Chapter Text
Fluid, it's in your lungs, you cough, gagging up dark blue liquid, tears welling in your eyes. Your lungs scream for air, your chest aches as you double over. Your head is full, so full, overflowing with images and moments, dreams and people, and the world now just hurts.
Something clatters to the floor, the sound yanks you out of the pain and confusion for just a moment. Your sensitive eyes snap upward, focusing on a Solarian. Not just any Solarian.
Heng's Brother.
Yi.
Gasping, you try to leave your resting place, but your legs buckle the instant they touch the ground, and you crash onto cold tiles. Your legs feel like jelly. A second later, Yi rushes forward, arms outstretched as if to catch you. Shivering, you sit on the freezing floor, behind you the hibernation pod- the one you spent who knows how many years in. The air slices like ice against your damp fur, burns in your lungs, and your teeth chatter from the cold. A breeze brushes your cheek, just before something warm wraps around your shoulders. Yi’s robe.
It’s a small comfort amid the chaos, the confusion raging inside you.
He kneels before you, one knee on the floor, his usually serious eyes- the same ones you and Heng always teased him for- are wide with shock.
“I… I’m awake.” Your voice is a hoarse croak, startling even yourself with how unfamiliar it sounds. “Tianhuo?” you rasp.
His gaze darts away. Too fast.
Something’s wrong.
“…Yi? What happened?”
His expression darkens.
“Yi!”
He stays silent. Just slowly shakes his head.
“But… why did I wake up…”
Images from your endless dream flash through your mind. A world without Tianhuo, healed and-
“Heng.” you whisper.
His gaze grows heavy. Abruptly, he stands up. “Enough questions. We have to leave. This place isn’t safe.”
He offers you his hand. His grip is firm, softens as he helps you up. You’re shaky, the world tilts around you. Your fingers clutch his like a lifeline.
What happened?
There is still no cure?
Then why are you awake? You weren’t supposed to wake until there was a cure.
Another cough racks your body, nearly dropping you back to the ground. Too soon. You woke too soon. All Solarians were supposed to stay in stasis until the Ten Sols developed the cure. That was the plan of the Eternal Cauldron, the very reason everyone had entrusted their lives to the leaders of the project. So why were you awake?
Halfway down the corridor, your legs give out, and you collapse.
Yi stops a few steps ahead, his hand still holding yours. “Get up. We’re not safe yet.”
You gasp, the claws of your hand not grasping his, digging into the grooves between the tiles. You try. You truly try.
“We have to keep moving.”
You know that.
You grit your teeth, force your muscles to move. Your limbs feel like steel, not like they are a part of you. Metallic, foreign, like the metal floor beneath your palms. You feel more like a piece of the ship than yourself. Everything is sluggish, your eyes ache, your lungs burn and visions keep flashing before your mind's eye. Better times, laughter, skies, warmth, loved ones, sunlight...
Deep, deep beneath your ribs, you feel a dull ache slowly growing. You press a hand to your side.
A quiet sigh. The warm hand slips from yours. Suddenly, hands are under your knees, on your back, the cold floor vanishes. Yi’s chest is warm as your cheek rests against it. You’re too weak to protest as he lifts you up. You feel the shift in his balance as he takes the first step, testing the extra weight he now carries.
The hand on your back pulls you closer, then without warning, he breaks into a sprint.
“…medical report… Abacus.”
“Right away… Lord Yi…”
Voices pierce the fog of waking and dreaming.
“She seems extremely fatigued from waking from hibernation, her body is still recovering from the prolonged stasis. Due to lying still so long, her muscles have atrophied, she’ll have trouble walking at first. But with rest and light exercise, she should fully recover.”
"Tianhuo?” Yi’s voice. Hushed.
“No. My scans indicate no severe signs of the Tianhuo.”
The almost inaudible release of a breath. "...Thank you Abacus."
“Is this another friend of yours, Yi?”
