Title/Prompt: The Bells Rang Louder
Rating/Warnings: E
Summary: In the seven years they've been together, the relationship between the Planeteers has grown stronger and closer. As they explore new connections and attractions, the people on the outside struggle to understand.
Notes: So, after writing Give Up the Fight, It Don't Come Easy and Shadows Will Pass, I wanted to write something exploring the closeness between the Planeteers, particularly after having been together for several years. I also wanted to write something with the main relationship being Kwame/Gi, so I have continued this after my short little multi-chapter Through the Dark. You don't need to read that first if you don't want to (though it's very short), you just need to know that there is an established relationship between Gi and Kwame here.
Wheeler/Linka may feature as well.
I really wanted to explore the possibility of the Planeteers growing close together, and people on the outside failing to understand the special relationship between them. I think that after seven years together (this is going to be set sometime after the last episode, though tbh I hate season six so much I'll probably ignore it completely), the Planeteers would form a group that would be very difficult to understand from the outside. Their job would be so difficult to understand, and they rely on one another so much in such bizarre situations, I think it'd be impossible to explain to anyone what their job meant and what they meant to one another.
The title is taken from a quote I found a while ago, and I love it.
This is a work in progress, but you should know that I am not against writing explicit adult scenes, including sex and violence. I'll try to add warnings ahead if each chapter contains anything particularly bad, but please know that some content may be confrontational or triggering, and I am going to assume that anyone reading on from this point is old enough to read adult content.
Love is supposed to start with bells ringing and go downhill from there. But it was the opposite for me. There's an intense connection between us and, as we stayed together, the bells rang louder.
Gi cocked her head and listened carefully, keeping her breath soft and quiet. The night was still and hot and the path in front of her was deserted.
She could feel sweat prickling on her skin as she moved forward again, tiptoeing in and out of the shadows. The moon overhead was full, casting silvery light across everything. Gi realized how easily she could be spotted if someone came along.
She had no excuses for being there so late at night. If someone came along and questioned her she'd have nothing but stammers and wide eyes. Not a very convincing argument for innocence.
She turned the door handle carefully, keeping as quiet as possible and glancing nervously over her shoulder, making sure nobody was following her. To be discovered now would give everything away.
She closed the door quietly behind her and breathed a soft sigh of relief. Inside. Safe.
Kwame lifted his head and looked at her in amusement. "Hello."
She grinned and skipped across the floor to his bed, sliding in next to him with a sigh. "Hi."
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "You look so timid whenever you sneak in here..."
"I'm scared of being caught," she said, kissing him gently. "Sneaking into your room so late..." She raised her eyebrow. "People will know what we're doing."
He grinned. "Does it matter?"
"Don't you think it's a nice secret?" She rolled on top of him and kissed him again, smiling when his arm curled around her waist and held her to him.
"A very nice secret," he confirmed quietly, running his fingers over her skin, lifting her t-shirt. She let him pull it over her head so she was naked from the hips up.
She paused for a moment, one hand on his chest and the other against his jaw, her thumb resting on his lower lip. "Do you want to tell them?" she asked after a moment. "Are you sick of hiding?"
He opened his mouth slightly to act a kiss against her thumb. "Are we hiding?" he asked curiously. "Or are we merely being secretive?"
She rose to the challenge swiftly, fierce truth in her voice. "I'll tell them right now if you want me to."
He laughed and rolled over on top of her, and she realised she'd been had. She started to giggle.
"Shh," Kwame chuckled. "You could wake the dead."
"Wheeler is the closest and he sleeps through Gaia's thunderous announcements," Gi argued, curling her arms around him and nuzzling against his neck. "I won't wake anyone."
"Are you trying to challenge me?" he breathed, kissing her again.
She smiled and rocked her hips upwards against him, her hands running down over his broad shoulders, bare and smooth in the warm night. "I'll be quiet," she whispered in his ear.
He murmured a sound of general disbelief against her shoulder, pressing his mouth against her skin and moving his tongue over the delicate curve of her throat, his hands moving in slow strokes against her body.
"Kwame?" she whispered, tracing her fingers over his back.
"Hm?" He propped himself up on his elbows above her and stroked her hair out of her face.
She smiled at him. "I really don't care if they find out, you know. I'm not ashamed of being with you. I don't want you to think I'm hiding all of this because I'm embarrassed. I'm not."
He traced his index finger over the rounded tip of her nose. "I know, Gi."
She smiled up at him and lifted her head to meet him in a kiss, the thrill of his body against hers resulting in hot shivers that ran the length of her and left her writhing and helpless beneath him.
