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[Fic] Space Grandpas Hanahaki
Sep. 1st, 2020 11:05 pmSpace Grandpas-Hanahaki
That’s it. There isn’t more explanation. It is what it is.
The bier hall was not crowded this afternoon. It was the middle of the week and most of the Crusaders were still on duty. Stukov sat in the back corner, waiting for his dear friend. A soft wave of pink rippled over the infested Terran’s Zerg side.
If he was being honest, Reinhardt was more than a friend. He had been for awhile now, not that he would dare mention it to the other. It…it wasn’t worth the risk. He’d rather keep it to himself and continue to have the giant man in his life.
Stukov choked back a cough. It had been nagging him all week to varying degrees. It felt as though something were working its way up his throat. He attempted to clear it himself, but it just caused him to make a strange croaking sound. His glow seared yellow in distaste and pain and he could feel something sticking to the back of his throat, but he was unable to cough it out. That was, at least, until a strong hand slapped him on the back heartily.
“Alexei! Mein Freund!”
He knew that voice…and the feel of that large hand on his back. Reinhardt Wilhelm. It was the Terran Marine…no, Terran Crusader who had been looking out for him every since he had arrived. The other man had seemingly literally leant him a hand again.
Stukov coughed again and a splattering of white petals and flowers came out of his mouth. He bristled at that as the horror began to dawn on him. He had heard of this…his grandmother had spoken of this. It was a folk disease of the heart and body combined. If one held in powerful feelings too long, it caused a kind of flower to grow inside them that would either wither and die when feelings were confessed or it would slowly smother him from within. Yellow seared again through his glow and he was unable to tear his illuminated eyes from the small white flowers that he had coughed onto the table.
He knew them…could recognize them from Earth. Chamomile and Edelweiss. Of Course. How poetic.
“Alexei…”
Reinhardt’s voice was full of surprise and wonder. Stukov’s heart leapt to his throat. Was this it? Had the other man figured it out?
There was a loud, full laugh and another slap to his back.
“Oh! Alexei! You dog, you! You fancy someone! Ha! Tell me, Alexei, who is it? Who are they? Who is the lucky soul?”
Stukov brushed the small white flowers off the table and into his left claws. He sighed, a feeling of relief washing over him. At least Reinhardt had not figured out that the person in question was himself. Alexei cleared his throat and looked up at the other man.
“I…I don’t…”
He was unable to finish.
Stukov was wracked again by a series of violent coughs. A collection of small white flowers and petals erupted from his mouth. Wonderful. Another disgusting thing his body did. His coughing stilled when he felt that large hand pressed against his back. He turned glowing eyes to look at Reinhardt and saw kindness reflected back in the Crusader’s one good eye.
“Shhhh. Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything. I will help you with whatever you need. We’ll set you up an a nice date and you can confess your feelings to whoever the lucky one is, Ja?”
What choice did he have?
Alexei nodded.
As always, Reinhardt was true to his word.
Over the course of the next few days, Reinhardt helped him set up his small cabin for company. He never questioned him further about the identity of the person Alexei…fancied. However, like a true friend, he made sure everything was perfect. Table linens were washed, windows were cleaned, new coffee was purchased for the evening. He even waited with him as the moment drew near. Perhaps, he knew? Or perhaps not. Alexei was unable to tell, but it did not matter. He would have to come clean sooner or later.
And he would.
It was nowhere near was romantic as Reinhardt deserved.
As the Crusader put the finishing touches on the table setting for Stukov’s “date,” the infested Terran was overcome with another wave of coughing and many more blossoms, chamomile and edelweiss, came out of his mouth. Reinhardt, like a saint, stopped what he was doing to offer comfort.
“Alexei…it is good that you will be confessing your feelings soon. I am starting to worry for your health.”
Stukov could feel more of those accursed petals pressing up his throat. What did he have to lose anymore? He nodded to his friend and reached out with his right hand for Reinhardt’s…to squeeze and steady himself…but also brace for what was coming.
“It is you,” he somehow managed to squeeze out of his throat.
As if by magic, the petals in is throat dissolved and the coughing stopped.
“It is you. It was always you.”
His hand tightened and he looked up at the man standing over him. There again was kindness, understanding. That one blue eye was sparkling down at him. Stukov smiled.
“How could it be anyone else?”
Reinhardt looked from Alexei over to the small flowers that littered the floor.
“These…these are for me, Alexei?”
He sounded surprised….touched.
Pink erupted in Alexei’s glow.
Perhaps…perhaps this was not such an awful thing.
Reinhardt leaned over and began to pick up the small white flowers.
“These are precious little blossoms, Alexei. I am honored that you would feel this way. I was right about you. You have a strong heart that feels very deeply. It is no wonder I fell for you.”
The pink in Stukov’s glow seared hot pink at the revelation.
Reinhardt’s face pulled into a smile.
