QLFC Round 5 – Borrowed Inspiration;
Arrows Captain: Use the title of a story written by your Keeper as inspiration – (title) the sun hasn't died
as brilliant as a dying star
"Theo, listen to me," Dean says. He had barged into the study where Theo was working waving his arms around so wildly that he looked close to injuring himself. "I've done the research and the sun is dying. Do you understand that? It's going to die within our lifetime and the human race is going to cease to exist. We need to do something about it."
Theo shakes his head. "I don't know what I can do. Nobody will believe the sun's going to die; look at how people reacted to climate change and there was more proof that was happening." Theo stands and takes his boyfriend's hand in his own. "Dean, I love you, but I'm just not sure there's anything I can do to help you with this one."
Dean wrenches his hand from Theo's and storms out of the room, tears in his eyes that Theo is sure Dean didn't want him to see. Theo sits back down at his desk and lets his head fall into his hands. He desperately wants to help his boyfriend, but there had been so much research done in the past that said the sun wouldn't burn out for another few billion years that he isn't sure this will make even a small fraction of the population change their minds.
Even so, he hates making Dean upset, and if there's anything good about working in government, it's that he has some sway with the rest of the party.
Without looking, Theo's hand moves across the smooth tabletop and grabs a pen and sheet of paper to plan out the letter he's going to send to his fellow party members. He knows it's old-fashioned when he could do it holographically, but there's something about the smooth feel of the gliding pen that clears Theo's head and makes it easier to get his thoughts out in front of him.
He finishes writing and looks at the words he's written. They're emotional, biased, and very personal, but with some editing could highlight just how much danger the human race is in and why they should listen to Dean. If nothing else, it should be enough to make Dean happy, and to Theo, that's what matters the most.
"Ginny!" Dean calls as a redheaded woman exits the lab he's waiting outside of.
She gives him a warm smile. "What are you doing up here?" she asks. "Don't you work in astrophysics, not bio?"
"Yeah, but I was wondering if you'd had a chance to look over the implications of the sun dying yet. Theo's writing a letter that he's going to read out in his next big meeting—apparently, he can get it to the Prime Minister if it goes well—and I wanted to get as much information for him as I could."
Ginny's smile falters. "No," she tells him. "I've been swamped with work and haven't had the time. I'm sorry, Dean. I know how much this means to you."
Dean turns to leave but Ginny places a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"I do believe you, you know," she says with a reassuring smile. "When the time comes, I'll be on that ship with you. I think Marlene said she's almost done building it."
The ship is magnificent. It's everything Dean has asked for and so much more. Selfishly, Dean had asked Marlene if she could make it resemble a UFO—Dean has always had a deep love of classic Sci-Fi films from the Eighties and Nineties—and Marlene had done that and then some. The ship is circular, a matte chrome colour, and has a perspex dome on the top that Melene explains is the viewing deck, the curve the perfect shape to magnify their surroundings and make them clearer to see with the naked eye. The ship is deceptively small, too. They had recently developed a technology that makes things appear smaller on the outside than they are on the inside, using fewer resources, too. Dean couldn't help but think of it as 'Time Lord Technology'.
"So, what do you think?" Marlene asks as she enters the flight deck behind Dean. She's smoothing down an oil-stained red jumper, covering it in even more oil as she does so. It's Marlene's idea of looking presentable, something she always tries to do when visitors from outside of her department come to see her work. She never thinks about her hair, though, and Dean has to suppress a laugh as he notices it sticking up in odd angles behind her glasses which have been shoved onto her head to keep it out of her face.
"It's breathtaking. You've really outdone yourself, Mar."
She beams. "I haven't even shown you the best bit yet." Marlene walks over to the control panel and points at a bright red button. "Press this."
Dean does as instructed. Before he can ask what was supposed to happen, Marlene starts moving towards the exit, beckoning for him to follow.
When they get outside, Marlene grabs his shoulders and turns him to face the ship once more. Dean's mouth drops open in shock. The outside of the ship is lit up with various patches of light.
"Is that… Can you actually beam someone up with that?" he asks, pointing at the circle of light underneath the ship.