Wheeler sat slumped over his cereal, still bleary-eyed and tousle-haired. It was almost eight o'clock, which was definitely a sleep in when it came to being a Planeteer, but to Wheeler it still seemed an unreasonable hour to be awake.
Kwame wandered in and smiled at him. "No sleep, Wheeler?"
"I still beat you to breakfast," Wheeler muttered.
Kwame chuckled and reached into the refrigerator for juice. "If you say so."
"You're usually up a lot earlier than this," Wheeler answered, raising his bowl of cereal to his mouth to drain the remainder of the milk.
"Charming, Yankee," Linka said, walking into the kitchen and spotting him. "You eat like a pig."
"The milk at the bottom is the best bit," Wheeler argued, getting up to rinse his dishes. "It's full of the sugar and flavor of all the cereal I've already eaten."
Linka sighed and set about making herself something to eat. Wheeler watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was, annoyingly, a morning person, and never failed to remind him by showing up to breakfast after a long run on the beach, her skin glowing with fresh air and slight sweat.
"Has anybody seen Gi?" Linka asked, dropping two slices of bread into the toaster. "She said she would come running with me this morning."
"Nope," Wheeler yawned.
Kwame took a careful sip of juice.
Linka stepped around Wheeler to fetch the butter from the fridge. The Planeteers were well-practiced at their morning routine – when they had one. Often, the routine was disturbed by eco-emergencies. When they had the comfort of their home kitchen, breakfast was a relaxed, chatty and friendly affair. They never failed to take it for granted, either. Breakfast during Planeteer missions often involved cold toast, handfuls of various grains and dried fruits, and hurried gulps of lukewarm juice in the geo-cruiser.
Being able to take one's time and prepare the day in a leisurely manner was a nice luxury they all wished they could enjoy often.
Wheeler polished an apple on his shirt. "What are we up to today?" he asked.
"We should give the geo-cruiser a tune-up," Kwame suggested. "We have put it through some difficult paces lately and it is time to make sure there is no wear and tear."
"M'kay," Wheeler answered around a mouthful of apple. He watched Linka butter her toast. "How 'bout you, babe?"
She glanced at him and reached for the honey. "I need to call Mishka," she muttered. "I am very late with phone calls. I do not think he will be very happy with me." She checked her watch and gave a sigh. "I should do it now."
She left Wheeler and Kwame to their breakfast and exited the kitchen to walk towards The Crystal Chamber. The morning sun was already warm, and the grass and flowers bordering the path smelled sweet and heady, still covered in early dew. She could see Gaia further on through the clambering flowers, opening pretty lilies with the light touch of a finger.
Linka chewed her toast as she waited for the Crystal Vision screens to connect through to Mishka's computer. It was a relatively new way of communicating with him, and seeing her face seemed to placate him when she was late with returning his calls – which seemed to be more and more often, lately. She suspected Gaia had sensed her guilt and had bumped up the technology available to Mishka at home.
She smiled at him when he answered, dusting her hands of her toast crumbs. "Hello," she said, greeting him brightly.
"Just a moment," he apologised, a greeting not forthcoming. "I will be back in a second."
She wrinkled her brow in confusion as he disappeared. She was left staring at his empty chair. She checked her watch anxiously. Seeing Gaia so relaxed in the garden before had indicated to Linka the full day would be free, and she was eager to get out and enjoy the sun.
She waited impatiently for Mishka to come back, until she became aware of raised voices in the background. She tilted her head, frowning. She could hear her grandmother, angry about something, raising her voice to Mishka.
He looked frustrated when he returned.
"Is everything okay?" she asked anxiously.
"Fine," he answered shortly. He gave her a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "How is life on Hope Island? It looks like a nice day."
She turned and looked over her shoulder, through the open windows towards the bay. The sun glittered prettily on the water. "It is a nice day," she answered distractedly. She turned back to her brother. "Mishka, are you and Grandma arguing about something?"
He rubbed his jaw. "No," he answered vaguely. "She has misplaced something. She thinks I shifted it." He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, lowering his voice slightly. "Her memory is getting a lot worse, Linka."
Linka felt a pang of concern. "What do you mean?"
"She forgets things... She is often angry and frustrated. She can become quite aggressive..." He fidgeted, looking guilty as he made this admission to her. "It can be difficult," he said reddening slightly.
Linka tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel her heart thudding loudly. "Is she unwell?" she asked.
