Chapter Text
"Sooooooo..." KO squints as presses his ear against the wall, trying to listen for any signs of life; he asks, "do you know where we are?" A low hum buzzes across the box's interior as a gust of wind blows against it from the outside. "Well," Peri responds, watching the kid's movements closely, "we're definitely not floating in space."
KO blinks and looks up at them, slowly, before pulling his head away and glancing at the other end of the box. His blanket sits bundled up in the corner alongside an empty bottle of water and a spare pair of prosthetics. "I think we're on a planet...?" He shifts his gaze back over to Peri as he continues, "or it could be a moon! I dunno... can moons be really windy...?"
Peri falls silent. Out of all the responses to the situation that there could've been, he wasn't expecting KO's to be so... casual? It takes him a minute to answer, "that iiiiissssss... a great question! I have no idea." There's a pause, and he winces, before he continues, "I, uhhh, donnnn'tttttttt... reaaalllyyyyy know a lot about space." He shifts his gaze towards the empty corner as he rubs his neck nervously, "I haveennnnn'tttttttt... exactly... been here before..."
"Wait..." KO stops midway through taking an extra bottle of water out of his hair and raises an eyebrow. "How did you get me here...?" Shakiness creeps its way into his tone, and he tilts his head; "wouldn't you have to know where you were going?"
Peri taps the top of his wand. "Not always! You see, kid," he says, flying closer and dropping down to eye-level, "magic is kind of weird." He places a hand on his shoulder, elaborating, "when you wished—"
"TKO wished for it, actually!"
An immediate pause follows, and the fairy hesitates. "TKO—?" It slips off his tongue, and a sudden burst of uncertainty blooms across his chest at the action. "ANYWAY!" He laughs nervously, thoughts ping-ponging around in his brain like a videos game, "when TKO wished to not be in space anymore, all I had to do was grant it! Whicchhhh... led to us landing on the closest planet. Gravity and stuff."
"Oooohhh! I get it! ...I think?" KO places a hand on his chin with a hum and giggles, "that's really cool!" He sways back and forth on the balls of his feet and twirls around, which is followed by him tripping over his feet and falling face-first into the box floor. Peri startles, sweat beading down their forehead; as the kid pushes himself up, they summon and flick through their copy of Da Rules.
TKO scoffs from inside the mind, "seriously?" KO plops down in front of his stuff, muttering, "I meaannnnnn... you did make the wish. I don't wanna take credit for that!" He stuffs the prosthetics into his hair with little effort, "it wouldn't be fair!"
"I know THAT, scrub." His voice echoes, "I'm talking about the LANDING thing. They don't even know where we ARE," he hisses, sparks flying from the body's wrist as his feelings bleed into KO's, "which is hecking stupid." KO cringes at the sensation, and his own uncertainty creeps its way into his mind. He whispers, "I trust them..."
"Of course you'd say that," TKO groans, "whatever. I'm gonna go punch a wall or something. You can come by later and fix it." His tone shifts into something much less harsh, "or we can keep doing that weird game you like. Or something."
KO sighs, mumbling a response that goes unheard as he turns back to look at Peri; he mutters to himself, "okay, got it!" He tosses the book to the side, breathing out a hushed, "man. I wasn't expecting two kids in one! It's a good thing we had a class about that."
"Mr. Peri Wrinkle, Sir?"
"It's Periwinkle," he says, looking over, "what's up?" He raises his wand gleefully, though with a lingering bit of tension, and chuckles, "are you ready to wish us out of here? This place is giving me some REALLY bad claustrophobia."
“IIIIIIII… was wondering if I could maybbbeeee…” He presses his fingers together nervously as he speaks, “wish to be back on Earth? Instead of here?” A lingering sense of uneasiness flutters through his being, and he gives his fairy a nervous smile, “pretty please?”
Peri perks up and immediately raises their wand. Tingles flood through their body, and they shout out, “you got it! One trip back to Earth, coming right up iiinnnnn—”
Pfttbbbtttttttt!
