Disclaimer: This story is fairly ooc for some people and also a continuation of another story I wrote with Dandy and his two girls. Also, I don't own Dandy or the other characters. Watanabe is the genius behind those.
Original Story: s/10642207/1/The-Adventures-of-Space-Dandy-and-His-Two-Little-Girls - there's really no plot in this one, it's all fluff but it does set up the setting. :)
Enjoy! There's a lot more plot in this one! Special thanks to AnimeQueen42 (for putting up with me ^-^) and pomp-adourable from Tumblr for the awesome headcannons.
My spoon fills with a mixture of milky flakes, each a different color of the nebula. Mornings are hard on the Aloha Oe. A cat licks itself across from me, a robot sweeps the miniscule crumbs from my breakfast right from under my feet. And two little girls smile widely with unruly hair and heavy appetites.
For this bachelor, at least, it's too much.
I watch the youngest girl of the ship, I already know what will happen since I'm clearly a psychic that can predict the future. The little fingers grasp at the milk container, a new one, heavy with cold milk. I know I should ask if she needs help, but my lack of sleep and standoffish morning attitude don't really care to intrude at the moment.
The carton wobbles as she sits up on her chair to balance it better, the forewarning drops of a near spill begin to topple over. She aims for the bowl, with a tongue out of its place as if helping her pour. Then it all goes down hill, like a slow motion catastrophe that you can only watch play out in front of you.
Milk runs down into the bowl, spilling flakes and splattering all the contents in its reaches. Long streams of the sticky liquid begin to form as they splash over the table edges and onto the floor below. Erssime has spilled the milk for a third time this week.
Her eyes grow wide as she watches the mess before her a moment longer, quickly placing the now empty carton back on the table. A blush crosses her face with a quivering lip accompanying it. She expects me to yell or scold her, but I don't feel like it today. I never really signed up to be her father or guardian, she was really just put into my lap, so why should I be expected to parent?
Tears start to fill in the bottom lids of her lashes, even when I'm not yelling she can sense my dissatisfaction. Like the milk still spilling over the corners of the table her eyes also give out and a wail emits from the small mouth.
I just watch, I watch the young girl cry. Maybe I'm heartless. I should hold her, try to get her to stop crying. But I don't want to. I do love her, and of course will always protect her... but something about this time of day just really affects my readiness to act. Her nose drips a child-like liquid and her cheeks grow even more red.
QT taps my exposed leg. I don't even need to look down at the robot to know what he is proposing. My feet steady on the metallic floorboards of the ship as I move to a stand. The little girl jumps into my arms and clutches on for dear life as I pull her away from the table.
"Shh, it's fine Erssime," I pull on the back of her hair in an attempt to smooth it out, "I'm not mad."
"Dandy is mad!" She shoves her face further into my chest covering me in snot, tears and spilled milk.
I continue to bring her into the bathroom, the place of many adventures for the two of us. Her sobbing continues, she hates this bathroom. I press the doors open with my free hand as I enter this large section of the ship. Erssime goes onto the seat of the toilet as I move to begin steaming the warm water of a bath. I didn't sign up for this... especially not at ten in the morning.
My eyes cross back for her only a brief moment as I begin pouring in the bubbles that the girl had me buy. Apparently bubbles make everything better. Erssime pages through a magazine. One of my magazines. My eyes grow wide as I now drop a bottle of liquid, without even watching for it to float to the top in order to rush to the innocent child.
"Dandy... what is this?" She tilts the magazine as a three paneled picture falls out onto her lap.
I feel the blood rising to my cheeks, "Nothing!" I scream somewhat awkwardly as I grab the inappropriate literature from her fingers.
"Is that porn?"
My entire body lowers in a sigh as I turn to face the second child of the ship. Her blond eyebrows narrow at me in disgust. For some reason her hands angrily clutch around the penguin plushie she carries everywhere, I watch the fake creature almost burst at the seams.
I scratch the back of my head, "Of course not! I don't look at porn!"
She looks at me a moment longer with a stare of intense disbelief not typically found in someone so young, "Your bathtub is overflowing."
"Gah!" I quickly slip over the floor to reach the spilling tub of water. On first impact with the handle my fingers scream out from the heat, "Shit!" I pull the nob towards me in order to stop its onslaught of scalding water. Let's see, milk has been spilled, tears have been cried and now water is flooding. Great, this is the Space Dandy way, baby.
The bubbles pile on top of one another as I try to mop the area that now lays victim to the soapy water. Erssime slides on the watery floor next to me, as if I'm playing some kind of game.
"Ugh," my nose scrunches as I watch her use her hair as a mop, "Don't do that Erssime, come on let's get you clean-" I hear the faint scurry of a footstep leaving the doorway, "And you too missy! I saw that stain on your shirt!"
