an eyebrow. “Switches?”

“What kind?” Neptune added.

“Can you not!?” Ilia felt like she was going to die. How did she surround herself with three people that constantly put her in weird situations. What made it worse was Sun being at the table!

Judy could tell how badly Ilia wanted this to stop. The opportunity was too good to pass up. “You’re looking pretty flushed. We’re all friends here.” Judy pointed to themself. “Some people enjoy cuffs and a good hair tug.” Judy rubbed her leg against Neptune’s to make him blush nervously. Hopefully he’d remember that. Judy shifted their eyes to Ilia and mumbled. “Others like their butt-”

Ilia covered Judy’s mouth so fast, the embarrassment too much to handle. She didn’t even attempt to look at Sun or Neptune, who clearly knew where that headed. Neptune looked at Sun with intrigued eyes. Sun could only blush and shake his head no. If Judy was paying attention then she would’ve noticed the silent confession to her question earlier.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Ilia asked

Judy looked at the girl’s hand, which was still on their face until it was removed to reveal a smile. “Easy, I like seeing you be so expressive. You’ve been so down on yourself and less colorful until recently. I don’t know what’s changed but I’m glad the Ilia that does community service then goes home to sleep is slowly going away. The white fang was bad, but it made you lively at least.”

That was more of an answer than Ilia expected. Had she been less lively? Sure she had gotten into a pretty boring routine, but topping organized crime is almost impossible. Most things are boring once you do that. Ilia scratched the back of her head. “Be that as it may, can you not bring up the past like that. I don’t air your dirty laundry.”

“Ilia, do you have clean laundry?” Judy chuckled.

“You…” It was hard arguing against the truth. “Stop picking on me! Why are you this exhausting?” Ilia deflated. Judy rubbed her back to comfort her as if she wasn’t the reason for this! “First you weaken me and now you’re building me up?”

“Lighten up. Say, if you aren’t going to the party tonight then let’s all go to the beach right now to have fun. A lot of people party hard so it should be less crowded.

“Can we do something inland?” Neptune asked politely. All he got was judgmental looks. “Y’all are so mean.”

“Nobody is making you get in the water dude.” Sun pointed out. “You will probably get wet by the end of this, but life be like that sometimes.”

“That doesn’t make me want to go!!!”

“The beach sounds nice.” Ilia said, thinking about the opportunity to relax on the sand. “I’m not changing into a swimsuit though.” Ilia has a feeling if Judy saw a possible hickey or bruise then more questions would be asked.

“Are you sure about that?” Judy smirked.

“Yes, I’m not wearing one.”

xxxx

“Do my choices mean nothing to you.” Ilia groaned, wearing a swimsuit. Judy had somehow got her to wear a black bikini with gold stitching. She had managed to wear a black cover up skirt that matched. It actually looked pretty nice, but Ilia wasn’t going to admit that. Judy was too busy having fun in her red two piece to notice Ilia had made her own skin a little darker to hide a hickey on her chest and shoulder. “Sun needs to stop biting so hard.” Ilia thought. It took a few minutes to register what she just thought. “Wait, why am I talking like there’s gonna be a next time!?”

“You okay?” Said the man in question. Sun wore navy blue swim trunks. The upside about always having your shirt open is your always beach ready. He sat next to Ilia on her beach towel as they watched Judy mess with Neptune, who was wearing red trunks.

“I’m fine. A little surprised that Neptune owns trunks.”

“Those are just my other pair. So, I don’t mean to pry…”

“I don’t want to talk about my kinks.” She blushed.

“What? I was gonna talk about skipping the party.”

“Oh… right.” She wanted to kick herself. “Forget what I just said.”

“Okay.”

“I’m serious! We are never discussing that, Sun Wukong. So don’t get any weird ideas.” Ilia elbowed him.

“You told me not to go down on you. If that’s the line then in what world do I get to crazier stuff.”

“That’s fair. Yeah I think it is best to spend some time alone later tonight. No offense to you or anything but-”

“I get it. Take your time.” Sun laid on his back and closed his eyes to enjoy the rays.

“Will do, thanks.” Ilia noticed just how calm he was about most of this. It made her a little envious honestly. “You’re taking this well.”

“Am I? I might look like it, but I feel a little anxious. Even now. Is that normal?”

“You are asking the wrong girl. Normal has never applied to me in any part of my life. That’s on me though.”

“Crime is the spice of life.”

“Is that how you justify stealing?”

“Hehe, maybe. You should try it.” He joked.

“I did, your virginity.” Ilia looked down to see Sun look at her with the most ‘why are you like this’ look ever. She couldn’t help but laugh, which made him smile.

“This is nice.” He sat up. “I like our talks.”

“Yeah, me too. Who would’ve thought you’d be good at conversations?”

“Uhh me?” Sun bluntly stated, pointing to himself. “Remember, I’m the one who kicked Blake back into high spirits! My positivity is infectious!”

“Let’s hope that’s the only infectious thing.”

“Wh-you literally just mentioned taking my-”

“Hey you two!”

A voice cut him off from behind. Sun and Ilia turned around and had their sunny moment get a little dimmer. Blake and Yang stood with beach gear and in bikinis. Each wearing the other’s color. “Fancy seeing you two here.” Yang cheerfully said.

“Mind if we join you?” Blake smiled, genuinely happy to see two of her favorite people. “We haven’t spent time together yet.”

The pair of confused friends looked at each other, then back at Blake and Yang. No time like the present. They could only avoid things for so long. Ilia tensed up a little but was jolted out of it the moment Sun’s tail discreetly rubbed her ankle. It was oddly tension releasing.

“Sure.” She nodded, “let’s chat.”

Part 11

#rwby #rwby sunshower #rwby sunspots #kali belladonna #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #neptune vasilias #sun wukong #ilia amitola #sun x ilia #rwby au

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chibi-pix · 5 years ago

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VLD AU - Two Worlds

We’ve seen Pidge and Lance meet in art form, but I decided to finally write it. So! Taking place after Dark Water, in the “keep reading” below, I present to you this 2,250+ word ficlet!

There are no extra illustrations for it, but feel free to check out the first drawing (linked above) that started this AU from me.

Lance heard the others getting up; they were going to leave the room. He then moved to leave, walking off as they left the room. “Oh, Lance.” Shiro’s voice caught his attention. “Good… afternoon?”

