unfinished 3
Shit, Not This Again pt 3
♥.
Edward remembered yesterday's paper, and how the 'international' section was full of stories like "Gravity bills increase by an average of 4%" and "Reanimation Plant meltdown kills nine, reanimates eighteen" and "New third-degree planet found, up for auction". The wind still had a tang of rust to it. Funny how most people accepted the weather as something that was inviolate, instead of something that could be affected. Edward had affected it without meaning to many times. Didn't seem that far a stretch to go do something proactive, yeah?
He was crankier than he had been a few minutes ago. Having a small child give you how-could-you-DO-that-to-me eyes had that effect. His sneakers were coming unlaced and the gray thick-spaghetti strings flopped among the fallen sakura petals. This was a big, broad path, leading to the gateway to the outside. It was located in the middle, not out on the edge, but one didn't question these things. The path ended with the scalloped arches of the gate.
Drake was there. His bag was, at any rate, and Edward's, which he'd asked Drake to carry. Edward looked around, then wandered around the black-empty shell of the arched gate, to check the other side. Grass, a few paths, a scattering of trees. Drake himself was up on his tiptoes, stretching one arm towards a particularly lush fluff of cherry petals. His hello-kitty shirt rode up to expose the dip and curve at the base of his spine, the pale skin.
"Did you bring enough quarters?" Edward said. Drake had a few freckles. He hadn't noticed before. Drake gave up on the blossoms and came down on his heels. He grinned at Edward. "Yep! But they're yours. Will showed me where your stash was."
Edward scowled. "Those were for laundry."
"You can get more, you told me we were in a hurry!"
"A bit of a hurry, I said--"
Drake passed Edward in what anyone else would have termed a 'frisk'. He slung his bag over one shoulder and held Edward's out to him. When he walked, his pocket jangled. "We've got enough to get back, too."
Edward rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Awww, is someone grumpy?" Drake said, and draped an arm over Edward's shoulders. He pressed his cheek against Edward's. He'd missed a spot on his chin when he'd last shaved, and it scraped a little. Edward shook him off, annoyed at having noticed. He went towards the gate and folded his arms. "Okay, okay, we're going..." Drake said, and set four quarters into the slot, which chimed at each one. The gate beeped, and the darkness between the arches flickered, went gray, and then slowly brightened to a luminous pearl.
"Want me to go first?" Drake said. "Remember, in here's our writer's head, and she's fond of us. We're safe here. But out there?" Drake's hands fluttered.
Edward rolled his eyes. "I know!" He set both palms against the pearly surface. It was warm, and slightly gooey, like jello that had been left on the counter overnight. A funny feeling started in his abdomen, like the disorientation that followed a nap. Holding his breath, Edward slowly pressed through. He gasped when a weight cannoned into his back, shoving him through the membrane. "Drake!"
---------
An assortment of wide ribbon pathways arced through a void, solidly coloured against the surrounding black, and vivid, more colours than Edward thought there were words for. They were on a crossroad of sorts, six ribbons of various colours branching off from a single creamy point. The wind was light, the lattice of ribbons unmoving and steady beneath their feet. Edward elbowed Drake. "What the hell was that!"
Drake looked unrepentant. He was gazing all around with a bright expression. "You were taking too long, that thing has a timer, you know."
"It's never given me any trouble before!"
Drake gave him a wry look. "Well, you usually travel on your own, don't you? It'd suck to get seperated!"
Edward was glad Drake wasn't looking at his face just then. After a moment, Edward said, "Let's go," and started off along the peach-coloured ribbon. Edward stuck to the middle of the path and kept close watch on his sneakers.
"Heyyyy!" Drake said, and bounced on his toes. "Sparkles!"
Edward stopped and looked around. His eyes had adjusted now, and there were indeed sparkles. A clean warm darkness scattered with sparks-- fireflies, slowly-falling glitter, distant stars-- he didn't know. He didn't say anything, but it was a long moment before he caught Drake's elbow and drew him onward. They hadn't gone far, when--
"Seals!"
Edward looked up. Drake was grinning, glowing, almost, and he was pointing. Edward took a step back, then sat down. He was pretty sure seals weren't supposed to get that big. Sleek and graceful and swimming through the void, pale spotted seals with enormous dark eyes and gleaming whiskers. Edward swallowed hard. "They've got to be the size of whales!"
