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John sat next to Feferi, gazing out over the Land of Dew and Glass from the cusp of the giant fishbowl that dominated the landscape. Though the drop from the top of the bowl was a particularly precipitous one, John had no fear. Something about being able to fly eliminated any fear of heights he may have had pretty quickly.
As John looked out over the peaceful, glass-like surface of the water to the other side, he couldn’t help but stare at the light reflected off of the glass sculptures and dew that dotted Feferi’s world.
This was a peaceful, pleasant world, and John was happy here.
“hey feferi i really appreciate you setting up these bubbles for us!”
“O) ( of course Jo) (n! It’s been really -EXCITING getting everyfin toget) (er and getting to meet everyone!”
John couldn’t help but laugh at Feferi’s fish puns, even after a few hours of talking to her. But as he laughed, John could feel himself slipping over the thing glass edge of the fishbowl, towards the water below. Though he was really in no danger, John couldn’t help but grab out at something to keep him from falling. As he threw his arm around Feferi’s waist, he could feel her pull him up.
As he looked into Feferi’s blank empty eyes, John felt a chill creep up his spine. Of course that didn’t stop him from keeping his arm around her. For all the differences between John and Feferi, there was something about her that attracted him. Maybe it was her welcoming personality and immense kindness. Maybe it was her sense of humor and her kind smile. Or maybe it was just her warm softness and beautiful curves. Where John had expected the cold, damp scaliness of a fish, he had found something entirely different and wonderful.
He couldn’t hold back any longer. He had to know.
“hey feferi, i’m sorry if you find this question offensive or something, but...”
“You want to know w) (at it’s like to be dead, don’t you.”
John looked down, feeling ashamed.
“i mean, yeah, i guess i do. i’m sorry if it’s a sore subject.”
“Don’t worry about it Jo) (n, it’s only natural to be curious, and I don’t mind talking about it...”
“I suppose it’s a lot like being alive, except I’m not. I still get to ) (ang out wit) ( my friends w) (en t) (ey are asleep, and I’ve ) (ad more t) (an my fair s) (ore of adventures out ) (ere in t) (e bubbles!”
Feferi looked out into the distance, as if consumed by thought.
“But I’m R---E-EALLY lonely out ) (ere...”
She slumped down a little, and a single fuchsia teardrop dripped from her face into the fishbowl. John watched the color diffuse through the water until the tear had all but disappeared.
He couldn’t imagine being separated from his friends like this, trapped in this empty reality with only the occasional visit by dead and sleeping visitors.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until John broke the tension again.
“i’m so sorry...i didn’t realize how hard it would be for you.”
“but i’m here for you now! at least if you’ll have me...”
Feferi smiled one of her toothy smiles, revealing her sharp fangs.
“Of COURS--E I’d love to keep ) (anging wit) ( you!”
Now it was John’s turn to smile. He loved making new friends.
“So w) (ere do we go from ) (ere?”
John had a few ideas.
He took her to his memory Jade’s planet, where Feferi got her first taste of Earth snow. They ran and played together, kicking up snow as they went. At least they did until Feferi got too cold. As they sat huddled in a relatively warm cave, John wrapped one arm around her and clasped her hands with his other hand.
“i’m so sorry!” he said to her, embarrassed at how quickly Feferi had lost her body heat. “i should have warned you about how cold snow was, i don’t know what i was thinking...i’ll get us out of here right away!”
But Feferi just smiled and shushed John.
“Don’t worry about it Jo) (n, I’ll be fine in a minute. And I don’t mind sitting ) (ere getting warm again with you until t) (en.” she said, running her fingers over his and up and down his arm.
John blushed a little but managed to hide it.
They sat in content silence for a while. Eventually, Feferi dropped her head a little to rest on John’s shoulder.
John whispered to her “hey feferi, would you like to see something special?”
She jerked her head up immediately and cheerily responded: “S) (OR---E!”.
He stood up and took her by the hand. In a moment, the two were standing in the Land of Wind and Shade. Feferi wrinkled her nose at the oily smell and John profusely apologized, promising her the smell would fade with time. John run to a nearby hill, with Feferi following close behind. He sat down and motioned for her to sit beside him.
Then John turned his head upwards, looking at the cloudy sky. “hang on a moment...” he said to her, before leaping up into the sky, propelled by his windy powers. Concentrating deeply, John spun in the air, whipping his hands out forcefully. Almost immediately, the small gusts ejected from his hands cleared the sky, releasing a whole host of fireflies that slowly filled up the sky with their blinking.
John allowed himself to float back down next to Feferi. “well, what do you think?” he asked to her, still looking up at the sky. Feferi was speechless. All she could do was throw her arms around John and stare up at the sky.
“I’ve never seen anyt) (ing like it Jo) (n, it’s so beautiful...”
John hugged her back.
“feferi...would you mind very much if i kissed you right now?”
She drew back for a minute and answered that question immediately, kissing John on the mouth. Her soft smooth lips pressed against his, and John could feel himself kissing back. John could feel passion welling up within him, and a deep appreciation for the very exotic fish girl in front of him. He moved his hands along her body, tracing the contours of her curves as they kissed, until he suddenly felt a white hot burst of flame. He drew back from Feferi and stared, aghast at where they had ended up. The ground below them had grown hard and cold, and was now rotating, while pillars of fire burst all around them.
John recognized the locale immediately. He had lost track of himself and transported them to the Land of Heat and Clockwork.
He was about to say something when Feferi drew a finger to his mouth, shutting him up immediately. Her blank eyes met his and she whispered to him as softly as she could, barely audible over the roar of the gears.
“I feel t) (e same way.”