“Almost.” Lance chuckled a bit, confirming that it was nearly the afternoon. “Glad to see you feeling better and on your feet.” Surprisingly not wanting to stick around to chat, he walked off, the mental hamster on the wheel going haywire as he thought about Shiro’s explanation to Ulaz. As he walked off, he hardly registered Shiro pointing out that he didn’t stick around long.

Something was out there. And while Lance refused to acknowledge that he was into the lifestyle of cryptid hunting like a certain mullet sporting teen he considered a friend (but constantly denied being very close to; no one understood why, only that Lance was being Lance), he did have a sense of adventure and a thirst for understanding. He lived his life wanting to know and understand more, because understanding made things less frightening and could sometimes lead you on the greatest adventures; it was a never ending cycle that he did love as much as he loved swimming.

Having listened to Shiro and Ulaz talk, Lance knew something had to be in the ocean, something mysterious. From Shiro’s crash to the pilot and his plane both being found on the shore, it was truly a mystery. He had to know for himself. He had to find out what was out there.

As long as it didn’t get to him first and actually be a threat with Shiro’s survival as a fluke.

Lance left for the docks where he kept his boat. While often he would borrow his uncle’s larger boats, with permission of course, his smaller Guardian of the Sea was perfect for little stints on the ocean. And honestly, no one would be surprised if he took off with it; it was damn near impossible to keep him on land when he loved the ocean so much.

He didn’t know where he was going; the team was still working out where Shiro most likely went down at, so they didn’t have the coordinates yet. Well, no matter, he would still go out and search. Lance got far enough out, he couldn’t even see the main island that AARC was established on. Nodding, he activated his anchor and got his diving gear on.

“Okay, everything’s up and running, time to dive.” Lance nodded and went to the back of his boat. He looked down at the water. Somewhere down there, something mysterious lived. There had to be something, right? After all, how did Shiro and his plane come back up the way they did? The damage to the ship, the severance of Shiro’s arm. Nodding, he secured his mask and put his goggles on. Then, with perfect grace, he dove down into the depths.

Lance was what the others liked to call a water baby. Save for very few moments in his life, one mainly being a horror game disguised as a survival game that he played and loved, he had never been afraid of the water, the ocean included. The ocean was so vast, so mysterious, it was strange that people knew more about space, stars, and other planets than they did their own, watery home. It was amazing! And honestly, Lance often dreamed of discovering some of the greatest mysteries the ocean kept hidden for generations. Millennia even.

Lance kept diving, even to where light found it harder and harder to reach. The only real thing helping him see were the small lights on his breathing mask, filtering out breathable oxygen from the water so he didn’t have to carry around a limited oxygen tank. Okay, Shiro described it as a human-like face… and giant… right? He thought. I mean, logically, and even he said it himself, he could have been hallucinating. But… something that big can’t really hide… can it?

But indeed, something that big really could find a way to hide. As Lance was looking around, something was watching him, managing to keep hidden despite not hiding behind anything. Large, wide eyes kept an eye on the small surface dweller, nearly unblinking as they stared curiously. This one swam around, the scent of curiosity coming off of it rather than the scent of fear that the other felt.

This creature slowly drifted up closer to Lance, the human none the wiser to the others’ presence. At least until large, webbed hands came up over him, cupping around him.

Lance was scared. Holy quiznak! He thought, looking around wildly. He started to breathe heavy, hyperventilating in his mask. Okay, Lance, gotta slow your breathing so you don’t screw yourself over. Remember what Hunk would tell you. Deep breath in, name your favourite constellation, slow breath in, name your favourite planet. In, Canis Major, out, Neptune. He nodded as he worked on his breathing, not even realizing was practically hugging himself, his fingers firmly pressed against his arms, until he loosened up. In… out… in… out… He nodded, thankful he could get his breathing under control. Okay, memo to self, tell Hunk I overcame an attack of anxiety because of his helpful tips. Yup.

Lance settled down in what he had guessed to be hands. Large hands that he swore he could sit in the palm of one alone very well. That was frightening. He didn’t know what this thing was planning. He then looked, seeing the hands part some and a giant eye peer in.

Holy quiznaking crow… he thought, his own eyes widening. That’s… that’s definitely big… Then the hands parted more. Sitting on the hands, Lance tried to brace himself as he looked at the creature. That was definitely a humanoid face, but most certainly was not a human. The creature he stared at was staring back. Curious? Evaluating him? Considering him for food? Then the creature tilted their head to the side as a small smile crept onto their face, sharp teeth showing themselves.

Um… what? Lance thought. He then tilted his head to the side, mirroring the being that held him. The creature’s grin grew more, but didn’t seem menacing. It almost seemed… happy? Childish even? Especially as they tilted their head in the other direction. Chuckling, Lance did the same.

The creature made a trilling noise of sorts, the sound almost being melodic. They then moved their hands, using one to gently nudge Lance fully onto the other. With the free hand, they gently poked him, trying to touch his mask.

No, please don’t mess with that. Lance put his hand up to stop the creature, surprised when they did stop. I need it to breathe. He then looked to see the being. Gills. Not only on either side of their neck, but also on their sides, just where, had this been a human, the ribs would be. He moved to look them over more. A mermaid? A giant mermaid? He thought. He then nodded.

Lance pointed to the gills on the mermaid’s neck. He then pointed to his own neck and shook his head; he motioned to the mask. Maybe she, that is a she, right? Anyway, maybe she’ll understand I don’t have gills and this mask helps me breathe down here.

The mermaid made a pleased sound and nodded. Did she actually understand? She then brought her face in close enough, looking Lance over. At first Lance went tense, mentally praying to who or whatever he could think of that this thing wouldn’t eat him. But she didn’t. She examined him closely, even using her free hand to gently touch his side, abdomen, arms, and legs.

Wait… she’s trying to understand me. Lance thought. That’s gotta be it! I wonder if she was the one who Shiro saw… maybe I can ask… but how? Wait! His arm! He then pointed to his right arm before shaking his head. Then the surface. Please, please connect the dots.

The mermaid tilted her head to the side before bouncing Lance up a bit and off her hand. She then swam off, going deeper. Lance was confused. Was it something he… sort of said? Before long, she returned, something of decent size and made of metal in her hands.

The plane’s wing! That’s from Shiro’s plane! He thought, seeing it, swimming to the mermaid’s hand. He then looked up to her and nodded. You were the one who saved him! Man… I wish I could talk to her… maybe… maybe I can talk more? Up top? He then motioned upward to the water’s surface. The mermaid looked up before looking to him again. He motioned to himself and then her, then back up. The mermaid blinked slowly before dropping the wing. Oh, Lance guessed he wasn’t getting that back. Oh well.