“...Oh.” His stomach drops. A pit forms in the deepest, darkest depths, and a laugh forces its way through his throat. “Okay! Uh,” he says, glancing at the wand, before looking back at KO, whose expression is as confused as his, “let's try that again! You wanna wish to go back?”
“Um…” KO shifts as his uneasiness grows into an impending sense of straight-up wrong, “yeah! I wish I was back on Earth!” His tone is noticeably shaky; a sob forms in the back of his throat as Peri's wand flops over, and he lets out a hushed, “what happened?”
“I—” Peri wheezes out a cough as they re-summon Da Rules, gaze darting across the pages at millions of miles an hour as thoughts flood their mind. “Magic not working, magic not working, magic not working magic not working—” They mutter to themself until their words catch in their throat, and they break into a dry, panicked, wheezy cough. KO steps back, body trembling; sparks run up and down his arms, and he attempts to breathe in and out, in and out… in… and out.
“That's okay—!” KO's words are wheezy, and his tone blends in with TKO’s as he speaks, “we can find another way back home!” He swallows the lump in his throat and pulls out a bottle of water from his hair, letting out a strained, “it's not your fault! It's… the big giant wand's! Right? The thingy that you said you get your magic from!”
“Yeah—!” Peri laughs, poofing away his book in one swift moment, “yeah! Totally!” He shakes his wand in desperation, wings fluttering quickly as the panic inside of him grows. Of COURSE, the one time his magic doesn't work is when his Godkid is lost in SPACE of all things. “Cob,” he mutters, hugging his arms as he turns to face the wall, “just how far away from Earth IS this kid?!” A pause follows, “wait… did I just say Cob? What does that even mean???”
They tug on their hair, muttering something under their breath. KO watches them, guilt pushing its way forward; still shaking, he opens his water and chugs it down. He breaks into a coughing fit, which immediately grabs Peri’s attention, and they sputter out a panicked, “are you okay???”
“Yes—!” KO wheezes. He clutches his chest with one hand and gives a thumbs up with the other, the worries about still being trapped in space evaporating from his mind as he focuses on trying not to choke. “Too fast— water— h—”
“Yeesh, kid!” Peri jumps back in surprise, pushing their own panic farther into their mind as they rush over to him. Trembling, they place their hands on his back and let out a long, shaky sigh, “you gotta breathe with me here.” He sucks in a breath and winces as the kid falls to the floor with a splat, which is followed by a hushed, “or not…”
Silence follows. The fluttering of Peri's wings is the only sound for a solid… minute? Two minutes? It's hard to tell, but it's enough time to ease both of their still-lingering tension… for the time being, anyway. KO coughs quietly as he pushes himself up, and Peri pulls himself away to give him room. “Sorry,” the former mutters, looking away from the fairy with a guilt-filled expression, “I didn't mean to break your magic…”
Peri’s expression softens. “You didn't do anything, kiddo,” he sighs; the reminder of being unable to get him back home claws at his mind, but he waves his hand dismissively in the air as he pushes it back. KO winces, voice barely above a whisper as he speaks, “what if my wish was too big…”
“Well,” they reply, “I'mmmm… not really sure.” They pull their wand out from their pocket and give him a much more genuine smile, “buuuttttttt… I could try something else! Something smaller, you know, like getting a window, or a door to get out of here. Reaallllyyyyyyy, anything that doesn't involve long-distance space travel.”
Nodding, KO asks, “can I leave the box now…?”
“You don't have to ask me twice!” Peri grabs his shoulders and poofs them both out in an instant, to his own relief. “Ha! It worked!” They point up at the sky with a still slightly tense laugh, “take that, magic-breaking space tr—” The sight of the stars above them captures their attention, and their eyes blow wide as they stare in sudden awe. KO follows his gaze, gasping, “oh my Cob.”
