droptheious | Deerington inbox

Deerington inbox

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SUBJECT:

	FERN	Ooo slang part the second
	FERN	i think we just shared electrons, because i'm feeling a covalent bond between us
	LANCE	Pidge, I need your help. I gotta send a meme to Chloe but ...
	DIPPER	Hey Varian. You know those crazy alchemy bombs you used...
	PETER	Hey Varian, this is Peter. Um, Peter Graham.
	USAGI	Soooooooo~ How'd the date go?
	MAKO	Varian— Checking in.
	SHIRO	i think one of us put a chicken patty in my toaster
	EDDIE	Hey. We need to talk.
	MELIUS	𝐻𝒾. 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝒾𝓇𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉
	EDA	Hey, kid. I... owe you an apology.
	LUZ	Valentines
	MAUL	I have a proposition for a project I think you'll be interested in
	USAGI	I LOVE YOU
	FERN	DUDE you still have your bandana!
	BUZZ	Morning. I heard from Fern you wanted to go out into the blizzard.
	FERN	dude your profile changed
	USAGI	Ruby told me about the breakup.
	GLITCH	Varian, I'm gonna go live somewhere else for now
	MAKO	A "nerd" is somebody smart...
	MAUL	Gifts
	FERN	heeyyyy quick question
	FERN	Christmas is coming up!!!
	CHLOE	god who the FUCK ever thought emojis were a good idea???
	KRISTOFF	Varian,It's getting colder so I thought you could use this
	FERN	heyyyy Variable
	RAPUNZEL	okay not to put you on the spot but...
	EDA	Potion time
	NEO	Dude, I can mine antidote shit here!
	GLITCH	Got this in my basket.
	EDA	hey smart kid
	TEN	Hallo
	ADAM	Hey, k-- uh, Varian. I just wanted to check in
	USAGI	I'm sorry I worried you and fainted on you yesterday.
	AMARA	i lived, bitch
	NEO	Debatably good news, asshole
	USAGI	Hey Varian! It's Usagi
	OSCAR	I'm sorry, Varian. Tell me what you need
	FERN	a dark past huh
	MAUL	Varian. I am in great need of your assistance
	FERN	Varian VARIAN I CAN EAT FOOD
	USAGI	How much moon essence do you have?
	USAGI	VIVI-KUN, VIVI-KUN GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT!
	RICHIE	well I promised
	FERN	A TOTALLY INCOMPLETE LIST OF OOO WORDS 'N SLANG
	GLITCH	VARIAN ARE THERE BUGS IN THE WATER?!
	USAGI	To help with restless nights and the...
	VIRA-LORR	Little alchemist. I have a gift for you.
	MARTIN	Hi, Varian. This is Martin. I wanted to reach out...
	USAGI	Hi Varian, sweetie! I have a question for you.
	GLITCH	varian I need to talk to you. it's important.
	USAGI	I need you not to panic after what I tell you.
	FERN	dog you have so many vests
	IRONHIDE	HONK HONK
	USAGI	... I'm sorry I couldn't help you better, Varian
	EMERALD	Hey, V. Not that I care that much or anything...
	FERN	tell me when you're alive
	FERN	Varian i stabbed two people
	AMARA	hey weirdo i have something for you
	FERN	is the Rapunzel in town your Rapunzel?
	PENNY	Salutations!! You do not know me, but my name is Penny Polendina
	YANG	Hey, is this Varian? I think we've met once before.
	FERN	hey can we talk
	FERN	you told ruby
	MAUL	Surviving another year is always an occasion worth celebrating
	USAGI	Hey I wanted to apologise
	USAGI	VARIAN-KUUUUNNN!!!!
	FERN	birth
	MAUL	Look what just arrived for me.
	KATHERINE	Do you want to get paid to make more purple goo things?
	FERN	ok i know you're good with plants but what about animals
	FERN	dog interested in means girls or guys

TO:

SUBJECT:

	USAGI	So. Maul dropped by, he's got his memories back.
	ADAM	I'm worried about Shiro
	FERN	Hey handsome
	OSCAR	You've been weirdly quiet lately
	FERN	Guess what I haven't told you lately?
	USAGI	Hey. I'm back from the dead and I feel like trash.
	FERN	I made meatloaf that may or may not poison us!
	Emerald	Hey. I know you probably don't want to talk to anyone right now...
	BELLA	Hey Bella. You've dated someone who's a different species to you right?
	BILL	Hi, Fern mentioned you were interested in interdimensional portals...
	FERN	Aw, your pictures are nice!
	KURT	Hey. Are you around?
	RICHIE	Is it just me or is Eddie acting weirder than usual?
	QROW	Hey. Checking up on you.
	EDA	Hi Eda. Hope Ruddiger found you okay.
	GLITCH	Hey. What happened between you and Maul?
	LUNA	Luna- I uh... I think I need your help
	EDDIE	So hey, I finally worked out how to replicate the Antidote
	OSCAR	So, I noticed Ozpin has shown up.
	ROGUE	Hey, I managed to replicate the Antidote
	KURT	Hey. We're back. None of us are dead.
	QROW	Uh... hey. How are you guys holding up?
	PETER	You gave Ruby the haunted dolls
	GLITCH	Hey, Bud. Sorry I tried to murder you with a robot
	KURT	I'm probably the last person you want to talk to...
	JON	I'm sorry I attacked you
	JON	Stay away from Fern.
	FERN	Hey you still haven't got me those baking ingredients
	FERN	Okay so the Betties are upping their war...
	USAGI	Hey. So. Update.
	NEO	You tried to bury her alive? SERIOUSLY?
	USAGI	Emotions are really difficult
	FERN	OH MY GOD YOU HAVE ONE TOO
	FERN	Okay this better be to Fern this time.
	WYNONNA	So guess who got into the fridge and ate literally everything in there.

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Not your job to stop me. Wouldn't have listened anyway.

[It's a struggle to get out, his throat his hoarse and his voice scratchy. But he needs Fern to know, unequivocally, that no blame rests on him. Not even for a nanosecond. Worry still plays across his face. He's sure it wasn't just some other robots. Those things were awful and he nearly died so many times being around Varian. What happened after that? Varian doesn't know, he has a week of utterly nothing and no real way to fill it in. ]

M'fine. I need to- to do something here. To fix things.

[Ruddiger, sensing an ally in his quest to get Varian the fuck back to sleep, skitters up onto Fern's shoulders, chittering from there in assent. Varian squints at him. Fucking rude.]

Et tu, Brute?.

[Fern is going to go ahead and disagree on that point. He should've been better for Varian, for the other Sleepers who deserved it. But he wasn't, and the guilt hasn't stopped hanging over him. This isn't the time to argue about that, though. Not when Varian is so obviously still sick.

He starts a little when Ruddiger starts clambering up his leg, but hey, grass is a lot easier to climb than flesh, and he gives him a little pat on the head for support. Thanks, bro. Good to have someone else on his side.]

Ruddiger's right. All you're gonna do is kick the bucket if you stay out here. That won't be helping anyone.

[He's frank about this. He has to be, because even the tiniest sliver of a possibility of Varian dying again threatens to send him into an agitated mess. He won't allow it to happen again, he can't.]

I'm taking you home.

[The could argue that particular point all the livelong day. But a street in the middle of what is technically still a death-zone is probably not the wisest place to do it. Probably. Varian heaves out a sigh, teetering a bit as another wave of dizziness comes over him. ]

I'm not going to die again, it's just...flu.

[That's utter bullshit and he knows it.]

I can't just leave everything a mess and hide in my house.

[Fern just gives Ruddiger a displeased glance as Varian remains stubborn. Normally he'd be fine with arguing, maybe even find this quality a little endearing, but right now he isn't putting up with it. The risks are too high, especially with Varian wobbling.]

You can fix things when you aren't sick.

[His own voice wavers a bit, even as he moves to scoop Varian up into his arms, careful about it so Ruddiger can stay balanced on his shoulder.]

You're really sick right now, and... and I can't see you get any worse, V.