Then the mermaid cupped her hands over him again. He felt movement and before he knew it, he was up on the surface, sitting in the mermaid’s hand. He looked to see her looking around to be sure of things before she rose her head. Lance nodded and removed his mask. “Thank you.” The mermaid spoke, but her words weren’t understood. “Um… I don’t understand...” Figures this would happen.

“Oh… sorry, wrong language.”

Holy crow! Perfect English!? Lance was shocked. Okay, okay… let’s… let’s get to know her! “Um… I’m Lance. And… thank you… you were the one who rescued Shiro when his plane went down, right?”

“Plane?” the mermaid asked. “Oh, his sky-ship.” She nodded. “Oh, right, I’m called Pidge.”

Pidge. Cute name. Lance smiled. “And yeah, the sky-ship, we call them planes. The pilot was Shiro. Him being alive… we’re all thankful.”

“He couldn’t breathe. I’ve never seen a surface dweller that close… but… if I decided to look him over more, he would have died...” Pidge admitted. “But then you showed up. You could breathe.”

“Only because of my mask.” Lance held it up. “Without it, I’d drown.” He then grinned. “Wow… this is… this is real. I’m talking to a real live mermaid. Sure, you’re a lot bigger than I thought from stories, but… holy crow...” Pidge then ducked down, her finned ears twitching. Wait… she’s nervous now? He thought.

“Wait, wait, don’t get scared.” he said. “You’ve… never met our kind, huh?”

“I only heard stories...” Pidge mumbled. “The others would be unhappy to find I’ve met with one face to face...”

Stories. Something told Lance that those stories did not paint humans in a good light. Well, human history was not always filled with kindness, especially to the oceans. Thankfully in recent decades, humans did more to help.

“I won’t tell others about you.” Lance said. “I mean, I’d probably swear Keith and Hunk to secrecy...”

“Hunk? Keith?” Pidge lifted her head up again.

“My best friends. Maybe… maybe one day you can meet them; they’re really nice.” Lance said. “But… I won’t tell them until you’re ready to meet them. If you ever want to.” He offered a bright smile. “If you’d like, we can meet up again, talk more.”

“We can… meet again?” Pidge smiled. “I’ve not met a surface dweller… there’s so much I want to learn.”

Lance nodded. “We can definitely meet again.” He then looked around, spotting his boat some meters away. “Um, my boat’s there. Don’t worry, no one’s on it. Can we go there?” Pidge looked. She then moved over to the boat, putting her hand near it so he could step out onto it. “Thanks!” Pidge responded with a happy chirping noise. “Hey, Pidge, you saved Shiro when he went down… by chance, do you know what may have caused his plane to crash?” I mean, it could’ve been a malfunction in the tech or something… but… maybe she saw something, too?

“No, all I know is one day I was hunting… the next thing I know this thing comes down and hits my tail, breaking part of its body off when it hit me.” Pidge explain. That must have been the wing breaking off when it hit her tail. Strong tail. That or the wing was damaged already from the initial crash that the impact just finished the job; that made more sense. “I went to check it, noticing a small creature inside. The scent was that of fear.”

“Understandable; most would be afraid when in a situation of drowning.” Lance admitted. “Even I’d be terrified… and I love the water.”

“You fear drowning… but you go deep down?” Pidge sounded confused.

“Humans are weird like that.” Lance shrugged. He then checked where the sun was. He hadn’t been gone too long, so he could stay longer. He then sat down on his boat, situating himself to watch Pidge more. “Well, I’ve got time before I have to return home. How about we find more to talk about?”

Pidge smiled brightly, her teeth, those very sharp teeth, showing. Oh man, they were a little frightening. But… she was kind. She could have eaten Shiro… eaten him even, but she didn’t. Pidge may have been big, her teeth intimidating… but Lance had a feeling she was very kind and as equally curious as he was. If not more.

“I’d like that.” Pidge declared. “Hmm… I didn’t get much time to examine the one you call Shiro… but are all humans your size?”

Lance smiled before answering. He liked this. Talking to a mermaid? Befriending one?! Yup, he was happy. Sure, he couldn’t… wouldn’t go announcing this to the world, but the situation made him happy.

I hope you guys enjoyed this one. Getting some insight to Lance and Pidge meeting, thoughts, I hope it was good. Well! Until the next installment! Sadly these aren’t in order, but maybe one day I’ll go through and come up with the timeline. No idea. *shrugs* Well! Until next time!

#Pidge #Pidge Gunderson #Katie Holt #Lance #mer!pidge #mer pidge #giant mermaid #giant mermaid pidge #mermaid!pidge #mermaid pidge #giant mermaid au #mermaid au #VLD #Voltron legendary defender #alternate universe #ficlet

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dyde21 · 6 years ago

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Aquarium

So @mrk50 and I decided to collaborate on a little project! I know it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything for Arkos but I was feeling up to it and it felt like a good opportunity. So here’s a one shot I wrote! Also: HERE is the song I listened to while writing it. xD

XxXxXxXxX

Jaune paced back and forth in front of the aquarium, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He had shown up fifteen minutes early, knowing he still had a bad habit of being a little late to appointments. This was much more important than any appointment so far though, he was on a date with Pyrrha. Just thinking those words made him stop pacing and he felt another wave of nerves wash over him. His scroll buzzed and he saw a message from Pyrrha.

P: I'm sorry! I'm on my way! Yang and Weiss kept fighting about my hair.

Jaune just smiled and sent her a thumbs up emoji in return. At least her delay would give him a chance to compose himself.

It was still hard for Jaune to believe that he was actually about to go on a date with his amazing teammate. It had taken a while, and a lot, a lot, of not so subtle hints from his teammates and friends before he finally started to get a clue. The dance had kinda helped him get over his crush on Weiss, and it was subtle, but he had started to look at his partner differently. Once his crush had passed, and after an honest talk with Yang and Pyrrha, he had even gone and apologized to Weiss for taking so long to get the hint and they were on good terms properly. Of course, this now meant that all those nerves were starting to blossom around his partner. But after an extremely awkward confession from both parties involved and one wonderful but confusing night, they were about to go on their first date.

Their friends had been extremely supportive, and apparently relieved that they were finally going out, and had kidnapped Pyrrha in order to help “prepare” her. This left Jaune alone, but Blake apparently had already thought about that since Ren wasn't exactly the best person to ask for advice on what to wear, and Sun and Neptune had shown up at a request from her. Soon enough Neptune had helped him pick out something that was “totally cool.”