Marlene laughs. "No, we don't have that sort of technology yet, but I have made it the cargo bay and the lights have been built in around the doors so you can pretend to be beaming things up when you're loading the bigger things into the ship."
"You are incredible," Dean says, admiration leaking through with every syllable. "I bow down to your excellence."
Marlene pushes him on the shoulder playfully. "No need to worship me. I'm not a god quite yet."
"So it's like ET meets Star Trek, all tied together like the TARDIS from Doctor Who," Dean says, a bright smile plastered on his face and his voice full of passion.
"This isn't just nerdy, it's next level. You're like an ultra nerd," Theo says. Though he can't help but tease Dean, he is impressed by the ship. It's everything they'd need and more to last them years in space if they couldn't find a new planet.
"So what do you think?" Marlene asks. Her long, blonde hair falls sleekly down her back and tucked neatly behind her ears, the mahogany jacket she's wearing mostly hides the oil stains on her shirt, her scarlet lipstick looks freshly applied, and her glasses are nowhere in sight. She's much more put together than Dean has described her being before, and Theo finds himself wondering why.
"I think Dean's a nerd," Theo says. "But the ship is spectacular. How did you manage to do all of this?"
"She's obviously got Time Lord technology," Dean says. His tone is serious, and to anyone that didn't know him as well as Theo, it would probably sound like he really means what he's saying, but the way he slightly drags out the word 'obviously' and the glint in his eyes betrays the fact that Dean is joking.
"You keep saying this," Marlene says, "and I have no idea what you're on about."
Dean's face falls. "But Mar, I thought you knew Doctor Who? Wasn't it still airing when you were a kid?"
"How old do you think I am?" she asks with a laugh. "I was born in twenty-forty-seven, not twenty-seventeen."
"He's talking about the thing that makes it look bigger on the inside," Theo explains.
"Smaller on the outside, actually," Marlene says. "It's dimension manipulation. We build the inside the normal size, then fit it into a much smaller shell. It uses fewer resources on the exterior and makes it more economically friendly, as well as leaving us more time to work on the things that are more important."
"Whoa." Theo isn't sure how else to express his wondrous admiration of her work. "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Nope," Dean answers before Marlene can, leaving her looking a little put out. "Her mind is a place of pure brilliance."
"Look, don't get too excited boys. There's a million things I haven't done to this ship yet before it's ready to fly. You just work on getting people to believe you. We need more than just the three of us if we want to travel in any sort of comfort."
"You're coming with us?" Theo asks.
Marlene rolls her eyes. "You didn't think I'd spend months building this masterpiece of a ship and then stay here, did you?"
Theo circles the room once more, running his hand lightly along the control panel as he does, enjoying the feel of the different shapes and sizes of buttons underneath his fingertips. Marlene keeps speaking as he walks.
"I mean, really think about that for a minute. How well do you think the journey into space would go without the engineer who designed the ship and actually knows how to fly it?"
"You make a good point," Theo admits.
"Now, are you two done here? I have a date to get to and if I stay here much longer I'm going to be late."
That explained the appearance. Theo is about to ask who the date is with but Dean gets there first.
"A date? Why didn't I know about this? I can't believe you're keeping a secret! Who's it with?"
"Now, now," Marlene teases. "That would be telling."
Theo paces the length of his study. Back and forth. Back and forth. He's restless and worried. He knows Dean is telling the truth about the sun, he's certain of it, he just doesn't know how he can get it through to the rest of government in a way that they'll take notice of. In fact, he isn't even sure how to bring it up at work anymore. The last time he'd tried, he's been told if he brought it up again he'd be fired.
How is he supposed to tell Dean that? Sure, they have more than enough money in savings to last them until the ship is ready, even if neither of them were working, but he really doesn't want to lose his job over this.
"Theo?" Dean's voice snaps Theo out of his reverie.
"Dean," he says with a small smile. "I thought you were working late again? I didn't hear you come in."
"What's wrong?" he asks. "You're pacing. You only do that when you're worried."
Theo runs a hand through his hair—it's getting slightly longer than he likes to keep it—and lets it rest on the back oh his neck.