Mishka shook his head. "She is eating, and she seems fit and able," he said. "It is just her mind, Linka. She is getting older. She is alone most of the day when I go to work..."
Warning bells started going off in Linka's head as Mishka continued.
"If you could just come and visit for a couple of weeks..."
"Mishka, I can't," she said desperately. "I don't get regular holidays like everyone else. I have one or two days off every few weeks. It's hardly enough time to fly to you, let alone –"
"Why can't you ask for time off?" he asked irritably. "Why do we have to fit into your schedule like any other Planeteer mission?"
Linka almost flinched. "That's not what it is," she answered angrily.
"That's what it feels like," Mishka hissed furiously, keeping his voice low. "I love Grandma, Linka, but I'm at the end of my rope. I hear the same stories again and again, and many of them have to do with you never being home. I hear stories of our parents living their whole lives in this town and what an admirable thing it was, and I can hear resentment when she talks of you because you're not here. I hate it." He sat back in his chair and his eyes were glittering furiously. "I need you to come home," he said. "I need a break."
Linka looked down at her hands, hating herself for what she was about to propose. "What about Uncle Dimitri?" she asked quietly. "He is her son; he could come and –"
"Forget it," Mishka snapped, sounding disgusted. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. After a moment he gave a sigh and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Tell me," he said, "what has been keeping you so busy." He gave her a small smile, indicating he meant nothing but interest.
She gave him a small smile in return, and the argument was pushed aside and they each pretended to forget it. "We came back from China yesterday. We've been rebuilding villages after that earthquake. We put a start in on a recycling plant, too."
Mishka smiled, and Linka gave a small sigh of relief.
The rest of the conversation passed without incident, but the guilt and worry at the back of her mind weighed heavily upon her, and she knew that at some point she'd be forced to face it properly.
"Ma-Ti, call your monkey off!" Gi cried, attempting to wrestle a wrench out of Suchi's tiny hands.
Ma-Ti chuckled and held his hand out for the wrench. Suchi ran to him and deposited it obediently into Ma-Ti's outstretched palm before running up to sit on his shoulder, chattering quietly. The Heart Planeteer leaned down to hand the wrench back to Gi.
She was sitting on top of the eco-sub, the control panel open in front of her.
"Anything serious?" Ma-Ti asked, stretching out on top of the dock and resting his chin in his hand. Suchi clung to him and peered down at Gi curiously.
"Nope," Gi answered cheerfully. "Just a couple of things needing a little tighten up. Nothing too dramatic." She threw the tools back in the toolbox and slammed the lid of the panel down. "It's starting to warm up, huh?"
Ma-Ti glanced up at the clear blue sky. "I feel very lazy today," he sighed. "Something tells me we should be taking advantage of the day to catch up on things we've neglected, but all I want to do is stretch out in the sun."
Gi grinned up at him. "Me too." She held her hand up and he helped her onto the dock.
Sometimes Gi wondered if Ma-Ti was wise to the relationship between her and Kwame. If he was, he gave no indication. She wasn't entirely sure how far his power extended towards things like that – but even without it, Ma-Ti was intuitive, and she wasn't sure how much longer things could be kept secretive. The Planeteers lived in each other's pockets a lot of the time. Keeping secrets was difficult.
She glanced across the grassy clearing between the forest and The Crystal Chamber. She could see Kwame and Wheeler moving about beneath the geo-cruiser. Their laughter and voices floated over on the light breeze.
"Linka looks like something is on her mind," Ma-Ti said, sounding concerned.
Gi turned her attention to him and saw him looking further down the beach. Linka was standing in the shallows with her hands in her pockets, staring out to sea.
Gi gave Ma-Ti a worried glance and they separated quietly – Ma-Ti heading towards the geo-cruiser and Gi heading for Linka.
"Are you okay?" she asked, drawing closer.
Linka smiled at her. "Da, I am okay." Her voice sounded rather dull and flat, and Gi didn't believe for a moment that everything was all right.
She sank into the sand, leaving her legs stretched out so the thin waves running in could sweep up against her bare feet. She patted the sand beside her and Linka sat down, mimicking her position and propping herself up on her elbows, staring down at her feet.
"Grandma is not very well," she said after a moment.
Gi turned to her in alarm. "Do you need to go home? Go, Linka. We'll manage."
Linka shook her head and bit her lip. "It is not that sort of unwell," she admitted. She dug her toes into the wet sand. "Mishka says she is growing forgetful... She is getting aggressive and confused."
"Oh," Gi said softly. She trailed her fingers through the sand, not sure what to say.