Fidgeting the with the zipper on his zip up, he hoped he had been telling the truth. It wasn't too different from what he normally wore, jeans, high top shoes, and a zip up hoodie. Jaune had wanted to dress up in his dress shirt but Sun had just brushed off the idea, mentioning how “Pyrrha liked you for you, so don't try and be someone you're not.”

A part of Jaune reminded himself to make sure to make it up to them, they had really helped calm him a bit before his date.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha's voice called out from across the courtyard. Looking up, Jaune felt his face flush and his mouth suddenly felt very dry. Pyrrha was making her way towards him, an apologetic and worried smile on her face as she waved. Stopping a few feet in front of him, he saw her eyes trail up and down him once and her own face went a shade closer to her hair. “Sorry for being late! They wouldn't let me go, Ruby had to sneak me out to get them to stop bickering over what to do with my hair.”

“They did.. wow. You look won- beautiful. Just... wow.” He fumbled, wincing as he realized the very first chance he had to make a good impression on this date was blown. Most people couldn't blame him though.

Pyrrha was wearing a beautiful sundress that was a gradient from gold to white. Over it she wore a simple brown jacket and a red sash clipped by a pin of her emblem. Over a pair of stockings she was wearing a pair of high boots and Jaune could only really think of one way to describe her outfit. Cute.

Jaune felt his throat go a little dry as he met her eyes again, and she was just staring at him with a cute, curious smile, if not with a little blush on her cheeks. “Are you ready to go in?”

Jaune blinked and nodded, glad for an excuse to stop talking for a moment. I already got the tickets, so we can go straight in.” Pyrrha nodded and turned, starting to walk towards the doors. Taking a deep breath, Jaune put a hand on his chest. “You can do this.” He muttered to himself. He wasn't going to screw this up.

“Jaune?” Pyrrha called, confused as she noticed he wasn't at her side.

“Coming!” He called out as he quickly jogged to her side. Pyrrha just smiled and, thanking him as he held open the door for her. Immediately walking through the door, they both gasped as they looked around. Right in the center there was a massive towering aquarium filled with thousands of small, brightly colored fish. The scale of this aquarium was already impressive. “It's so pretty.” Jaune said after moment.

“Gorgeous.” Pyrrha agreed. Looking over, she saw Jaune stepping forward and she had to admit the childish look of awe on his face was unbearably cute.

Jaune rested a hand on the glass as he saw the myriad of colors swirling around in the water. His eyes were drawn to a slightly larger scarlet fish, which instantly reminded him of his partner. With a start he turned around, seeing Pyrrha watching him with a strange smile he couldn't quite place. “Uh... sorry. I got a little distracted...”

Pyrrha just smiled, walking next to him and brushing some bangs behind her ear. “Don't be. We're here to enjoy ourselves after all. I don't blame you, it's like it's own little world in there.” She said, her own eyes getting lost in the aquatic world. Jaune bit his lip as he looked at her, finding her look heartwarming.

After a moment they looked around. “This place sure is big.” He mumbled after a moment.

“Let's see... there should be...” Pyrrha said, scanning around. “There!” She said, quickly hurrying her way to a stand. Jaune saw her walk back a moment later, unfolding something. A map, apparently.

She leaned into him, showing him the map too so they could both get a good look. Jaune would be lying if he said half of his mind wasn't solely focused on the fact that Pyrrha was leaning into him so much, that her shampoo smelled like strawberries, and it was a little hard to focus until he saw one of her fingers point at an exhibit. “Otters!” She squealed excited, causing a smile to grace his lips again. He recognized that tone of voice, where the usually stoic but friendly Pyrrha was pushed aside from the easily excited girl that she usually kept repressed. “We have to see them.” She pleaded, her eyes shifting to his. He nodded quickly, trying not to get lost in them again. “Of course.”He said, scanning the page properly. “Penguins!” He exclaimed as he pointed, feeling Pyrrha shift slightly as she chuckled. “We'll make sure to see those too.” They spent a minute or so huddled together as they both pointed out exhibits they wanted to make sure to see and debated the best path to take.

Eventually they decided on a good path, making sure to time it so they can check out the Otter show, and started off. As they walked off, Pyrrha lead the way, commenting on the tropical section they were going to first. Jaune saw her hand dragging a bit behind her as she pointed with the other one. He was suddenly overcome by a desperate urge to hold her hand. Something that had been on his mind since their confession. Sure it had happened occasionally on a mission, or if leading someone somewhere from day to day but never in a romantic sense. It suddenly felt like a massive leap of faith. Hesitating, his hand inches from hers, he slowly pulled his hand back and caught up to her as they walked, checking out each of the tanks. They had gotten their rather early in the day, so they weren't really in any rush. They took their time enjoying the exhibits, and Jaune soon learned Pyrrha was actually very interested in the plaques that gave information. Her curiosity was adorable to him, and he found himself eagerly listening as she would read out facts she saw interesting.

A little further in, they had a mini aquarium with a little tunnel that you could climb through and pop your head up to look like you're in the center of the tank. Smiling, Pyrrha immediately started pushing him towards it. Jaune was a bit confused as to why she was trying so hard to get him in there.

Still, Jaune wasn't about to ruin her fun so he waited for the little kid to leave before he crawled through the small hole. When he poked his head up, he immediately two things. One, seeing fish swimming all around him was actually really cool. The second was he saw a distorted picture of Pyrrha on the other side, holding scroll up. It took him a moment to realize she was taking pictures, then what looked like a video. His eyes widened, before he offered her a small smile. After a moment, he climbed back out, joining her as he saw her scrolling through the photos, uploading a few.

Then he pulled out his scroll and Pyrrha stared him confused for a moment. “Your turn.” He offered plainly, and he saw her eyes widened before a blush creeped on her face and she nodded. Waiting patiently, and even letting another kid go first, she climbed through the tunnel and poked her head up. Jaune took a generous amount of photos, saving one especially where she through up a peace sign.

Pyrrha climbed back out and looked at them, blushing slightly.

That set them off though, soon they were taking photos everywhere.

It pretty much became a game between them. Every little plastic animal was posed next to, they both take turns posing in front of various tanks, and Pyrrha had even asked someone to take a photo of them two together. Once they had finished the second wing of the aquarium, they both decided they had been feeling a bit hungry.