Adelie walks grudgingly back into the room, "Dandy please don't make me..."
"You're dirty," I point to the water, "get in."
Her lower lip pouts as she starts to wiggle off her pants but I can still make out her mumble, "You're not my dad..." I choose not to react.
I tug Erssime's disgusting smock off her head as I help her step into the bubbles, it only takes her a second to feel the water before she jumps back out and clings to me. Normally I wouldn't mind a naked girl hugging me, but this is not the time nor the way I see things playing out.
A sigh escapes. Erssime looks at me with large eyes, I look back at her. It only takes this second glance to get her into the water... this time she takes it slower as she lowers herself in. And then there is one. I look back over to Adelie playing with her shirt instead of taking it off.
"Do I need to do it for you?"
"No!" She turns from me angrily.
"I can help you," my head tilts as I try to reconnect our eyes.
"I don't need your help, I'm an adult."
"Of course you are," I smile with a snarky attitude. Her eyes reach back around to shoot me a look. I watch as she tries to pull the blue shirt over her head but finds it stuck on something. The back of her pants have a loose string that has knotted itself around the shirt. With ease I pull the string and watch as her body flings forward.
Her lip stays in the same place as she pouts her way into the water, joining Erssime. I watch with a smile as Erssime attempts to poke the bubbles while they fly above her head. She giggles when I slide a group of bubbles under her chin. I can't help but laugh with her as she forms the bubbles into a beard. She looks to Adelie and smiles.
"Play bubbles with me!"
"No."
"Come on Adelie, play with them... you hardly ever take baths, give it a try?" I collect some bubbles from the water and place them on top of her hair, "there, now you have a bubble tiara."
She rolls her eyes, "Stop."
I shake my head, "I have to stop? What about you? I'm not having a fun morning either but I'm putting up with it."
Her eyes stare over at Erssime instead of me, "I liked it better when it was just you and me... and you didn't try to parent."
Erssime ignores the more grown up conversation as she continues with the bubbles. Adelie finally looks up to make eye contact with me, her eyes stare at me with a sad, faraway look.
"You're right," I watch her eyes grow, "You just act so much older than you are... I know things have been hard Adelie, but everyone here really cares for you," she starts to smile as if Dandy getting all mushy with her is funny, I follow her cue, "and if you think this is parenting, you've got another thing coming, baby."
She finally lets out a giggle. I take the rag off the rack and lather it up as I take Erssime over to me. Her body needs a good scrub and I wash in all the places she usually forgets as she plays with the soap bar, "Dandy who was that lady?"
Sometimes she says things no one understands, "Which girl?"
"She means the lady from the magazine," Adelie looks over at me as she washes her own body.
"Oh, her? That's Agnes Lum," I look back over to the magazine, the bronzed woman staring back at me with her gorgeous smile.
"Where is she from? She's. So. Pretty!" Erssime yells these last few lines with a grin as I wash through her hair.
I laugh, "She's from Hoku Lewa..." my gaze drifts off somewhat. Names always change with passing years but planets at their core typically remain the same. Language is also something that has seemed to stay the same through all the different moments in history that have plagued the paradise, Hoku Lewa will always mean "moving star" in the hearts of the natives.
"Where is that?" I turn to look at Adelie who now stares down at her fingers which try to map out the galaxies she knows.
"It used to be part of Earth, Hawaii I think was the original name, but it broke off during one of the asteroid catastrophes a few thousand years ago. It's mostly a planet covered in the water that was taken with it," I watch the two girl's eyes light up. Neither of them know much of Earth, most planets teach very little about the galaxy that houses the Earthling planet, and even less of Hoku Lewa.
Adelie's forehead scrunches as she tries to think of something on the tip of her tongue, "I saw that somewhere on the ship once... isn't this made in Hoku Lewa?"
I nod, "Yep! The Aloha Oe is one hundred percent Lewian."
She takes the nozzle and washes the water through her soapy hair, "How did you get it then?"
My shoulders take a moment to shrug, it's been so long. I take Erssime's hair and comb through it with a conditioner, "A long time ago I used to live there."
"Why don't you live there now?" Adelie passes me the water so I can wash out Erssime.
"Well, I grew up and saw my life going a different way. There's a reason this ship is so old, you know? My father and I salvaged it and rebuilt it... I could never afford a new one."
Adelie traces her fingers along the wet wall tiles, "I didn't know you had a dad."
"Well, everyone does," I immediately want to take back the words. Why am I so stupid?
"I don't..." she turns away and sighs, a reaction I knew I'd get.
My lip wrestles with my teeth as I try to find the words. I know what I should say, but how do I do it? If I'm going to say it, I should do it right now... but it's so much easier to wait, "Adelie," I've committed now, "I can be your papa. We'll still be good friends but I'll always take care of you."
