moved 5/6/17. originally written 11/4/13.
moving this one kind of hurt! there were a lot of nice reviews on it.
originally, i wrote this on a nook, of all things. i didn't have internet service at the time, and had connected to someone else's wifi to publish it, lol. i remember trying so hard to make the tag on ao3 look nice and have the japanese names included.
in loving memory of
01. roses
Aura's unsure how she should go about confessing to Metis, or if she should at all. Everything's just a little too confusing for Aura at this point, so she waits until Metis is out on her lunch break to put a bouquet of roses on her desk. No card, of course. She's still not brave enough.
02. the little princess
There are times when Aura is jealous of Athena... like right now. Metis is so enamored by her daughter's ability that right now all of her attention is on Athena, and nothing can bother her. So when Metis needs help with designing headphones for the little princess, Aura does not hesitate to jump right in to being a volunteer. During the project, Aura realizes that a mother's love knows no bounds, and there's no reason to be jealous of the little princess.
03. laughter
When Metis peers over Aura's shoulder to see what her partner is laughing at, she finds Simon, Athena, Juniper, and Ponco chasing each other around and playing leapfrog, Simon helping the young girls jump over him, and Clonco wailing behind them, worried they'll get in trouble. Suddenly, Athena jumps on Simon, and even Metis has to laugh at her daughter's actions and Simon's reaction. Aura does not hesitate to note that Metis's laugh sounds like chiming bells, and how her eyes shine like stars. Aura wishes everyone could see how beautiful Metis is when she laughs.
04. spring
The way Metis works in the spring is much more graceful than usual - the way she daintily and quickly writes her notes for her research down, the way she turns the pages of a book, the way her voice sounds when she gives Simon advice. Aura's love is growing for Metis the way a flower would grow, trying to find the sun.
05. hypnotized
Aura isnt't sure what to do, say, or think when Metis kisses her on the cheek. So she stands there, almost as if she was glued to the floor, hypnotized and frozen in her tracks, papers flying to the floor and face burning as Metis turns to leave.
06. routine
Aura's still not brave enough to tell the psychologist how she really feels about her, so she starts a routine where she leaves a rose on Metis's desk each day. Metis just smiles at the rose, never saying anything, but implying with her shining eyes that the roses make her day - Aura makes her day.
07. tease
Simon, her stupid little brother that still plays with dolls with young girls and robots, will never give Aura a break about her "silly school girl crush" on his mentor. The only thing Aura replies with is: "Shut up, you weaboo." Simon still doesn't know what the word means, and Aura's just glad that Metis has never heard one of their play fights. Aura's sure she'd never stop blushing - it'd be the end of her.
08. reveal
When Aura finally decides to to tell Metis that she's been the one sending roses, she's a blushing mess. When she does tell her, the only thing the doctor says is: "I know. And thank you." Then, she kisses the corners of Aura's lips and walks away.
09. sudden death
When Doctor Metis Cykes dies, Aura is almost too shocked to cry. Almost. When she reports to work the first time they tell her to after the incident, Metis, Simon, Athena and Juniper - the lively ones - are gone. The building is desolate and dull and lifeless. When she gets to her lab, a rose is still on Metis's desk, the mere sight of it is all it takes for Aura to break down. A "mama Aura?" can be heard, and that causes Aura to suck it up, wipe her tears away and tell the robot duo, a little half-heartedly and with a cracking voice, to never call her that again. (After all, robots like them deserve two parents.)
10. winter
When the first spring after Metis's death rolls around, it's really still winter in Aura's mind. It's always winter - cold, dead trees, decaying branches - and it will always be winter. Then, she sees roses that Metis saved from days when she really needed them, all perfectly preserved and nowhere near close to wilting, unlike Aura - just a wilted, droopy flower who's spent too much time away from the sun. All she wants to do is tear the petals off and rip each thorn off the stem, but she doesn't have the heart to. She simply breaks down again, tears hitting the roses instead of fingers ripping them apart.
Aura can't brave this winter alone.