As they pushed their away against the growing crowd to try and make it back to the food court, Jaune trailed a bit behind Pyrrha letting her part the crowd. He saw her hand trailing behind her a bit, and his eyes were locked on it as he bit his lip. He really wanted to reach out and hold it again, but it was still their first date. Was it too forward? Was he rushing things? He knew Pyrrha was as inexperienced as he was with relationships, and really didn't want to ruin the day for both of them. His hand hovered a few inches from hers, before he sighed and pulled it back. As he was moving his hand back, he felt Pyrrha's grab his wrist tightly as she looked at him with a smile, apparently unaware of the fact they were almost holding hands.

“Stay close, it's busy and we don't want to get separated.” She offered.

Jaune nodded, his gaze lingering on where she was holding his wrist. Eventually they breached through the crowd and managed to get in the food line, taking a deep breath.

“I'm glad we got here early, we had plenty time to see some of the exhibits before it got crowded.” She offered, before her gaze followed Jaune's down to where she was still holding his wrist. She quickly let go, holding her hands behind her back and she smiled at him, that dust of pink on her cheeks again.

Jaune just took a deep breath, forcing the nerves from his face. “We just have to make sure to get to the otter exhibit before the show with enough time to find seats. We-” He was cut off as his stomach let out a massive growl. He flushed, but Pyrrha just giggled. “We can worry about that after lunch, I'm starting to get hungry too.” They continued to chat idly about the exhibits they saw, checking out the photos they took. As they neared the end of the line, they both looked up at the board, debating what to get. Eventually their turn came up and they both looked at each other to go first, finally Jaune stepped forward. “I'll have a hot dog, a lemonade and... a chocolate muffin.” Pyrrha stepped up next, pausing. “I'll have... a BLT, a side of fries and...” Jaune noticed her gaze lingering on the desert section. He leaned over and whispered. “Do it.”

“A chocolate milkshake!” She blurted out suddenly, before covering her mouth like she had something scandalous.

Jaune just laughed and stepped forward, pulling out his wallet at the same time Pyrrha did. They met eyes for a moment while the guy working the counter just sighed at the lovey dovey antics the couple in front of him was going through, glancing up at the clock to figure out when his shift was over.

“Let me.” Jaune said, a challenging look in his eyes.

Pausing for a moment, Pyrrha stared at him and he honestly expected more a fight but she just smiled and put her purse away. “Thank you.”

Jaune smiled and handed him the Lien as they paid.

They got their number and waited off to the side for it to be called. Jaune's scroll buzzed and Jaune pulled it out for a moment, before he glanced at Pyrrha and put it away. Pyrrha just tilted her head curiously. Jaune's scroll then buzzed four more times in the next minute and he let out a frustrated sigh and punched his pocket as if to stop his scroll.

“Why don't you check it?” Pyrrha asked, her brows furrowed.

Jaune shrugged. “It's cause I'm on a d... date with you.” He said, only pausing for a moment when he actually said it out loud. “I don't want to be rude.”

Pyrrha looked at him with a smile that made his heart feel way too warm. “You're very considerate Jaune.” She said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “But it could be important, it's okay.”

Hesitating a moment, her words of course planted the seed of doubt in his mind and he had to check it. Opening his messages, he sighed and hurried typed up a reply.

“Everything all right?” Pyrrha asked.

Jaune just forced a smile to his face. “Yeah. My sisters are a little... eager to hear about how the dates going.”

This caused Pyrrha to laugh at his expression. “And what did you say?”

Jaune shrugged, ignoring another round of buzzes from his scroll. “That it's going amazing so far, and they're ruining it.”

His redheaded partner just giggled. “I'm sure we'll get just as many questions when we get back to the dorm as well.” Jaune nodded, before shrugging. “I'm in no rush to go back.”

This caught Pyrrha by surprise for some reason, confusing Jaune and slightly worrying him until he saw a smile creep onto her face. “Neither am I.” Their number was caused and Pyrrha glanced at him, a playful look on her face. “I think the date's going amazingly as well.” She offered with a wink, before she quickly walked off to get their food leaving a blushing Jaune behind.

Jaune followed her after a moment so she didn't have to juggle all the food herself, catching up and taking a tray and his drink. They made their way to a table after stopping for utensils and sat down. It was a small two person table, and while their proximity was very close, he had to admit he didn't mind. If they started to play footsie under the table after he kept accidentally bumping her knee while they ate, then their friends didn't need to know about that.

Their conversation fell into a comfortable lull as they both quickly devoured their food as they finally realized how hungry they actual were now that the pre-date nerves were settling. Jaune stole a fry as he listened to Pyrrha talk about one of her trips to an aquarium as a kid in Mistral. He loved hearing stories about Pyrrha growing up. While not all the stories were exactly pleasant, they all helped illuminate a little of the life that lead to the creation of the wonderful woman he was falling deeply in love with. Pyrrha just finished her story, before she glanced at her scroll. “We need to go! We'll be late!” She said, standing up quickly and piling their garbage onto the tray. Jaune joined her, tossing the trash as the ever-proper Pyrrha tidied up their table before they quickly hurried across the space. Jaune was a little lost, but Pyrrha must have planned it out earlier because she knew the way perfectly and hardly a minute later they were heading to a decent pair of seats for the show as they saw the trainer starting to get ready and prepare the otters.

Jaune could practically see the energy radiating from his partner. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at all the cute creatures swimming happily in the water. She had pulled out her scroll and was taking what could only be described as an alarming number of photos of them. Jaune just smiled, and even when the informative show started, Jaune had to admit he was too distracted to pay proper attention. In his opinion, his partner was far cuter than those critters.

The show wasn't too long, but Jaune did learn a lot about the creatures, and had even seen them preform some tricks. The crowd was leaving the seating area, but Pyrrha seemed interested in staying until the show was completely over and Jaune didn't mind. His main goal was to ensure she had the most fun she could after all. Eventually the creatures were herded back to their normal habitat and Pyrrha stood up, stretching out her back. “I take you enjoyed the show?” Jaune asked, unable to keep the smirk from his face. Pyrrha nodded, brushing some bangs back. “Yes, very much so. I'm sorry for being so distracted.”

Jaune just laughed. “It's fine, you were very cute.”

The compliment lingered in the air for a moment as they both realize what was said again. Jaune realized it would probably take them both a little getting used to open affection like that. Feeling the need to move the conversation along he coughed once. “I need to use the restroom so before we head to the penguins, we should stop somewhere.”

Pyrrha nodded. “I agree.”