"It won't work," he says in a rush. "Nobody wants to believe the sun is going to die and my boss told me I'd be fired if I tried to bring it up again. I can't lose my job, Dean. I really can't."
Dean looks like he wants to storm out, like he can't believe what Theo has just said, but he doesn't. Dean stays, and Theo has never been more grateful.
"I've done what I can and it hasn't worked. I'm sorry."
Dean takes a deep breath, audible enough that Theo, who is still halfway across the room, can hear it. "Okay. Okay, I know your work is important to you, but are you sure you need to stay? Can't you do something else? Who cares if you get fired, we won't be on Earth for much longer anyway."
"Dean, it's not that it's… I just can't lose my job. What would I do with my day? I'd go crazy."
"Isn't there anyone in a different department you can talk to? Or just people you're friends with. What about Malfoy or Granger? They have a lot of sway, don't they? What if you convinced them?"
"I'll try," Theo says. "I promise I'll try."
He isn't sure whether or not it will work or not, but Dean is his boyfriend and has one of the most brilliant minds Theo has ever seen. If there's one person he'd put his job on the line for, it's Dean.
"Thank you," Dean says.
Dean crosses the room towards Theo and pulls him in for a kiss. There's more passion in the kiss than Theo is expecting, not that he's going to complain about that. It deepens in a way that tells Theo just how thankful Dean really is. Theo can't help but smirk as he thinks about how thankful Dean would be if this works.
"Draco?" Theo asks, knocking on Draco's office door. "What are you still doing here?"
"Research," Draco answers nonchalantly.
"Need any help?"
"Actually, yes," Draco says, turning his chair to face Theo. "I'm looking for sources to back up your boyfriend's claim that the sun is dying."
"Really?" Theo asks. He's slightly gobsmacked. Never in his wildest dreams did he think Draco would be on his side in this even after trying to convince him, let alone before he made the attempt. "But I thought… you don't believe in anything."
"I believe in you," Draco says. "And besides, isn't your boyfriend an astrophysicist? I'm more inclined to believe someone who studies space than a Prime Minister who failed science in school."
Theo is stunned. It almost sounds like Draco Malfoy is being kind about somebody outside of their friend circle.
"I can't tell you anything now, but I can forward you his research. We're planning on searching for a new planet, one where the sun isn't about to die. The ship's almost ready. I'll message you when we set a leaving date."
Draco nods. "I'll talk to Granger," he says. "We may not get on, but I can't deny she has more power than me here."
Theo smiles shakily. He knows how much it means that Draco is willing to talk to the girl he's been rivals with since school. "Thanks, mate."
Dean can't help but hop between his two feet as he stands on the flight deck of the ship. This is the last time it will ever be stationary. He can't believe it's finally ready, and he's far too excited to stay still as Marlene talks him through the mechanics of running it. It's all information he already knows—he learnt to fly when he was younger—and most of it won't be done by him anyway. He's managed to convince Ginny to come with them, and in turn, she's bringing the majority of her family, including Charlie who is an experienced flier.
He knows they're going to be stuck on the ship for a number of years before they find a hospitable planet to live on, but there's a definite sense of freedom that comes with escaping a planet where nobody is willing to listen to him with a group of people are willing to believe. Plus, he'll have Theo by his side, and there's nothing Dean wants more than to spend the rest of his life with Theo.
The excitement only builds as people start arriving and claiming living quarters. There are more people than Dean expected, and a fair few surprising faces such as Pansy Parkinson and Marcus Flint—clearly Draco had spoken to his own friends after his chat with Theo. One of the most surprising sights, though, is Ginny and Harry joining them without Hermione or Ron. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been inseparable since school and seeing Harry without the other two was an unnerving sight.
"Harry!" Dean calls. He needs to satiate his curiosity. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"They're staying here," Harry tells him. "Not that they don't believe, it's just Hermione doesn't like the idea of leaving everyone on Earth to die. She wants to do something to help so she's staying behind to spread the word." Harry shrugs. "She's already got people working on a whole fleet of new ships so she must be doing something right."
Dean smiles and feels a wash of relief come over him that he wasn't expecting.