“I think we should sit down for some coffee, yes? I think we have a lot to talk about.”
That’s it. There isn’t more explanation. It is what it is.
The bier hall was not crowded this afternoon. It was the middle of the week and most of the Crusaders were still on duty. Stukov sat in the back corner, waiting for his dear friend. A soft wave of pink rippled over the infested Terran’s Zerg side.
If he was being honest, Reinhardt was more than a friend. He had been for awhile now, not that he would dare mention it to the other. It…it wasn’t worth the risk. He’d rather keep it to himself and continue to have the giant man in his life.
Stukov choked back a cough. It had been nagging him all week to varying degrees. It felt as though something were working its way up his throat. He attempted to clear it himself, but it just caused him to make a strange croaking sound. His glow seared yellow in distaste and pain and he could feel something sticking to the back of his throat, but he was unable to cough it out. That was, at least, until a strong hand slapped him on the back heartily.
“Alexei! Mein Freund!”
He knew that voice…and the feel of that large hand on his back. Reinhardt Wilhelm. It was the Terran Marine…no, Terran Crusader who had been looking out for him every since he had arrived. The other man had seemingly literally leant him a hand again.
Stukov coughed again and a splattering of white petals and flowers came out of his mouth. He bristled at that as the horror began to dawn on him. He had heard of this…his grandmother had spoken of this. It was a folk disease of the heart and body combined. If one held in powerful feelings too long, it caused a kind of flower to grow inside them that would either wither and die when feelings were confessed or it would slowly smother him from within. Yellow seared again through his glow and he was unable to tear his illuminated eyes from the small white flowers that he had coughed onto the table.
He knew them…could recognize them from Earth. Chamomile and Edelweiss. Of Course. How poetic.
“Alexei…”
Reinhardt’s voice was full of surprise and wonder. Stukov’s heart leapt to his throat. Was this it? Had the other man figured it out?
There was a loud, full laugh and another slap to his back.
“Oh! Alexei! You dog, you! You fancy someone! Ha! Tell me, Alexei, who is it? Who are they? Who is the lucky soul?”
Stukov brushed the small white flowers off the table and into his left claws. He sighed, a feeling of relief washing over him. At least Reinhardt had not figured out that the person in question was himself. Alexei cleared his throat and looked up at the other man.
“I…I don’t…”
He was unable to finish.
Stukov was wracked again by a series of violent coughs. A collection of small white flowers and petals erupted from his mouth. Wonderful. Another disgusting thing his body did. His coughing stilled when he felt that large hand pressed against his back. He turned glowing eyes to look at Reinhardt and saw kindness reflected back in the Crusader’s one good eye.
“Shhhh. Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything. I will help you with whatever you need. We’ll set you up an a nice date and you can confess your feelings to whoever the lucky one is, Ja?”
What choice did he have?
Alexei nodded.
As always, Reinhardt was true to his word.
Over the course of the next few days, Reinhardt helped him set up his small cabin for company. He never questioned him further about the identity of the person Alexei…fancied. However, like a true friend, he made sure everything was perfect. Table linens were washed, windows were cleaned, new coffee was purchased for the evening. He even waited with him as the moment drew near. Perhaps, he knew? Or perhaps not. Alexei was unable to tell, but it did not matter. He would have to come clean sooner or later.
And he would.
It was nowhere near was romantic as Reinhardt deserved.
As the Crusader put the finishing touches on the table setting for Stukov’s “date,” the infested Terran was overcome with another wave of coughing and many more blossoms, chamomile and edelweiss, came out of his mouth. Reinhardt, like a saint, stopped what he was doing to offer comfort.
“Alexei…it is good that you will be confessing your feelings soon. I am starting to worry for your health.”
Stukov could feel more of those accursed petals pressing up his throat. What did he have to lose anymore? He nodded to his friend and reached out with his right hand for Reinhardt’s…to squeeze and steady himself…but also brace for what was coming.
“It is you,” he somehow managed to squeeze out of his throat.
As if by magic, the petals in is throat dissolved and the coughing stopped.
“It is you. It was always you.”
His hand tightened and he looked up at the man standing over him. There again was kindness, understanding. That one blue eye was sparkling down at him. Stukov smiled.
“How could it be anyone else?”
Reinhardt looked from Alexei over to the small flowers that littered the floor.
“These…these are for me, Alexei?”
He sounded surprised….touched.
Pink erupted in Alexei’s glow.
Perhaps…perhaps this was not such an awful thing.
Reinhardt leaned over and began to pick up the small white flowers.
“These are precious little blossoms, Alexei. I am honored that you would feel this way. I was right about you. You have a strong heart that feels very deeply. It is no wonder I fell for you.”
The pink in Stukov’s glow seared hot pink at the revelation.
Reinhardt’s face pulled into a smile.
“I think we should sit down for some coffee, yes? I think we have a lot to talk about.”