Drake was beaming at the giant seals, each close to 60 feet long. Drake got that dopey, delighted expression at the weirdest times. He'd worn it at that trip to the zoo, too, while staring at the baby Horned Owls. They'd looked ratty and fuzzy and generally unfinished to Edward, who hadn't seen the appeal. But Drake had pressed his face to the glass and crooned at them. The sound was, in fact, similar to the cooing that was...coming from behind them. Edward glanced over his shoulder.
A baby seal the size of a minivan lay on the pathway not ten feet from them. Edward poked Drake, who squealed when he saw it. "Oh my God, it's the cutest thing in the world!" He would have flung himself at it, no doubt, though how he planned to cuddle something larger than he was, Edward couldn't say for certain. Drake said, "Look at its eyelashes!"
Edward grabbed Drake around his waist with both arms, holding him back. "Bad idea! What if its parents don't like us--Drake!"
Drake slumped against him. "Aww, come on! I just want to pet it."
"No!"
"Aww."
One of the adults let out a deep, bass chirp, and the baby fluffed its whiskers at them and slid off of the pathway as if into a pool. Drake let out a sound of disappointment. Edward let him go, a bit reluctantly, and tried not to blush when he grabbed Drake's hand. "Come on, let's go. The next gate isn't far."
"Meanie."
A rise in the ribbon, leading to another gate. Drake's pants jingled, the rainbow bracelets he wore bumping against Edward's arm. Another coo, from above this time; Edward looked up to find the baby keeping pace with them, its tubby body undulating, starlight gleaming on its fur. Edward said, "Not again!"
"What?"
"This is the second time today a baby's tried to follow me. What the hell."
Drake tugged his hand free and looped it around Edward's narrow waist, giving him an affectionat squeeze. "That's because you're lovable, Eddie-poo."
"Dammit!"
The baby followed them all the way to the gate, and seemed distressed that it couldn't fit through. Edward grumbled and swore, but he wouldn't leave until its parents sailed closer, like great ships, and coaxed it away. Drake dropped quarters into the gate's slot, and through they went.
End part 3.
♥.
Edward remembered yesterday's paper, and how the 'international' section was full of stories like "Gravity bills increase by an average of 4%" and "Reanimation Plant meltdown kills nine, reanimates eighteen" and "New third-degree planet found, up for auction". The wind still had a tang of rust to it. Funny how most people accepted the weather as something that was inviolate, instead of something that could be affected. Edward had affected it without meaning to many times. Didn't seem that far a stretch to go do something proactive, yeah?
He was crankier than he had been a few minutes ago. Having a small child give you how-could-you-DO-that-to-me eyes had that effect. His sneakers were coming unlaced and the gray thick-spaghetti strings flopped among the fallen sakura petals. This was a big, broad path, leading to the gateway to the outside. It was located in the middle, not out on the edge, but one didn't question these things. The path ended with the scalloped arches of the gate.
Drake was there. His bag was, at any rate, and Edward's, which he'd asked Drake to carry. Edward looked around, then wandered around the black-empty shell of the arched gate, to check the other side. Grass, a few paths, a scattering of trees. Drake himself was up on his tiptoes, stretching one arm towards a particularly lush fluff of cherry petals. His hello-kitty shirt rode up to expose the dip and curve at the base of his spine, the pale skin.
"Did you bring enough quarters?" Edward said. Drake had a few freckles. He hadn't noticed before. Drake gave up on the blossoms and came down on his heels. He grinned at Edward. "Yep! But they're yours. Will showed me where your stash was."
Edward scowled. "Those were for laundry."
"You can get more, you told me we were in a hurry!"
"A bit of a hurry, I said--"
Drake passed Edward in what anyone else would have termed a 'frisk'. He slung his bag over one shoulder and held Edward's out to him. When he walked, his pocket jangled. "We've got enough to get back, too."
Edward rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Awww, is someone grumpy?" Drake said, and draped an arm over Edward's shoulders. He pressed his cheek against Edward's. He'd missed a spot on his chin when he'd last shaved, and it scraped a little. Edward shook him off, annoyed at having noticed. He went towards the gate and folded his arms. "Okay, okay, we're going..." Drake said, and set four quarters into the slot, which chimed at each one. The gate beeped, and the darkness between the arches flickered, went gray, and then slowly brightened to a luminous pearl.
