biomagnet: (⇒ you still don't believe)
Dr. Sefton Lowell ([personal profile] biomagnet) wrote in [community profile] knickknackery2011-03-12 04:30 am
Entry tags:

who hears us when we wish?

WHO [personal profile] biomagnet and [personal profile] swatswithdragons.
WHAT Space and time are relative between dimensions. One minute in one world could be an entire month somewhere else. Sefton's grown up, and Lance is about to learn what happened in the interim.
WHERE Dr. Lowell's lab, then the Sevii Islands near the Kanto region.
WHEN 2054 for Sefton; 1999 for Lance.
NOTES We're silly. More crossover 'verses! Sefton is 26, Lance is 24.
WARNINGS So much fluff, you'll probably explode. Not get cavities. Explode.

The lab should have been silent. It was the dead of night, after all, when most of the sensible people had gone home to sleep. Sefton, too, would usually be among them. Instead, he had the CD player humming at quite the respectable volume while he tapped away at the computer in front of him, intent on the readings. It was fascinating. The lab had finally gotten permission to study one of the most mysterious infused artifacts humankind had ever known. The doorknob itself was nothing spectacular, having been made in the 1800s for a mansion somewhere in London. Its mystery was simple but confounding: marks like chickenscratch etched into the metal, humming every now and then with an indeterminable sort of energy. It sat innocently inside the observation booth, with a lead wrapped around the narrowest point to try and catch a reaction when it activated.

How could anyone leave when there was something like this to be studied? Excitement wasn't quite the word to describe how Sefton felt about the opportunity; interest and curiosity would fit better. His interest in infusion was intensely personal, after all, and his connection with the world's greatest puzzle gave him some sort of purpose. Without it, he would probably still be that terrified, isolated kid wandering the country.

Now, he was a frightened, lonely man with incurable wanderlust and government funding. The more things change, he mulled idly. He dragged himself out of the chair with a large yawn, moving to the other side of the room to retrieve the cup he had left there. His journey was halted when the knob began vibrating, its regular hum gearing up into a whine, and he darted back to the console. The readout was going insane, displaying more than Sefton could keep up with. Before he could make the judgment call on whether to retrieve someone else or observe the phenomenon while it happened, the air shifted, tore open, and swallowed him whole.

The sensation (floatingfalling) was brief. Sefton barely caught a glimpse of blackish creatures swimming through the colorful expanse of space before he was ejected quite rudely on the other side. He crashed into the sand below with a pained grunt, rolling onto his chest. Before he could register that it was suddenly day and outside and on a beach, the world twisted, turned, and faded away.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-12 10:15 am (UTC)(link)
It was an odd feeling, these last few months. On one hand Lance felt freer than he ever imagined feeling in his life. Telling everyone ... everything ... it had been frightening beyond belief and yet liberating. And although most of it was being kept out of the public, the fact that those closest to him hadn't rejected him after knowing the truth ... there were no words.

On the other hand, he couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. He knew it was a matter of conditioning--that he had been through so much in such a relatively short amount of time that he just couldn't settle. He kept waiting for something else to happen.

Which meant that those few times when Lance wasn't being constantly watched by his friends or family were soothing. They meant he could get out from under anyone's radar. Silver Mountain was a personal no-go zone for obvious reasons, but Sevii was secluded and peaceful. That was why he was currently there and camping in the mountains, someplace the local trainers wouldn't find him. Well, at night, anyway. Right at that moment he was lying on his back on Aerodactyl's head, humming idly and watching the clouds pass over while she glided over the islands.

Then, quite suddenly, the dragon let out a surprised "Ryyl?" and banked sharply enough to make the redhead tumble with a yelp, grasping her harness to keep from falling.

That was when he saw the black figure way down below on the beach of the Ruins. "Okay, fine, good spotting," he grumbled good-naturedly. So much for his secret vacation spot. With a hum the dragon folded her wings around him and plummeted, and within seconds she flared above the beach and landed. Lance, rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his hair (he hadn't exactly been prepared there), didn't immediately look down, but Aerodactyl made another shocked growl and nudged the man in the sand.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-12 11:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Ptera pull up--" Lance started to order as soon as there was movement from the sand. Reluctantly the dragon moved back a few paces, but Lance wasn't paying attention anymore, his grip on the harness slack. He was too busy staring at the man staring up at them, at the throb of almost-pain behind his eyes that was--

did anyone back home ever hurt you I'll try not to push, okay you can trust me one day I'll get through to you, cub--

He rocked back with a gasp, one hand flying up to his face. Breathing hard, he blinked past his fingers at the man, slowly lowering his arm. It couldn't be. It was impossible. What the hell was this? Weakly he asked, "Sefton?"

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-12 11:47 am (UTC)(link)
It couldn't be. He was too old. This man had to be his age. And yet it had to be; the man had responded to the name. "Sefton?" he said again, a little dazed, a little wondering, because how could this have happened?

Or was it even happening? The redhead shook his head hard, blinking. "Are you real?" He hadn't used in almost four months, and opium didn't cause hallucinations anyway. Maybe he'd inhaled some powder.

Maybe you're just as insane as you always suspected you were.

