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fandomweekly2019-09-23 09:10 am
[#024] Distant Galaxies (Discworld)
Title: Distant Galaxies
Fandom: Discworld
Rating/Warnings: K
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 773
Rincewind wasn’t listening to Twoflower. It wasn’t something intentional or malicious[1], just familiarity and comfort where Twoflower’s excited ramblings could envelope Rincewind in warmth. The night was warm, a few insects clustered around a Street lamp, their bodies casing shadows across the entire street, and everything was quiet, calm and still.
“I think we should go back to space. It could be fun! A nice relaxing trip[2].”
Terror gripped Rincewind reflexively, the ground seeming to lurch beneath his feet, old terrors resurfacing like a whale sending boats and sailors fleeing in terror. Nothing but darkness beneath his feet, above his head, tiny specks of light the only thing he could see as the Disc dropped away behind him…
“Rincewind?”
Twoflower wriggled the wizard clinging to him slightly further along his shoulder, crouching slightly to scoop up his feet, a move that never seemed to get easier despite his large amount of practice. Twoflower set off home at a brisk pace, seemingly unhindered by his passenger, soothingly petting the top of Rincewind’s whimpering head as he did so.
✦✧✦✧
“Thank you Rincewind!”
Rincewind didn’t reply verbally, couldn’t bring himself to move from his current position: plastered to Twoflower’s side, face pressed into the junction between neck and shoulder to breath in the scent of flowers that clung to Twoflower like a second skin, even in the oppressive heat of Ankh-Morpork, the queue they were currently both trapped in slow moving despite the smell from the Ankh[3]. He did make a small noise against Twoflower’s skin which the smaller man took as agreement, as for it to be anything else was ridiculous.
“The brochure said it was a cross between a hot air balloon, and the Krull space ship remember?”
Rincewind held on even tighter, the joints in his hands cracking with the effort.
Twoflower kissed the side of his head, excitedly looking around at his fellow travellers, eyes invariably drawn to the strange contraption looming ahead: a mess of silks and heavy chains connecting two large balloons to a closed capsule, intended to go up and then be pulled back down again, just breaking through the clouds and into the space surrounding A’Tuin[4]. It was just so new and exciting, a far cry from the quaint, interesting rituals he remembered from his time in Krull[5].
✦✧✦✧
Rincewind’s face turned a shade of pale never before seen on the Disc as the heavy doors of the capsule slammed shut, sealing off his last obvious point of escape.
“Why this?” He squeaked, desperate for any sort of distraction, anything to drag his mind away from the emptiness beneath his feet as the balloon began to rise.
"Well..." Twoflower blushed, cheeks turning a brilliant red, causing Rincewind's brain to stop. It was adorable, and unexpected all at once, almost becoming too much for Rincewind's overworked brain.
"The night sky always reminds me of you," Twoflower answered, looping his fingers through Rincewind's, hands swinging gently, "All those times camping outside, all our adventures together and then the aeronauts; I can't look outside at night without thinking of you."
Rincewind gaped soundlessly at Twoflower, before he slowly settled next to the shorter man, fingers still twitching nervously in the hold.
"Do you," Rincewind swallowed audibly, almost trembling from the effort, "Do you want to sit down then?"
Twoflower beamed up at him, a faint tinge of pink still lingering in his cheeks.
"Only if you are okay with it. I do really appreciate you going on this trip Rincewind."
Rincewind was not okay. He was terrified, but he was comfortable with that. He spent so much of his waking life and occasionally while he was asleep[6], he was used to terror. And he would do this for Twoflower.
"Oh wow!" Twoflower gasped, picture box in his hands so suddenly it looked like he had summoned it, kneeling up on the seat to snap photos of the city far below him and of the distant mountains. Rincewind didn't look away from him, the sheer look of delight and wonder on the other man's face warming his heart, a wave of love flooding through him.
"That constellation sort of looks like you," Twoflower said after a while. Rincewind hadn't looked away from his face, watching the light shift across his face from the brightness of the afternoon sun to greyness as they passed through the clouds and then finally, the faint glow of stars.
Twoflower tipped his face to look up at Rincewind, grinning widely, taking hold of both of Rincewind's hands and squeezing tightly, and Rincewind soundlessly, still refusing to look out the window, squeezed back.
[1] It could be called into question if Rincewind even knew the full meaning of those words as both were in common use in the Unseen University due to their general fondness for strangely named cheese from Lancre.
[2] Twoflower had some strange notions of both ‘nice’ and ‘relaxing’. Sometimes this paid off like the strange woman who said she was trained in Djelibeybi relaxation techniques and only stole half of Rincewind’s money when he fell asleep. Other times, it did not, like the woman who claimed to have a message from Twoflower’s wife prompting Rincewind to drag his sobbing partner out of her rooms and contact Ponder Stibbins to use his ‘friendships’ within the palace clerks (or one clerk in particular) to get her removed.
[3] Ankh-Morporkians, as a whole, were familiar with the concept of a queue. They liked to laugh at visitors to their city standing in them as they elbowed their way to the front in the traditional way.
[4] While Ankh-Morporkians didn’t queue, Krullians did and they felt guard trolls were necessary to prove this fact for this one-day demonstration of their flying space machine. Watch Commander Vimes reportedly yelled at the Patrician before his wife made him calm down before anything happened the two men would regret. The Patrician was apparently delighted by that turn of events regardless and immediately made plans for more guard trolls in the future. Commander Vimes then had to go and lie down upon hearing the news.
[5] Rincewind remembered it very differently, but he wasn’t in a talkative mood.
[6] Twoflower tended to be the big spoon when they slept, securing Rincewind's head underneath his chin when he was convinced to remove the pointy hat. It worked for them for two reasons: one, the Luggage would try to sleep behind Twoflower, regardless if there was already another person there; two, Rincewind kicked forward, a habit born of things coming towards him rather than surprising him from behind.
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Poor Rincewind, being terrified is business as usual for him. At least he can dictract himself by looking at Twoflower.
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I do put him through a lot lol, but at least Twoflower is there to calm him down <3
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