“Shh. You’ll wake her up Shuanshuan.”
“Nope, see, she’s already awake!”
Blinking blearily, you open your eyes.
A fluffy white head fills your entire field of vision.
“Hello!”
You’re too tired to flinch. It’s a small… child? It’s hard to tell exactly, it's definitely not a Solarian. He doesn't have fur, only this white mane that falls into his eyes wildly. You don't see any ears on his head, only on second glance you spot small round nubs, ears apparently, on either side of his face. An Apeman. A lot seems to have changed while you were asleep.
The face vanishes, and Yi’s tired one takes its place with a lot more respect to your personal space. The tension in your body eases at the sight of him, and you sink deeper into the pillows. He’s still only in his black bodysuit and a quick glance down reveals that you’re still wrapped in his yellow robe. “We’re in the Pavilion of Four Seasons. My residence. You’re safe here.”
Safe... what does that even mean anymore?
Another face appears beside Yi. Another Solarian with orange fur and much... wider, smiles down at you. “Do you remember me?”
Your eyes narrow in concentration as you try to recall. It takes time, your thoughts are still scattered. Broad body, orange fur, a green jumpsuit. He looks older now, stress and whatever happened in New Kunlun, having left its mark. But it’s the friendly, chubby face and the ever present scent of metal and solder, the same scent that had always lingered around Yi that sparks recognition.
“…Kuafu?” you whisper quietly.
A broad grin spreads across his face, and his eyes crinkle with it. He’s always smiled with his whole body. You smile weakly in return.
“That’s right!”
“And I’m Shuanshuan!”
The fluffy head pops back into view, and is pulled away by an annoyed looking Yi which tells you this probably happens often. “Don’t bother her. She needs rest.”
Something warm touches your hands, and a cup is nudged between your fingers. Tea. The warmth is comforting as you take a small sip and you close your eyes. The scent fills your nose, the taste lingers on your tongue. Familiar. Maybe comforting is a better word for it. You used to drink it at her place all the time. It's Heng’s tea.
Yi watches you silently as you open your eyes again. With a grateful nod, you set the cup down on the small nightstand beside you. Yi’s robe rustles as you try to sit up.
“Hey, slow down. Rest first, you just woke up from hibernation.” You stare at him, but keep moving. You only want to sit more upright to see everyone better. You’re not trying to walk.
“Wait! That’s exactly what I built this for!”
Something shifts behind your back and neck and you yelp in surprise as you’re suddenly sitting upright.
“A cushion that lets you sit up!”
Yi’s eyes are wide with shock, one hand pressed around your lower back. It's funny really, you would have chuckled if you weren't so tired.
“Abacus said she needed rest, you’re doing the opposite Kuafu!” Yi scolds, raising his voice but not before turning away from your ears.
He reaches over your head and throws something away. A disappointed sound comes from Kuafu while Yi helps you settle back into the pillows. You’re pleased to note you're now sitting straighter.
Now that you’re more upright, you can see everyone better. Around your bed stand Kuafu, Yi, and the little boy, on whose face- now that you're looking at him, a wide grin spreads.
“Yiiiii, you know her, right? Where do you know her from? Is she a friend? You have to tell me everything!”
Yi’s face loses its neutral expression, replaced by a weary sigh. But it’s the same fond kind of weariness, you remember seeing used for Heng.
“Yes, Shuanshuan. I’ve known her for a long time.”
Shuanshuan’s grin somehow gets even wider and he starts bouncing in place, hair bouncing with him.
"You're not getting out of that one." Kuafu claps Yi's shoulder as he passes him.
Yi drags a hand across his face. "I know."
The hand drops and his stern gaze shoots to you, thrusting a claw in your direction. “And you get some sleep. Or I’ll let Shuanshuan hole you with questions until you pass out.”
With a sigh, you let yourself fall back into the pillows. The last thing you hear is Yi’s barely audible chuckle.