[He's scared of what will happen if he just lets him wander, and he's having a rough time keeping that feeling shoved down.]

[Varian is about to argue that he needs to fix things now when Fern scoops him up and puts paid to any further discussion on the matter. His breath catches, just for a moment and he sure puts that and the weird little flip-flop his heart just did into the Repression Box. It's probably nothing. Probably 'cause he's sick or something. Hopefully, it's not a sign he's going to barf all over Fern.

At least it's stopped him from fighting the point? Bonus. It's given Varian the chance to see just how worried Fern's expression is. It's clearly frightened him. He thinks back to how awful he felt when Fern died, what black hole that shoved him into, and he relents.]

...Fine. Fffine. You win.

Great. Okay.

[He is infinitely glad they aren't going to have an argument about this. If that had happened he's fairly sure he'd start crying again. Stupid emotional volatility.

He'll start in the direction of Varian's home, shifting his attention to their surroundings. Even though his pace is quick he's glancing around as if he's on high alert, zeroing in on things like alleys and vehicles and around the corners of walls whenever they approach them. The robots are still out there, and he needs to be ready if they run into one of those or a violent Sleeper. His gaze occasionally strays to the ground too, afraid of what might happen if one of those holes that leads to a trial opens up under his feet.

His body still isn't at one hundred percent, and he's paranoid about encountering something dangerous.]

I'll -... geez, what did mom do when I got sick? [Forgive him, it's been over a decade since Margaret was alive and sometimes his Finn memories aren't the clearest.]

[He's lapsed into silence, partly because his head is aching partly because he feels weird and it might not be anything to do with the deathflu, and quite frankly that's terrifying. It's a good thing that Fern is paying attention to their surroundings because Varian sure isn't- deep into his own head as he is. He's sure it's just post-death... whatever. Just feeling weird. He's never died before. It's probably that.

He only looks up when Fern speaks, blinking a few times before clearing his throat. Right. Right. ]

Fluids, probably, I think?

[He's so helpful, the most helpful.]

[It's less awkward all around that Fern hasn't noticed. He's assuming that he's simply won the argument, and that Varian is too exhausted to do much else aside from get carried. After he can back from being dead it was always a ton of effort just keeping himself together, so this has to be the human equivalent of that.

Trying to dig up old memories from ages ago is hard enough, trying to do it when they aren't even really your memories anymore is even harder. Thankfully, Varian's suggestion helps.]

Right, yeah. Fluids. [Aha, that makes the gears in his head start turning.] Soup. I'll make you soup. Mom always did that. She always had juice around, too. [The memories are coming back in full force now, and he grins a little.] Pretty much the only time she let me eat in bed.

[That's absolutely what it is. Just feeling beat up from coming back from the dead. As Fern continues to speak, a small smile flickers across his features. Quirin always tried, but he wasn't exactly the most nuturing type. There was some sort of comfort only a mother could give, he thinks. As much as he has no experience of his own to pull from.]

Yeah? She sounds like she was pretty amazing. But, sure, soup and juice. Sounds good.

[Even he can handle soup, thankfully. There's no skill needed in opening a can and heating it up, so he's pretty sure he's got that covered, as they approach Varian's home.]

Hah, yeah. She was pretty much the best mom ever. She'd read me stories and she had this lullaby she'd sing, even when it was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. She'd even rub my back when I was barfing.

[Oh, memories.]

Okay. You got any traps that need disabling?

[That's a good thing because Varian for sure can't handle cooking even soup right now. His breathing has evened out, but there's still a raspy quality to it- he really shouldn't have been wandering around the town like this. ]

Yeah? That's... nice. Really nice. What a mother should be, right?

[He's... genuinely asking, he doesn't know. He shakes his head at the question.]

Nah, disabled them. It... took a while. I put way more up than usual this month.

Cool.

[Great, no traps for him to worry about springing. Normally he wouldn't care, but right now he'd prefer to get Varian back in bed without getting an ice bomb to the face. He heads up the front steps, a vine slithering out from his arm to open the door. He gives one last glance behind them, and peers into the house carefully before stepping inside. Just to be safe.]