"I'm glad someone's helping. I don't envy her, though; I had a hard enough time getting you lot here."
The journey out of the Earth's atmosphere goes surprisingly smoothly, especially considering how much Charlie and Oliver keep arguing about who's supposed to be in charge. Eventually, when their bickering results in them accidentally changing the gravity settings on the ship, Percy has to remind Oliver that Charlie had asked for his help, not the other way around.
Everybody falls into their roles on the ship with ease; Molly Weasley is in charge of the kitchens, Marlene works down in the engine rooms making sure everything is working correctly, and Penny Haywood heads the Hospital Wing. Theo and Draco are in charge of decision making, but Dean gets involved with that a lot—his job is to assess whether planets are hospitable and to build relations with any inhabitants, along with Barnaby Lee and Charlie Weasley, but neither of those jobs are likely to be necessary any time soon. So he keeps himself busy by helping where he's needed.
Dean also holds the keys to various areas of the ship. Gripping one tightly, Dean turns the key to open the viewing deck for the first time. The room is full of soft furnishings, and as people trickle in, Dean smiles to himself at how happy they all seem. It doesn't take long for the room to fill up, and the spaceship comes to a halt, several million miles away from Earth. They're still close enough to see the sun, and that's what they've stopped to see. If Deans calculations are correct, today should mark the start of the sun's decay.
The perspex dome is tinted in a way that makes it safe to view the sun without aid, and it's a good job it is because there is no time to prepare for the brilliant flash of orange shades that explode across the sky as the sun begins to burn out. It's like a fireworks display and Dean can hear the other passengers calling in delight as he snuggles closer to Theo as they watch the display of light.
Word Count: 3,022.
This is for:
Hogwarts Assignment One — Archeology;
Task 3 — Write about someone planning for the future
Hogwarts Yearly Event — Insane House Challenge;
782. (song) Don't Stop Me Now — Queen
Hogwarts Yearly Event — 365 Prompts;
151. (genre) Sci-Fi
Hogwarts Writing Club — Character Appreciation;
9. (character) Ginny Weasley
Hogwarts Writing Club — Disney Challenge;
S2 — Write about someone dreaming of a better future
Hogwarts Writing Club — Shannon's Showcase;
30. (word) Ultra
Hogwarts Writing Club — Book Club;
Maeryn — (word) curve, (plot point) warning someone, (dialogue) "You're keeping a secret."
Hogwarts Writing Club — Showtime;
27. (plot point) asking for help
Hogwarts Writing Club — Count Your Buttons;
O4 — Glasses
W5 — Freedom
Hogwarts Writing Club — Lyric Alley;
20. 'Cause there's nothing that your mind can't do
Hogwarts Writing Club — Liza's Loves;
Space!au
2. (word) gravity
Hogwarts Writing Club — Angel's Arcade;
Sora — (object) key, (colour) red, (word set) light, promise, truth
Hogwarts Writing Club — Lo's Lowdown;
Q5 — "You don't believe in anything." / "I believe in you."
Hogwarts Writing Club — Bex's Biscuit Barrel;
Gingerbread — (word) wondrous, (character) Marlene McKinnon, (dialogue) "Think about that for a moment."
Hogwarts Seasonal Event — Colour Prompts;
Mahogany
Hogwarts Seasonal Event — Shay's Musical Challenge;
1776 — Write about fighting for an unpopular cause
Hogwarts Seasonal Event — Gryffindor Themed Prompts;
(character) Ginny Weasley, (colour) scarlet
Hogwarts Northern Funfair — Kissing Booth;
(medium) Theo/Dean
Hogwarts Eastern Funfair — Penny Slot Machine;
13. (character) Theodore Nott
34. (word) Spectacular
58. (au) Space
Hogwarts Southern Funfair — Hedge Maze;
Space!au
Hogwarts July Event — Hamilton Mania;
Act One, 15. (emotion) excitement
OP12. (dialogue) "There's a million things I haven't done."
Hogwarts July Event — Pinata;
Medium — (genre) Sci-Fi
Pairing Diversity Bootcamp;
Theo/Dean, Talk
Favourite House Bootcamp;
Earth