“Whooaaaa…” His eyes dart back and forth to look at the stars, which splatter across the periwinkle sky; peeking through wisps of pink and blue clouds that shimmer under the moonlight. An overwhelming sense of joy bubbles up inside of him as he takes a step back, giggling with excitement as all his worries seem to melt away. Peri floats to the ground as a gasp of his own catches in his throat, and, for a moment, he forgets they're in space.
“Wow.” He shifts his gaze away from the sky as he observes the ground around them, the soft dirt crunching under his feet. “I never expected an alien planet to look so…” Whatever he was about to say is lost as he spots something move in the corner of his eye. KO hums, “it's really pretty!” Peri glances in his direction, replying with a high-pitched, “sure is!” as a newfound rush of worry washes over him.
KO takes note of his tone and frowns, asking, “are you okay?” A nervous laugh follows, but before they can respond, a creature pops its head out behind a tree; its big, beady eyes standing out against the poky, cyan leaves. Peri jumps back and yells, “THAT'S A BUG, OH COB, THAT'S A BUG—”
“Peri—!” He reaches out to them, but they're gone in an instant. Billions of thoughts immediately rush through KO's mind, and he looks around frantically, shouting, “Peri??? PERI???” The creature chirps, antenna bouncing around on its head as it tilts it curiously. KO snaps his gaze in its direction, a forceful grin creeping its way onto his face. “Hiiii…” His throat goes dry and he grips his vest, hand trembling.
“Whoa—” Peri squeaks in surprise, voice a few octaves higher than usual, “kid, it's okay! You don't gotta squeeze me!” KO freezes in place and breathes out a harsh breath, eyes locked onto the creature in front of him. It observes him silently, moving to hide its tail once his gaze lands on its stinger. “ĸīćģǵꭃcarekavǵ,” it chirps.
“IT CAN SPEAK?!?” A completely different brand of fear fills the fairy’s mind, and they wriggle around, shuddering, “oooohhhh, that’s REALLY giving me the heebie jeebies! Bugs aren't supposed to TALK!” They whine, watching it warily as it steps closer; its feathers glimmer under the light of the moon, the deep, navy blues and cyans blending in perfectly with soft hints of pink, purple, and green. It towers over them menacingly, and KO takes a step back, squeaking out his own, “what's your name, um… Mx. Tall Bug?” His heart pounds in his chest, and his voice grows shakier, “and, um, your pronouns…?”
Peri mutters to themself, “ooohh, why did I choose to be a PIN?! There's gotta be something else—” A lump catches in their throat as eye contact is made, and they fall silent, their entire tiny, round body trembling in its metaphorical boots. KO glances back down at them, whispering, “do you think it knows what those are…???”
“What—? Pins—?”
“No—” He jumps back in surprise as the creature moves forward, mandibles twitching with curiosity. Its voice vibrates off its tongue as it clicks out, “t'ǵꭃon'herĸ̄ harmeĸ̄,” and a knot forms in Peri’s stomach. “Eeuhhhhh, why does it keep saying things?!”
“èfĸ̄ǵꭃćaŋrišģ mꭃećosherĸ̄?” It tilts its head as it speaks, watching the kid and his talking accessory he takes a step back. Words it doesn't understand spill out of the former’s mouth, and it chirps, “išɛ̀ǵaùnǵ ꭃmaĸ̄eherĸ̄ ĸīćģǵꭃafišģ.” Chirps vibrate off its tongue and, in an attempt to ease the fearful tension, it holds out its hand, “xa'ǵf t'ǵꭃantekavǵ.”
“What…?”
It doesn't respond, the unfamiliar words lingering in the air; despite its inability to understand what's being said, it continues, “t'ǵꭃilxģ išɛ̀ǵalmeĸ̄ irsherĸ̄. íaɛ̀ģreathišģ?”