Her face changes in shape as she tries to pick an emotion to follow through with. A deep red crosses her cheeks and I can see a faint line of tears beginning to form. Why do little girls always have to cry? She shakes her head a moment more before facing me, "Thank you... Dadd- Dandy!"
I let out a gentle laugh as I watch her face. Her soapy body lurches for mine and I accept the wet girl into my arms. I feel the tug of Erssime on my sleeve, soaking it with warm water as she pulls into the hug as well.
Eventually both girls pull away from me, retreating to the warm water. I pat down Erssime with a towel as I get ready to tear her away from the heat. Her feet splash me with water as they kick out. She gives me a big smile and I pull the towel over her eyes and lift it back up.
"Dandy! Erssime wants to see Hoki Lew!" Her nose lifts up to mine as she places our foreheads together.
I laugh, "It's Hoku Lewa, and I don't even know how close we are..."
"Is it pretty?" She dances around as I wrap her in a towel.
"It's the prettiest place in the whole universe, baby."
She throws her arms down as a whine takes over, "Erssime wants to go see!"
On instinct I scratch the back of my head, "I'm not sure if it would make much sense to go," my hands wrap around the small body as I lead out into the girls' bedroom. The old wallpaper painted with a sunset outlining trees in a dark hue circles the entirety of the room. Stars shine in from behind the hidden window in the corner, usually left closed. This used to be my room, but it makes more sense to use as a child's.
"Dandy, I think we deserve a vacation," I turn to Adelie's voice as she follows next to me, holding up her towel and dragging the penguin behind her. She throws her stuffed friend up on the couch she uses as a bed. I've promised to buy her a real one eventually.
Every time I entire this room I feel weird. As soon as the first little girl fell into my arms this area could no longer be mine. It still holds most of my possessions. My banners collected from years of travel, my rug made from some exotic creature bought from Earth that one time while stopping for gas. The girls became enamored with my statues and trinkets from home, the tiki figures, the palm tree statues, and of course the little hula girl that they like to dress up.
I won't let them play with my surf boards, too much risk, but I do let them use the cassette radio to play music. Most of the tapes I have are from home. I know the girls mean well, but thinking of where I used to come from sometimes confuses me, there are just too many unanswered feelings and relationships I've been left to ponder over.
Erssime fidgets with one of her dresses as I hold up her arms and help her wiggle the fabric down. She looks up at me with a head full of wet hair, but I'm too slow to move. She shakes that mane of hair and splashes everything in sight.
With my usual poker-face I offer her no satisfaction as she smiles wildly.
I slick back my hair and stand, ready to venture off into my own room and forget some of these rather annoying memories for the time being. A hand reaches up for mine before I even have a chance to exit and fingers wrap around it quickly. With the sudden interaction I turn, she shoves an object in her other hand over to me. I pick it up slowly, it's a stained and curled photograph. Fresh water distorts some of the colors and smudges the faces. A little girl holding a large alien fish and a bearded man standing beside her with a faint smile set the picture I now hold.
"It's ruined... D-d-dandy!" Her tears relinquish yet again, she must be tired or something she's far too cranky for normal. I pick her up and carry her over to her small bed as she shoves her head back into my chest and sobs, "Where's L'Delise? I miss him, Dandy!"
"Shh," I hold her wet hair without any apprehension, "he's fine..." this however does nothing to soothe her and her wails only grow louder.
I open my eyes as Adelie's weight joins on the bed. She holds Erssime's bobbing shoulders with a sympathetic face, "I miss my grandpa as well... but we need to stay strong."
Erssime pulls back and blinks a few tears as Adelie smiles at her. I don't make any movements or sounds, I let the girls console each other. Their words that they share will mean more than any I can offer at this point. Erssime sniffles as she moves away from me and onto the bed itself.
"L'Delise used to sing when I was sad," she turns over to me with begging eyes.
"Nope! I do not sing kid's songs... sorry, unless you want a song about the booty I've got nothing!" Her sad face does not phase me as I cross my arms in protest.
"Oh come on Dandy! You have to know some kind of kid song... what did your mama sing to you?"
"My... m-mama?" The question catches me in surprise. It's been years. The tall woman with the curly black hair is just some picture now, lodged in my head. Maybe I've saved her to my archives but I remember only fragments of my mother. Sometimes I feel like I make up memories of her, that they may not have actually happened but I only think they did. Her voice was always magical, she would sing my name aloud when it was time to come home, yes, her singing is what still rings in my ears.
And without thinking I go into it, slowly rocking Erssime along, "Aloha `oe, aloha `oe," my voice is shaky as I try to remember the soft words, "E ke onaona noho i ka lipo," Erssime falls back lightly onto my chest, "One fond embrace," I pull back a stray hair, "A ho`i a`e au," the sound of waves crashing up against the house, some sweet smelling food I can faintly recall all come back to me in one blow, "Until we meet again..."