Another blink and Lance saw the way Sefton was holding his head, and the redhead hissed, vaulting off Aerodactyl's back (and swaying, a little, when his head pounded with a headache of his own). "I don't have any headache tea on me," he managed after a moment, "but I've got a camp ..." He waved in the general direction of the mountainous main island.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
"You can fly or surf," Lance said absently as he straightened, still staring. He couldn't help but extend his hand, hovering for a moment in the air before it brushed Sefton's arm--lightly, so lightly, before the touch firmed. And then Lance stared again at the place where he made contact, because the kid was real and very not much of a kid anymore. His eyes lifted to look Sefton in the face--lifted. Sefton was nearly as tall as he was! There couldn't have been more than an inch of difference between them.

Sefton was grown up. The sixteen-year-old in his memories was no longer sixteen. Lance would have said something, but it was sort of difficult given how his throat had chosen to close with an emotion he wasn't quite used to anymore, and his other hand jerked up to grip Sefton lightly by the shoulders. "Sefton," he said again, a little husky, his eyes shining.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Lance let out a bark of laughter in lieu of any other reaction--relieved, joyful, amazed laughter. "No kidding."

He looked the kid--man--over again, this time with a more considering eye, comparing the Sefton before him to the Sefton in his memory. In the end he had to shake his head and laugh again, saying teasingly, "Damn, cub, you are old."
Edited 2011-03-13 02:10 (UTC)

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
It didn't matter what age Sefton was; he would always be 'cub'. The redhead just grinned, chuckling, at Sefton's expression--two emotions that looked ridiculous together.

"You're welcome," he said, dropping his hands and resisting the urge to ruffle Sefton's hair. Gods, how was this even possible? He shook his head, incredulous. "What the hell are you doing here? How the hell are you here?"

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
Lance's brow crinkled as Sefton spoke. He was studying an infused artifact? Sefton, studying something that surely required funding? The redhead took another metaphorical step back, giving Sefton the once-over again. His clothes, while casual, were decent--or at least didn't look like he'd spent years on the road. His hair and general posture, on the other hand ...

"Studying?" he repeated, and then shook his head as if to clear it, sweeping a hand toward the stone monolith towering over them. "These are the Tanoby Ruins. They're supposedly the last remains of an empire from centuries ago." With the general belief being that they were the last remains of the empire. Though that wasn't at the forefront of Lance's mind right then, because he frowned. "In fact, they're generally non-harmfully radioactive and one of my colleagues has a theory that the pokemon supposedly hidden inside are ... dimensional ... in nature ..."

Oh. Fuck.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
"He hasn't managed to get it generally accepted yet," Lance admitted, following Sefton's gaze, "but he and his colleagues are pretty sold on the idea. I haven't listened to it in detail."

Frankly it was out of Bugsy's purview, being a hobby archeologist and not an astrophysicist, but he had been the one to first make the discovery in the Ruins of Alph and spearheaded the investigation of the area. That hadn't been all that long ago, either.

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
It was a pretty specific field. It wasn't that there was a disbelief in dimensions--in fact, it was generally accepted that it was a variance in dimensions that hid the Motherland from the Outside.

"He'd know which experts to talk to," Lance agreed cautiously. The problem was finding a reason for Sefton to speak with him. Or how this in general was going to be explained. With a sigh he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn. This is going to be awkward."

[identity profile] punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com 2011-03-13 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
"I ..." Lance looked away, one hand rising automatically to thumb at the crook of his elbow. Even after having told the story over and over, it was the same with every retelling. "I don't know how much you remember or knew of it--back there, but I was using drugs when I first got there. Stopped there, but then when I came back out, I guess I just ... picked up where I left off."

He exhaled, glancing back over at Sefton and finding a wan smile from somewhere. "I'm off now, but ... my coming to people with someone I'm claiming I met in my travels? Or worse, trying to claim you're from an alternate dimension? Either way it'll make people wonder. I don't exactly have much credibility these days." Not yet.
swatswithdragons: (gentle smile)

[personal profile] swatswithdragons 2011-03-13 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
The sheer gentleness in that expression nearly took Lance's breath away. He remember struggling to get things through to Sefton, wanting to say things and refusing to because that honesty might just be the things to drive the cub away.

The sheer confidence was bolstering. The understanding. And without really remembering when he'd started, Lance found himself smiling softly, gratefully.

"If there's anything you can add to his research, Tsukushi will want to meet you regardless of where you came from."
swatswithdragons: (exasperated)

[personal profile] swatswithdragons 2011-03-13 10:26 am (UTC)(link)
Shaking off his relief, Lance automatically went to the pockets of his clothes before hissing a curse. He hadn't been carrying any pens or notepads; he didn't need them out here.

"Tell it to me," he said instead, "I'll remember it." He had a head for remembering things, and he didn't think there was anything about this meeting that he would be able to forget.
swatswithdragons: (thoughtful intensity)

[personal profile] swatswithdragons 2011-03-13 11:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Damn," Lance mumbled, and then shook his head with a sigh. "Well, then, we need to get back to my camp as soon as possible." And the fastest way to do that was ...

He turned back to Aerodactyl, who had just been sitting, tail lashing, and staring at Sefton, head slightly cocked.

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