They made their way off to the side of one of the main paths. They found a single person bathroom, and of course Jaune had insisted she go first, so Jaune waited outside, taking the chance to reply to the myriad of messages his sisters had sent him, ranging from encouragement, jokes, to advice, and even a request for a souvenir.

Before long Pyrrha emerged again and Jaune smile, before walking in.

XxXxXxXxX

Pyrrha took a deep breath as she sat on the bench, taking the brief moment she was away from her crush... boyfriend to calm her nerves. The date had just been... wonderful. She couldn't really think of any other words to describe it.

While Pyrrha had always tried to stop herself from being lost in childish dreams of “perfect dates” with a knight in Shining Armor, now that she was with Jaune, she had to admit it felt a lot like that. Only... more natural. While they both definitely still had some nerves, today felt like all the wonderful days she had spent around him, only more intense and... personal. Jaune was hers, the same way she was his. Their attention was on each other, for these few hours Grimm weren't their problem, they didn't have to deal with teasing friends, she didn't have to suffer through an unrequited love. They were just enjoying themselves, together.

Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face. After how long she had yearned for it, it was finally hers and it felt more satisfying than her shelf of trophies. Especially since her partner was someone she had come to admire so much, seeing him grow from a clumsy boy in way over his head as he slipped into beacon, into the man she saw work harder than everyone else to be the man she saw deep within him. Plus, she had to remember to have Blake thank Sun and Neptune for her. She always found Jaune cute, even hot sometimes, but today he looked even cuter than normal.

He had been behaving so sweetly too. Even with his dorkiness she had grown quite fond of, he still treated her with respect and acted like a gentleman. Not babying her, but she had to admit some part of her liked being treated like someone special by someone who cared for her, not because of her accolades but because of their bond.

She sent a quick response to Ruby assuring that the date was going well, knowing Yang and Nora were too risky to try and talk with at the moment.

Jaune emerged not long later, smiling that same goofy smile that caused her heart to skip a beat.

“Ready?” He asked.

Pyrrha nodded and followed him as he lead their way to the start of another path. Things were a bit more crowded so they had to be a little more patient in order to check out all the exhibits, but Pyrrha was just happy being there. They were both much less hesitant about taking photos by now so they were both giving into their more childish whims and taking photos of all the exhibits. As they made their way towards where the Penguin show would start in a bit, Pyrrha noticed a few life size statues of large penguins. Immediately she gasped and pointed, and Jaune followed her gesture, until he saw and understood the message she was trying to get across. Immediately he moved over towards them, getting place to pose with them. He was smiling, but Pyrrha pouted, shaking her head and staring at him challengingly. After a moment he seemed to get the hint, and pause for a moment before he leaned and straightened his body to look like he was waddling too. Pyrrha laughed and took a few pictures for good measure. She paused, quickly sending one to her mom, and another to Ruby, figuring she'd get a laugh out of it.

Jaune seemed to get the idea of what she was doing and rushed over, nearly tripping over a baby penguin statue on the way. “You didn't send those!” Pyrrha just laughed, covering her mouth. “I'm sorry! You just looked so cute.”

Jaune groaned, though the smile never left his face. “I look like a dork.”

Pyrrha saw him pout slightly and couldn't resist. She reached out, tussling his hair slightly. “Maybe, but you're my dork.”

This caused them both to blush, but she saw Jaune's smile grow and she decided it was worth it. Then Jaune pulled out his scroll and she decided fair was fair. Moving over, she posed next to the penguins as Jaune took a few photos. They heard an announcement over the intercom about the show starting soon, they quickly hurried over to the bleachers to get some good seats. They sat down, and this time Jaune was the one who was incredibly excited. He was taking some pictures of the penguins, and Pyrrha had to take one of him. It was a little unfair how cute she found him.

The show was brief, but interesting for sure. A lot of explanation of how Zoo's were important for animal research, and preserving wildlife that human and fannus expansion had threatened their habitat in conjunction with the Grimm. Plus seeing them waddle around was just adorable. Almost too soon, the lady leading the show bid them all good bye and soon the crowd was leaving. Jaune just looked at her, a smile resting on his face and Pyrrha was happy to see his unbridled joy.

While they had both obviously been enjoying their date, it was clear Jaune was carrying with him a sort of expectation of making this date great for her. She was just happy to be with him. She was afraid to confront him about it, worried she'd just make him more nervous.

Things were going well though, and she was sure she'd remember this day the rest of her life.

“That was the last of the events, right?” Jaune asked, pulling out the map and checking it. Pyrrha nodded, leaning over to check it with him. She may have leaned a little closer than she normally would, but she was pretty sure neither of them really minded. “One path left.” Jaune offered.

“Then let's go!” Pyrrha offered, smiling as she started to walk towards the start of it. While she was sad their day was starting to wind down, it had been a long day and she almost felt greedy with how many wonderful memories and photos had come from it. What almost felt overwhelming was the fact that there would be plenty of more days like this now that they were together.

They went through this last path a little slower than usual, but neither of them seemed too eager to change that. They took plenty of pictures, reading each of the plaques on the various creatures.

Near the end of the path there was a massive tank. They both slowly walked up to it, jaws dropping. It was massive, and there were a lot of species swimming around. The room was dim, so the light from the tank was bathing everything in a soft blue. A massive sting ray was swimming along the side of the tank and Pyrrha felt an overwhelming peace. She nearly jumped when she felt Jaune's hand snake into hers, gently squeezing it. Her face flushed red, but looking over she saw him looking at her with a worried expression. He was clearly nervous and asking for permission. Pyrrha just smiled and squeezed his hand in return, running a thumb reassuringly over his knuckles. They both realized things were fine. Even better than fine. Pyrrha leaned a bit closer to him as they both looked up at the massive sting ray swimming by. They were quiet for the first time in a while, neither of them really having anything to say. Just being around each other was enough for now.

They weren't exactly sure how long they had been watching the fish swim at that tank, but eventually they both realized they should be moving along. They both turned and started walking, and for a fearful moment Pyrrha was worried he was going to let go of her hand, but she seemed content on holding it, and she found she was getting greedy for his touch.

They paused by the center tank again, looking up at it. They just enjoyed each other's touch again, feeling like they were in their own little world but they knew they had to get back soon. They had been gone for quite a while, and life wouldn't stop for them to just enjoy their date forever. They made their way to the gift shop and Jaune released her hand, making her pout for a moment, but he looked at her with an understand smile. “I want to grab a souvenir for my sister.” Pyrrha nodded, and an idea of her own formed in her head. A few minutes later and they both met outside the gift shop, holding their own bags. When she walked up, Jaune was turned away, holding something.