Adelie opens her eyes first, looking at me with a nondescript expression, "Is there any more?"
I nod. For a song I haven't heard in so long, except perhaps in dreams, it comes back naturally, "`O ka hali`a aloha i hiki mai," both of them sway to my hymn, naturally not knowing what the words mean, "Ke hone a`e nei I... Ku`u manawa," this was my mother's favorite song, "`O `oe nô ka`u ipo aloha," a smile passes my lips, "A loko e hana nei."
I wish I could savor this moment of peace. Such happy moments are strung to this song, of a little boy laying with his mother and father on the large rocky hilltop that connects their home. Looking up into the starlit sky that surrounded their home all without a care in the world, sand never forgetting any crevice of their bodies as warm air breathes across them.
"What do those words mean, Dandy?" Erssime doesn't move, unusual for her, she merely sits there absorbing the faint echoes of my lyrics.
"How do you know them anyways?"
"My mother taught me," I take a look at both girls, is this what she saw when she sang to me? My breath steadies as I look up to the woman painted to the ceiling, a beautiful woman with the tanned skin and black silk for hair smiles down at me, "Farewell to you, farewell to you. The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers," Erssime begins tracing swirls with her fingers as I read the lyrics like a poem, "One fond embrace, 'ere I depart... until we meet again," I nod to Adelie, "Aloha `oe."
She doesn't smile, she frowns, "It's such a sad song."
"I don't think so, it's telling you that one day you will meet this special person once again... that you're never apart for long."
Her breath exhales loudly as she falls to the bed with her whole body, "I want to go to Hoku Lewa," her eyes look up to me upside down, "it sounds magical."
Erssime's eyes begin to droop as I move to leave the room. I gently place her head back on top of a pillow as her face softens. Adelie watches me leave, but she stays with Erssime. The hallway is empty except for several drying footprints.
"The girls finally calmed down, eh?" Meow looks up at me as he taps away on his phone.
"Yep," I throw myself back into my chair. A long time ago this ship used to be littered in old cups of ramen, filth magazines and just general trash. Now old candy wrappers, children's tales and unfinished drawings are what line the walls of the ship for decoration.
"They always make such a mess!" QT begins to vacuum underneath the table for a third time.
I stare forward into my bowl of dissolved Space Flakes... the coloring on the chips has changed the warm milk to a brownish hue. Well, there goes my appetite.
Two shoes kick themselves up on to the table, "So where are we going next? We need some new aliens... or at least someway to make some money."
My fingers use the spoon to stir around the rejected mess of my breakfast, "Well, I was actually thinking of some kind of vacation..."
"Vacation?!" QT's wheels swerve around until he reaches me, "We can barely afford to eat!"
I wave him off, "Yea, yea, we can still find a way to have fun with the girls though."
Meow drops his phone onto the table, "Oh, I see what this is all about. You've fallen for those girls and you'll give them anything they want!"
"What?! Me?" I spit on the ground the robot has just finished cleaning, "No. I tell them off all the time, I just think looking for rare aliens gets redundant, why not take a break?"
QT moves to the new stain on the floor, "You've been taking a break for a month now..."
"I kind of want to go home..."
Both of them stop their actions as the two of them take the time to scan over to me. I rarely speak of my past or my home. I live in the present, baby... but recently more things have been pulling me to see my parents again, to see my island. They won't always be there, and while there's a lot to say and ask for forgiveness of, I should do it.
"Sure, Dandy..." QT moves over to the hyperjump and begins typing things in completely ready to learn of my past and home life, "Where is it?" He brings up the holo-map which displays the many different galaxies surrounding us at the moment. I watch all of them shift as they rotate.
"Milky Way," as I say the words the galaxy appears, covered in surrounding debris and trash heaps, most planets in the galaxy are used for waste disposal, except for Earth and its surrounding moon and satellites, the most famous one of course being Hoku Lewa. I personally stand to tap the rest of the coordinates, how many years has it been since I've tapped these in?
Regardless of how my parents receive me, the town will be interesting to see... the girls will have fun, they deserve some relaxation after all this time. Meow and QT will enjoy the tourist activities available. After so long, I'm finally going home.
CONTINUED IN: Space Dandy does the Hula 'Auana , baby!
"Kani? Is that you?" A woman aged to an unfamiliar face answers the door, her eyes light up when she recognizes the pompadour she helped raised.
"Ma! It's Space Dandy now!"
Hope you liked it! I will be writing more to this story and trying to make a little emotional Dandy. :3 Please comment and review! I love them! :)
Thanks for reading!
Further translation to Aloha 'Oe:
Sweet memories come back to me
Bringing fresh remembrances
Of the past
Dearest one, yes, you are mine own
From you, true love shall never depart
