castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

And they're a mirror?

...maybe they were a lot alike?

It does sound like Macaque though.

[Hmmmm, he will try the musical score.]

You are Macaque, and you're furious.

You're inside Choco's heart, apparently, and you're rifling through her like she's a pack of cards. Not much to be done, though, you need to get this done. The mission comes first. You've very used to putting things aside for the sake of a goal.

Most of the time.

You find a photo. And when you pick it up, you remember her father. Choco comes home from being tortured, from the multiverse, and he rejects her. Tells her that he doesn't know who she is, but she's not his daughter.

You scowl. You want to reach through time and find this motherfucker and knock him into the afterlife. How DARE he.

She deserves so much better. She deserves the world. And you're going to make sure she gets it.

You jam the photo into your pocket. No sense in others experiencing that.

[Donnie.exe is not responding. Please wait a few minutes.]

Alike? Nah, they -

[ ...? She stops the moment she notices the look on Donnie's face. ]

Donnie?

[More puzzles thrown into the pit.]

[He breathes in sharply.]

[Stares at her.]

[Opens his bag and drops it in there.] Don't touch that.

[Then he's going to just avoid ANY EXPLANATION by touching the blue vase.]

What? Donnie-!

[ She reaches out, but she's too slow to stop him. ]

There is no memory attached to this one, only a feeling. You are hopeful, desperately hopeful, that Wukong will be happier after your surgery. You clutch that hope so tightly that it is almost painful, but you refuse to let it go. This is a gift you can give him, give everyone. He'll be happier, and then you'll be happier.

...oh.

[OTHER VASE.]

Donnie, slow down -

[ AND YET, HE DOES NOT ]

Another feeling. Things are going wrong. You've slowly stopped feeling anything for first Wukong, and then MK. Stopped being able to fake it, even. So you try your best to carry on, and you worry.

You worry about Wukong hating you when he realizes what you've done. About hurting him worse, the opposite of what you intended. And that should make your stomach churn, but it doesn't. You can't feel anything.

They're just feelings.

About...the surgery...

[Fuck. He fucked up. He shouldn't have done this. He Shouldn't Have Done This.]

"Just" nothing; feelings are a lot. And the surgery is personal for you as well as him.

[ ... She pulls out her themos of hot chocolate. ]

I know you're not gonna want to dive into this here and now, but maybe we should take a minute to re-center ourselves?

....

[He will sit down on the ground then.]

[He's gonna pull out the blanket.]

[And holds out a hand for the thermos.]

[ She pops up the pillowfort, too, before handing the thermos over.

WE ARE TAKING A GODDAMN BREAK. ]

There we go. Good. Thank you, Dokkun.

[He nods. HE will sit in the pillowfort.]

[Sadly no cuddles for Korone, but he will offer robot hands for her to hold onto.]

Edited 2024-03-10 00:53 (UTC)

[ She'll take a robot hand or two, absolutely. Cuddles can (and will) come later, when Donnie is up for it.

She doesn't speak. Just settles in, breathing slow and steady and deliberate. ]

[Time to take a minute.]

[Properly shove some traumatic memories away.]

[Guilty feelings away.]

[Drink some hot cocoa and cuddle in a blanket.]

I love you.

[ She wants, so badly, to ask.

To talk to him like she's wanted to for what feels like months —

… It's not the time for it, though. Is it? Later. Later, when they're out and safe, when they know Macaque is going to be okay and they can all breathe ... then they can talk. They will talk. ]

- Donnie? I love you too.

I just...

Wanted to remind you.

That you're loved.

A great deal.

What brought—? [ She doesn't finish the question.

The way he'd frozen.

Immediately hidden the item and told her not to touch it, and the way he'd all but thrown himself at the vases rather than talk to her about what he'd seen ... ]

... Oh. [ She squeezes the robot hand she's holding, lifting it to press it against her cheek. ]

You remind me every single day, Dokkun. [ Softly chirps, love, mate, family, belonging, promise. ]

You deserve the reminders.

He loves you too.

A lot of people do. [The robot hand gently strokes her cheek. Chirps. Love. Skymate.]

[ A chirp back of her name for him. After a moment, she says, softly, ]

I'm pretty lucky. [ She nuzzles the metal, brushing a kiss against it. ] To be surrounded by such an incredible family.

[He nods, rubbing at his face.] We're lucky to have you.

We should....

We should keep going.

Hey … Donnie? Before we get back out there …

[ … ]

I just want to say —

You too. You're so loved, and cherished, and even when there's parts of you that doubt and worry and hurt ... we'll stand by you.

Now we can go.

[He takes a shuddering breath.]

[Then nods.] Noted. [Its not a dismissal. Its just]

[The feelings. They are hard.]

[But it IS noted.

Do you....want to touch the feather?

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