“Jaune?”

Jaune turned around, and his face was red as he held out a little creature for her. It was a stuffed Otter. Her eyes went wide and she nearly dropped her own bags. “Is this for me?” She asked, slowly reaching for it. Jaune nodded.

“I know you love them, and I thought... maybe to remember today...” He offered, stumbling a bit over his words.

Pyrrha couldn't quite find the words to express the joy and warmth she felt in her chest. All she did was reach into her bag and hand him a stuffed penguin. “I was going to wrap it, but... I also wanted you to remember today.” Jaune stared at the penguin like it was gold, before he took it and smiled, hugging it. Pyrrha instantly wished her hands weren't full because she desperately wanted a picture of that, finding he was once again unfairly cute hugging the penguin.

Pyrrha just buried her face into the otter, already debating on names for it. “I will never forget today, I now it.”

Jaune just grinned at her. “I won't either.” He shifted his penguin to one hand so he could hold hands with Pyrrha as they walked away from the aquarium. Right before they reached the shuttle that would take them back, Pyrrha suddenly turned and lead them a bit off the path. Jaune looked at her confused, but she stepped forward and leaned up to kiss him quickly. Fueled by passion, the kick was quick, chaste, a little clumsy, but full of love before she pulled back.

“Sorry, I...”

Jaune just smiled, and leaned forward to quick for a quick kiss.”It's okay. I... really wanted to do that too.”

Pyrrha couldn't help the blush on her face so she buried her face into his neck until she could calm her heart. Jaune just laughed and wrapped an arm around her.

Eventually they had to get back on the shuttle to head home, but they were definitely closer together now, and if they had shared a kiss or two on the trip no one would blame them. They knew they both would have to field plenty of questions when they got back, but today was one of the best in Pyrrha's life, and she was glad she was finally with her partner, and judging by Jaune's look, he was feeling the same. Resting her head on his shoulder, Pyrrha smile and squeezed his hand. Things were good.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! Make sure you check out their work! This was fun to write. I know I don’t post here as much any more but I hope you enjoy this old writer’s dip back into arkos for a moment!

#arkos #rwby #Jaune Arc #Pyrrha Nikos #mrk50 #It's been ages since I wrote for RWBY #Still probably won't write much for them any time soon #But it was fun writing for these two #I hope you enjoyed it #and MRK50 is amazing #I love their art

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kantuck · 6 years ago

Text

Eternity

"Eternity" By Kantuck Nadie Nata-akon Wednesday, May 8, 2019

"So this is heaven?"

That odd thought was the first thing that crossed my mind. It was at least comforting to know the line of people(?) I was behind, was somewhat short, seeming to lead to a yep, you guessed it, Pearly gates. Self-proclaimed by at least the Christian beliefs.

I had religious studies, but I had no idea what the Muslin faith, or Buddhist, or Tao or the multitude of other religious beliefs spoke of. After all, I was a man of science who held a different view. But I guess what the Methodist instructors told me was still in my memory onion. Anyway...I guess the reaper had a slow day since there was only what? A few thousand all marching toward it.

Finally, I passed someone I took as St. Peter who smiled at me (again according to the Christian faith), and then stood before a glow I took as God. I didn't see a physical being, /but I felt as if he smiled upon me/, and so it begins.

Wondering what's here hmm? Well let me describe, for its easy.

Omnidirectional white. Yes, that's it. Unless I'm meeting someone or by the wall that seems to stretch to infinity no matter where I look, it was white. No forms, no shadows, no nothing. So this could go on, being infinity large or just a box barely wider than my arm length.

But myself. Yeah, I was at least at peace. The cancer that took me was gone, and so the pain the doctors, bless their souls (some may already be here.) helped me with.

However, everything was fine. I met some great laudables of the past (two of my heroes, Dr. King and Dr. Sagan for example) but being as I am, I had trouble with socialization. The shuffleboard and pretty nurses didn't interest me anymore (And I had more than enough of such in the brief time I was in the home.) I merely _existed_ and was this going to my fate?

An eternity of...SHEER UNRELENTING BORDEM?

I remembered suddenly what Dr. Asimov wrote in his final autobiography. Something in the realm of "...it wouldn't be heaven to me, if I could not write..." Seems that even in heaven I didn't have a photographic recall which confounded, and aggravated me no end. Still...The /meaning was there/.

Hmm, there was this obscure story of Sherlock Holmes going to heaven after the Reichenbach Falls of "The Final Problem". Which after he reached heaven, he too was bored to hell -- literally. But after performing a service to St. Peter to help find Jack the Ripper who somehow got into heaven, St. Peter rewarded the great detective by returning him to earth to continue his grand mission.

A morose feeling came over me, and, I couldn't help but to laugh.

"WHAT IS SO AMUSING?" boomed a voice out of the white.

I wasn't surprised at the voice, so with a good-heart question, I looked up and said "Who is this? I've been good!" I half-expected to hear "It's the Lord, Noah..."

It seems that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost -- which ever way he labeled himself as, had no sense of humor, but then...

"Hello sir." Not sure exactly how to address him.

"Hello Mr. Serri."

There was an undetermined amount of time that passed between us which hit me strange. As I understood it, time does not exist here, but yet, if time doesn't exist...then what was I doing just a (moment?) before, while thinking of Bill Cosby? Or Dr. Asimov? Or...ug, time mechanics made my brain hurt, even when H.G. Wells described it to me in a 19th century way.

I broke the silence, "Sir..." I looked around at the unending white "Is this all there is? This for an infinite amount of time?"

The glow didn't change, but the voice had a modulation of surprise. "Doesn't it please you?"

I looked down for some reason. I felt as if I wanted to please him and not disappoint him. "No sir. I'm board. There is no music, no animals, no Earthly beauty."

"You were reminded of what Isaac Asimov, wrote, wasn't you?"

I jerked my head(?) up at him, in which he said,

"No, I don't normally read your thoughts, but it was broadcast so strongly because you have a great deal of affection with him. After all, he wrote to a 12-year-old boy."

I swear I felt him smile once again. "Yes sir, he did, uh, but yeah. What he wrote."

There was a odd tingle as he touched me, and I recalled exactly what Dr. Asimov wrote.

"Don't disparate. He's here as well still doing as he loved in life. Why he even finished his story "Foundation." I believe he called it "The Final Foundation, and now at work on his 500th novel."