Yup. She was always putting me and Jake and Jermaine first. She always knew how to make us feel better.

[He goes straight for the stairs to head up to Varian's bedroom, even though he hasn't seen it before he's assuming it's on the second floor. As he does his voice turns a little bittersweet.

Memories are rough, sometimes.]

She was the first person to make me feel better after Martin ditched me.

[No traps at all! The house is blissfully trap-free. For once, Varian's bedroom looks like he's actually slept in it- if only because he woke up in it when he came back to life. His bed is very much unmade as if he just flopped out of it like a half-dead fish and dragged himself outside. Which is exactly what he did.]

I'm really glad that you had her. You deserve that much.

[It's also robot bear-free, which is a relief. The last thing he wants to do is destroy the place fighting another one of those.]

Uh... thanks.

[He's... a little pensive when he answers, knowing that Varian didn't get to have his mother around like he did.

Once he's found Varian's bedroom (and wow, does it ever look like a normal human bedroom with a science aesthetic), Fern will set him down in bed. He rubs the back of his head.]

Okay, I'm gonna go make you soup. Assuming you've got some downstairs. Try to just rest for now?

[It's so good to not have any more robo-bears. If Varian never sees another ever again, it'll be too soon.

As much as Varian tends to be anti-bed (there's always too much science to do) he's so very glad for it right now. He flops back onto the pillow with a grateful sigh. Okay, yeah, fine, he can understand the merits of a bed right now. He'll close his eyes for like... a minute.]

Hmmm. Think there's some in the cupboards. Thanks, Bud.

[Great, okay. He'll pick Ruddiger up off his shoulder and put him down on the bed too, so he can keep an eye on Varian, just in case. Then he heads down to the kitchen to cook up some soup. Thankfully it's extremely hard to mess up soup, so once he digs a can of chicken noodle out as well as a pot he gets that heating up on the stove. Once he's found a bowl and spoon and glass and some juice in the fridge, all that's left to do is wait.

He hops up on the counter while he does, picking through his own memories of coming back from the dead. What it had been like. What had made it worse, and what had helped. Those, along with his memories of Margaret, give him some solidified plans by the time the soup starts bubbling.

He hops off the counter and plates everything up. It isn't fancy by any means, but it should help. With soup and juice in hand he heads back upstairs to Varian's room.]

Heyyy, so I gotta run to the treehouse for some junk. I'll be back real quick, can I trust you to stay put?

[Varian had been partly dozing on the bed when Fern walks back in. He pulls himself up in a sitting position, groaning a little as a new wave of dizziness takes hold. Ugh, he hates this, he's already so bored of it. There's a brief flicker of panic as Fern says that he's leaving- only settling when he assures he'll be back. As much as Varian usually relishes his solitude, he'd rather not be left in his own company at present.

And so, he offered a tired smile, crossing a finger over his chest. ]

Trust me, I'm not planning on going anywhere any time soon. Thanks for the soup and... literally everything, actually.

[Fern notices that momentary panic and really only cements in his mind that this needs to be a brief trip. Brief, but necessary. He nods, setting the soup down on the nightstand.]

Don't worry about it. I'll be back before you know it.

[Thank Glob the treehouse isn't that far from Varian's place. Once he's out on the street he's moving fast which... is probably not the best idea, overexerting himself with the poison air and all, but whatever. What's one more burst of energy when he's already put himself through the ringer this month?

He gets back to the treehouse lickity-split and gathers everything up, at the last second deciding to bring Hazel along, too. He's probably going to be spending a while at Varian's and he doesn't want to neglect the poor fire pup. Plus, maybe Ruddiger will enjoy the company.

Once he has everything he makes his way back, deliberately avoiding any signs of robotic bears so as to not get into a fight. His backpack is feeling heavy by the time he arrives, and he's pretty sure he's going to need a long nap after this whole day.

Hazel follows him back up the stairs, scurrying past him and into Varian's room when he peeks in.]

Hey, I'm back.