Linka sighed and shrugged. "I am not sure what to do," she said. "I do not think I can help much by going home. But I know it must be hard on Mishka..." She bit her bottom lip again.
Gi took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "If you want to go home for a few days, go, okay? Family is important."
Linka gave her a smile. "I know." She frowned down at her feet. "Perhaps I should," she said slowly. "Just for a few days. Just to give Mishka a break."
"Do you want someone to go with you?" Gi asked.
Linka shook her head. "I will be okay. I will not be long. Three or four days."
"If you need longer –"
"Just say so," Linka finished for her, giving her a smile. "I know, Gi."
Gi got to her feet and pulled Linka up. "Want to take a swim before you leave?"
Linka looked longingly at the blue waves rolling in, but sighed and shook her head. "I should go. Is Gaia still behind the gardens?"
"I don't know," Gi answered. "I'll go and tell the guys you're going to need the geo-cruiser for a while."
Linka smiled at her and they parted.
Gi watched her go worriedly. Being a Planeteer clashed with normal life a lot of the time, and it was hard for people on the outside of their circle to understand that. She thought back, guiltily, to the last conversation she'd had with her parents, and made up her mind to call them that evening.
Wheeler drummed his fingers on the wing of the geo-cruiser. "Done?"
"I think so," Kwame agreed, wiping his hands on a rag. "That took longer than I thought it would."
"Guess we've been a bit rough on her lately," Wheeler said, patting the side of the yellow cruiser fondly. "It's been a while since we took some proper time to tune everything up."
Gi skipped into the clearing, poking Kwame in the middle of his back and leaning up against the geo-cruiser's wing beside Wheeler. "All done?"
"Yup," Wheeler answered. "How's the eco-sub?"
Gi shrugged. "Fine. But Linka wants to take the geo-cruiser to Russia for a few days."
"Is everything all right?" Kwame asked in concern.
Gi shrugged. "I think she just misses Mishka and her grandma."
Wheeler frowned, not really buying it. He gave a shrug. "Well, whatever. Doesn't look like we're going to be too busy over the next couple of days." He scratched the back of his neck. "I should probably go to New York on Friday," he muttered after a moment.
"Why?" Gi asked, craning her head up at him.
"It's Mom's birthday. I forgot about it completely last year. I should probably try to make it up to her this year."
"You forgot your mother's birthday?" Gi asked in disbelief.
"Can't all be perfect," Wheeler said, scruffing her hair. He grinned and wandered away down the path, listening to the others continue chatting without him.
He found Linka just behind The Crystal Chamber, talking to Gaia. He hovered for a moment, not wanting to interrupt, but Linka spotted him.
"Is there something you want, Yankee?"
He grinned at her. "You're taking off for a couple of days?"
"I suppose so," Linka sighed. "Not for a vacation, however."
"No?"
Linka tightened her ponytail slightly and shook her head, but didn't offer any further information.
Wheeler paused for a moment. "Is your grandma okay?"
Linka glanced at Gaia, and she smiled and moved away, leaving the Wind and Fire Planeteer alone.
"I am not sure," Linka admitted after a moment. "I think she is just showing her age. Mishka says she is starting to fail a little..."
"Oh." Wheeler fidgeted for a moment. "Well, if you want someone to go with you –"
"Nyet, I will be all right," she said, smiling at him.
"Okay. Give her my best, huh?"
Linka smiled again. "I will." She stood for a moment and touched her ponytail again, tucking a loose strand into the elastic. "I should go and shower," she said after a moment. "Then I will go."
"Won't you get there in the middle of the night?" Wheeler asked, checking his watch.
She shrugged. "It won't matter."
"Okay." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well – fly safe."
She smiled. "I will."
He hesitated, but then leaned in and bumped a kiss against her forehead. She smiled at him, but when they parted it felt awkward and unnatural. The Planeteers so rarely said goodbye to one another they weren't sure how to do so when the time came to separate.
Linka wandered slowly to her hut to take a shower and pack a bag, feeling odd about what was in front of her. It wasn't just the worry she had for her grandmother, or the guilt she felt for not visiting as often as she probably could have – it was something else.
It feels strange, saying goodbye to the Planeteers, she thought suddenly. Even if it is just for a few days, it feels unnatural to become an individual and separate from them.
She shrugged her shoulders in an effort to push the feeling back. It couldn't be helped, this time. It had been a long time since she'd been home. It had been a long time since any of the Planeteers had gone home, and only so much time could pass before the people who had been left behind stopped pretending it was all right.