"Want me to go first?" Drake said. "Remember, in here's our writer's head, and she's fond of us. We're safe here. But out there?" Drake's hands fluttered.
Edward rolled his eyes. "I know!" He set both palms against the pearly surface. It was warm, and slightly gooey, like jello that had been left on the counter overnight. A funny feeling started in his abdomen, like the disorientation that followed a nap. Holding his breath, Edward slowly pressed through. He gasped when a weight cannoned into his back, shoving him through the membrane. "Drake!"
---------
An assortment of wide ribbon pathways arced through a void, solidly coloured against the surrounding black, and vivid, more colours than Edward thought there were words for. They were on a crossroad of sorts, six ribbons of various colours branching off from a single creamy point. The wind was light, the lattice of ribbons unmoving and steady beneath their feet. Edward elbowed Drake. "What the hell was that!"
Drake looked unrepentant. He was gazing all around with a bright expression. "You were taking too long, that thing has a timer, you know."
"It's never given me any trouble before!"
Drake gave him a wry look. "Well, you usually travel on your own, don't you? It'd suck to get seperated!"
Edward was glad Drake wasn't looking at his face just then. After a moment, Edward said, "Let's go," and started off along the peach-coloured ribbon. Edward stuck to the middle of the path and kept close watch on his sneakers.
"Heyyyy!" Drake said, and bounced on his toes. "Sparkles!"
Edward stopped and looked around. His eyes had adjusted now, and there were indeed sparkles. A clean warm darkness scattered with sparks-- fireflies, slowly-falling glitter, distant stars-- he didn't know. He didn't say anything, but it was a long moment before he caught Drake's elbow and drew him onward. They hadn't gone far, when--
"Seals!"
Edward looked up. Drake was grinning, glowing, almost, and he was pointing. Edward took a step back, then sat down. He was pretty sure seals weren't supposed to get that big. Sleek and graceful and swimming through the void, pale spotted seals with enormous dark eyes and gleaming whiskers. Edward swallowed hard. "They've got to be the size of whales!"
Drake was beaming at the giant seals, each close to 60 feet long. Drake got that dopey, delighted expression at the weirdest times. He'd worn it at that trip to the zoo, too, while staring at the baby Horned Owls. They'd looked ratty and fuzzy and generally unfinished to Edward, who hadn't seen the appeal. But Drake had pressed his face to the glass and crooned at them. The sound was, in fact, similar to the cooing that was...coming from behind them. Edward glanced over his shoulder.
A baby seal the size of a minivan lay on the pathway not ten feet from them. Edward poked Drake, who squealed when he saw it. "Oh my God, it's the cutest thing in the world!" He would have flung himself at it, no doubt, though how he planned to cuddle something larger than he was, Edward couldn't say for certain. Drake said, "Look at its eyelashes!"
Edward grabbed Drake around his waist with both arms, holding him back. "Bad idea! What if its parents don't like us--Drake!"
Drake slumped against him. "Aww, come on! I just want to pet it."
"No!"
"Aww."
One of the adults let out a deep, bass chirp, and the baby fluffed its whiskers at them and slid off of the pathway as if into a pool. Drake let out a sound of disappointment. Edward let him go, a bit reluctantly, and tried not to blush when he grabbed Drake's hand. "Come on, let's go. The next gate isn't far."
"Meanie."
A rise in the ribbon, leading to another gate. Drake's pants jingled, the rainbow bracelets he wore bumping against Edward's arm. Another coo, from above this time; Edward looked up to find the baby keeping pace with them, its tubby body undulating, starlight gleaming on its fur. Edward said, "Not again!"
"What?"
"This is the second time today a baby's tried to follow me. What the hell."
Drake tugged his hand free and looped it around Edward's narrow waist, giving him an affectionat squeeze. "That's because you're lovable, Eddie-poo."
"Dammit!"
The baby followed them all the way to the gate, and seemed distressed that it couldn't fit through. Edward grumbled and swore, but he wouldn't leave until its parents sailed closer, like great ships, and coaxed it away. Drake dropped quarters into the gate's slot, and through they went.
End part 3.