I looked wide-eyed at the glow, "Oh how I wish I could read it now."

"I'll put you in touch with him. I know he'd love to have another of his fans reading his works."

"Thank you!' A huge smile crossed my face.

"Also don't concern yourself about Bill Cosby."

I looked away, "He's..." I looked down, "Down there?"

"No. He sinned, but his punishment, although harsh, is finite. His purgatory will end eventually, for he did a lot of good too. You all are sinners, you cannot help that."

I couldn't help but to agree with him, knowing things I did that I wasn't proud of. He surprised me when he added.

"Your first sin was peeing on your father when you were eight months old, and laughing about it."

I looked up at the glow, "I...did?"

That same self smile "You was very young; an infant, so it's overlooked.

I laughed some, the tension lightening. "Thank you, sir." But after a moment(?) I had to ask. "But is this my fate then? To drift around this "heaven" for an eternity. Seeing nothing, meeting only people, yourself. " I smiled, "reading the great works of my favorite authors?"

"Oh no. A poet said, "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell and a hell of Heaven."

"Milton" I added. Now my memory was indexed and google was working at top speed.

"Yes. Asimov shows that your 'heaven' can be anything you desire.

"Even?" I asked.

"Yes...within limits of course."

I smiled, "Of course."

For a time we didn't speak. He let me gather my thoughts then something from my childhood and adulthood came to mind. "I can't return to Earth, right?"

"Not in a physical sense. That is allowed only for very special cases." There was something like a chuckle "Even Sherlock Holmes was rewarded once."

I couldn't help but to smile. "I could go back however as a spirit?"

"Anytime. Just think about where you'd want to go, what time and you'll be there."

"Even..." I didn't want to even hope, "Even anywhere in the /universe/?"

"Even that. Of course going to other parts of the universe requires knowledge /of the place/. But you can learn that on your own.

A sense of joy, of hope, of desire flooded my incorporate being. I felt something I haven't felt in decades. A childish desire..."I can spend eternity exploring the universe? Go anywhere any /time/?

"Until the Universe dies. After all, this place exists outside of the universe so yes."

I felt like hugging the father, but I held off, almost giddy. I couldn't help but to start laughing. Which I then felt him again smiling at me. "Thank you sir! I only wish I had known this when I came in!"

"Well, you had to make your own mind, make your own decisions. That is one of the gifts I gave you, aside from life and the animals and Earthy beauty as well."

I was too giddy, too happy to feel anything but pleasure. I was babbling "I can spend an eternity learning, and I don't have to worry about breaking my glasses!" Then I tested my new ability, thinking of my home of my childhood. Suddenly there I was.

I was standing in a room. One I recognized as the old family room, and on the TV was a man with a bunch of children in the studio, wearing a brown hat and glasses. "Hellllooooo CARTOONERS!" from a booming voice, and the mascot in a silly brown and green dog-like suit with a big green head on his head, beeping a horn.

At my feet, I had a box of legos that I was assembling, and I could see my aura...an odd thing to see now. A soft glowing blue light around me. I could sense I was enjoying life, not knowing what life was ahead of me.

From there, nothing could stop me. I immediately was transported to the moon and I literally walked over every inch of it. Looking into lave tubes, and deep crevices, and seeing things that would only be seen ultimately when man actually /lived/ on the moon. Later, I flew to Mars and looked over Vikings 1 and 2 and the other probes.

No planet was out of reach; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, the Kupiler belt. I spent a few hundred years exploring our Sol system, watching Man finally getting their head out of their -- ohhh the first FTL ship. I watched in amazement when FTL 1 disappeared. Finding out he appeared where I was, just a moment or so later. (His ship dropped out of warp into the heart of a star a few light-years away.)

As God said, I had to /know/ where to go, so I spent time jumping from the Sol system to the nearest stars. I loved the view of Alpha Centari A, and B. Jumping to Proxima Centari and exploring the planets of it.

By the time a millennium had passed, I had already explored the local group of stars, watching civilizations appear on various planets. Humans hadn't reached out this far yet, and besides these civilizations wasn't anywhere near a post-warp society.

As I watched the various civilizations, some self-destructed into mad genocidal wars, some destroyed by a planetary catastrophe.

Some planets I had to spend decades to even /find/ the people. Beings so primordial who knew how to hide in the very space-time of the universe. These "first-borns" born when the galaxy was forming...then some so incredibly malevolent I was glad I was a being they couldn't detect for I would be afraid of my own existence around them. "Shadows" I heard some called in various languages; I tended to agree.

By an inordinately long time, I finally stood at the event horizon of a black hole.

Energy beings flitted, and hovered just faint centimeters from the point of no return (while I had already explored the very heart of black holes billions of years earlier.) These energy beings, like basking sharks, was soaking up gravitational energies, the dissipating heat energy of atoms, molecules, dust and asteroids -- sometimes gorging themselves when a stray star drifted too close, and was shredded by the intense gravity.

It was then, this uncountable trillions of years in the future, I finally asked the him.

"Sir? Is this it? The death of the universe is the last amount of knowledge I can gain? Will I never learn anything more?"

As I watched those Black Hole basking sharks, flittering around, desperately trying to survive in a universe losing more and more energy, growing forever colder, darker and empty. I knew I could exist here even longer, for the age of the black holes would exist even uncountable trillions of years more into the future.

Even now, I already was running out of the ability to learn. All I could gain was 'what was alive' and 'spacial locations.' All planets had disappeared, all life aside from these black hole basking sharks and some others existed. But all was mindless, instinct driven life.

"No, Mr. Serri, an infinite time means infinite learning." A feeling of a smile "Just as Asimov said. "Education isn't something you can finish."

"But how? I was sadden by what I could see "My universe is now dead."

"Come with me." he said as he touched me. There was a -- feeling only. One moment we were at the black hole the next back in Heaven, at the site of what looked like a door. He opened it, we stepped though, and in another omnidirectional white area he bellowed "Let there be light."

I smiled, I knew what this was at our feet. A swirling mass of energy, which immediately exploded outward, swelling within seconds, trillions of times larger than we. A whole new universe was beginning to form.

"You just have to wait a few days for the first beings to be born, then you can explore until it dies."

I smiled up at him "Thank you sir."

This time a Cheshire cat smile "Your welcome, Mr. Serri. It's a simple gift."

"A gift of eternity." I thought and watched.

end

#religious #science-fiction #fantasy

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