[While Fern has been away, Varian has managed to kick off his boots and get into bed proper. Still full clothed, but he has not got the energy to go find his non-existent sleepwear right now. He does eat the soup and drink the juice Fern prepared for him, and feels marginally less like death warmed up for it.

He's tapping away at his Fluid, reaching out to people he wronged when Fern returns. Ruddiger hops off the bed to chatter at Hazel, ready to race around the house and do important animal stuff. Varian offers him a small, tired smile- it doesn't quite reach his eyes, but it's there.]

Hey, welcome back.

[He's a little curious about what Fern has lugged here with him, but he's honestly more glad that the other boy returned. He had no real doubt that he would, of course, but it still provides comfort. He's not alone. Which... is much less than what he gave Fern when he died. ]

[Hazel is more than happy to follow after Ruddiger, if only because the poofiness of his tail is clearly something he needs to practice him pouncing skills on.

Fern briefly returns the smile, moving to drop his backpack onto the edge of the bed before sitting down next to it.]

I brought you some stuff. [A lot of stuff, and when he realizes what that sounds like he hurriedly adds:] Uh, not that this means I'm gonna go back to the treehouse or anything. I'll be here as much as you want me to be. I can get you groceries and sleep on the couch, doesn't matter.

[He reaches up, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.]

The first time I died I wound up living at Will's house for the whole month after. [He's just going to go ahead and not talk about the second time he died.] Not being on my own helped a lot.

[Downsides to living on your own, amirite?]

All of that's for me? And Fern, there's like, three bedrooms in this place. You don't have to sleep on a couch.

[To be fair, this is already the longest he's been in his own bed since he got here.

Varian's smile, small as it already is, fades. Fern might not bring up the second time he died, but Varian sure will. He looks down at the bedclothes, picking at them a little. ]

...That's more than I did for you when you died the second time around. You're well within your right to just leave me to it, you know. No grudges held. I was... a pretty terrible friend.

[He still IS, all things considered.]

[Fern just shrugs a little. Look, if the air wasn't currently trying to murder them all his first preference would be to sleep on the roof. Beds and couches don't really matter to him.

He'll open his backpack up and start pulling stuff out, starting with a bunch of books. Several more of those Choose Your Own Adventure novels Kurt had brought him after he died, as well as a book on Billy, Champion of Ooo's adventures.]

I want to help you, you dummy. What you chose to do isn't a good excuse for me to get a free pass to be a bad friend.

[He is so, so unimpressed with that argument, Varian.]

[Okay but books are the best thing ever and Varian would be lying if seeing the fact Fern owns so many now didn't give him a whole lot of joy. The power of reading!!!.

...And yeah, he can't really argue with that. He clears his throat, offering a fleeting smile. Sorry, Fern, his self-loathing is maxed out today. Give him a day or two to accept he might be worthy of people's affection again. ]

Okay... that's fair. Sorry. And you're a great friend, seriously. I mean, look at all the books!

[He should really thank Kurt for all the reading material.

Fern is just glad they aren't going to argue over this. He knows what it's like recovering from the deathflu alone, and it makes everything about a hundred times worse. Staying at Will's, even though he had felt like crud and couldn't even keep his body together, had been nice. Staying at Will's had felt more like home than any other place in town, and despite the disparity in their feelings Fern at least wants to try to help Varian in that same way.]

Yeah, you're probably gonna get bored being stuck in bed for a week, right? And - [The next thing he pulls out of his backpack is a wreath made of antlers. He stands and goes over to a wall, and apologies, but he's stabbing a large thorn into it so he can hang the wreath.] - this should keep any robots from busting in.

I will definitely get bored stuck in bed for a week. I can't even stay in bed for a night. Or... go to bed at all. Whichever.

[Aside from his awkward message to Kurt apologising for trying to murder him with a robot, Varian's pretty sure they should not be conversing all that much.

He really does appreciate the effort- as much as he feels it's undeserved. He eyes the antler a little, because oh hey, that's - that's a thing. ]

Did it come from Sodder? [There's another pause, because... well. He shouldn't bring this up but he needs to know.] How did you get out of the junkyard? Talking about... robots and all.

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