“Nope, nope, NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!” Peri shakes his head— or, his body, rather— chills running down his spine, “we're DEFINITELY not doing that! I've heard waaayyyyyy too many stories about this—”
“Wait…” KO looks down at him with a raised eyebrow and tilts his head, “you can understand it?”
“I can?” Peri falls silent, stomach churning with anxiety as the realization sets in. “Rigghhttttt… I forgot I could do that,” they say, wincing, “eehhhhhh…” They watch the creature as it rests its tail on the ground in front of itself, waiting, hand still outstretched. A tinge of KO's uneasiness eases slides off his shoulders, and he sighs in relief, “oh, thank crackers! I was really worried about a bunch of miscommunication!” He pauses, glancing up at it, before asking, “what's its name?”
“I'mmmmm… not sure if that's what we should be worried about right now, kid.” He cringes as it chirps, “we should really be getting you out of here and as FAAAARRRRRRR away from these things as possible! I mean, LOOK at them! They're giant BUGS! With FEATHERS! AND TAILS!”
KO hums, eyeing its hand; something inside of him urges him to turn the other way and run, but… it seems harmless. Scary, sure, but that doesn't always mean something is bad! What kind of hero would he be if he didn't give it a chance…? For all he knows, it could know that he's lost and is trying to help him get back home. He looks down at Peri and whispers, “does it want me to follow?”
“Weelllllll, yesss,” they respond, tone wavering its pitch as they speak, “but, come on, KO! You're not actually going to go with it, right? Right?”
He pauses with a hum, thinking, before he reaches out to take its hand; the fairy whines, “careful! It might turn you into a bug—!” A chirp tears through its throat and it clicks its mandibles together as it pushes itself to stand. “t'ǵꭃilxģ ꭃmaĸ̄uidišģ iyćꭃģoáģ,” it says, its grip gentle but firm as it starts walking, “išɛ̀ǵomišģ.”
“Oooohhh, no,” Peri mutters under their breath, “this is bad…” KO looks down at him and smiles, though it wavers through his own doubts. “Holding its hand isn't going to turn me into a bug, silly,” he giggles, whispering, “it's just taking me somewhere safe!” A few thoughts pop into his mind, but he waves in the air dismissively, “besides! TKO would've said something if he thought it was bad. He's really great at that!”
“Eh?” TKO perks up in the mind at the mention of his name, and KO continues, “I think we'll be okay! Right, TKO?” Static echoes across his thoughts as he waits for an answer; “okay. I DEFINITELY missed something,” he hisses, “what the heck did you do, scrub.”
“Nothing—?” His breath suddenly catches in his throat and he stops in his tracks long enough to grab the attention of the bug in front of him. It turns to face him, antenna twitching in interest as it watches him mutter to himself, “I—” He wheezes, “—I can talk about it later! I promise!”
“That doesn't sound very promising, KO,” Peri says, eyeing him warily as he continues his trek forward, “you know, I could try to get you somewhere else. Somewhere that DOESN'T have big, scary, alien ant things.” Their voice cracks, “I could send us to my place! It's got a couch, a TV, and my parents— do you want to meet them instead? I mean, SURE, I can't take you INTO Fairy World, but there's nothing in Da Rules keeping you from staying over— I think—? I actually might have to check—”
“Peri!” KO's throat goes dry as he finishes up the conversation with TKO, “it’s okay! I promise!” A hint of doubt creeps its way into his tone, but he ignores it in favor of easing both their, and his own, mind, “it's gonna help us get home! Probabblllyyyyyyy…” The two slow to a stop as a small collection of buildings comes into view, and the creature turns to him, chirping, “èfĸ̄ǵꭃćaŋrrivišģ ĸīćģǵꭃooùnǵ.”
“Righhhhttt,” he says, looking to the side with a wince. He closes his eyes and sighs, pushing the bubbling feelings of lingering wrongness to the back of his mind… for the time being, anyway. A deep breath follows, and he mutters, “whatever you say, kid…”