My 18th story for the 100 SSSS-fic challenge, inspired by the word Rainbow.
"There is a story about a pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow."
Emil looked up at Mikkel's words, looked at the rainbow stretching across the sky.
"Is it true?"
"Maybe. It is hard reaching the end of it, I do not think anyone has ever succeeded."
Emil looked down at the ground, then up at the rainbow again.
"I bet we could do it. What do you say, up for the challenge?"
"That is not in my work description."
"Is it in your work description to make a fool of your team mates?"
Emil leaned back against the tank and watched as Mikkel got up, started folding the laundry.
"Making a fool of people is for my own amusement."
"Yeah, I see why you can't hold a job."
Mikkel didn't answer and Emil got up as well.
"Where do you think it leads?"
"The end of the world."
"Pf, the world is round."
"Indeed it is."
"So where then?"
"I stand by my previous statement. The rainbow ends where the world ends."
"So, the world is pretty big, right?"
"According to old maps and the old timers, it is. I am in no position to make a statement about the diameter of the earth."
"Well, if it's so big, isn't it weird that we're the only survivors?"
"Not necessarily."
"Not necessarily weird or not necessarily that we're the only survivors?"
"Yes."
"You're making me crazy, Mikkel."
Emil looked at the sky again.
"You think they are trying to reach the end of it?"
"The other survivors that may or may not exist?" Emil nodded at Mikkel's question. "Maybe they have not heard the stories. Either way it is just a story, there is probably not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."
"But the only way to know for sure is to go there, right? So why don't we do it?"
"I will not stop you from asking Sigrun to change the plans for this mission."
"You know, I think I'll ask her."
Emil didn't move and Mikkel put the laundry in a dry basket.
"Yessss, asking her is exactly what I'll do..."
Mikkel moved past him, put the basket down inside of the tank. Emil kicked a tiny rock.
"You think she'll say no?"
"I can not say for certain."
Mikkel came back outside with the portable stove, fired it up. Emil leaned over it, watched as Mikkel worked.
"Where do rainbows come from anyway?"
Mikkel looked at Emil, shook his head and continued working with the stove.
"Is it like..." Emil leaned back and gesticulated towards the sky as he talked. "When a daddy unicorn and a mommy pegasus loves each other very much..."
Mikkel laughed, but tried to cover it up with a cough.
"Do you seriously not know why there is a rainbow?"
Emil shook his head. Mikkel leaned back, looked thoughtfully into the sky.
"It is the nyan cat."
"What's a nyan cat?"
"A nyan cat is a cat that travels through space. Wherever it travels a rainbow will appear."
"Huh." Emil looked at the rainbow again. "I want to see a nyan cat. Is there any way to lure it down?"
"I do not think so, but you could always try a ball of yarn."
"Maybe I will."
Emil got inside the tank, started searching through it for a ball of yarn. Tuuri, Reynir and Sigrun watched curiously at him as he searched the tank.
"Emil, what are you doing?"
"We're going to lure down the nyan cat, you wanna join?"
Tuuri tilted her head, just like Lalli had done countless of times.
"...What is a nyan cat?"
"It's..." Emil blushed a little. "It's a spacecat that makes rainbows appear?"
Tuuri laughed.
"Emil, rainbows come from raindrops in the atmosphere. When light hits them it splits up and a rainbow appears."
"But light is just light."
"Light is... where do I even begin to explain this?" Tuuri shook her head. "Never mind, just trust me. There is no such thing as a nyan cat."
"...okay."
Emil stopped his searching and went into the bedroom, settled down on his bed. Sigrun ruffled his hair, laughed and went outside and Emil looked at Lalli.
"Everyone just treats me like a child. I'm not stupid, I'm just as smart as they are!"
Lalli looked at him, but didn't say anything.
"I just... I wish I could prove to them just how capable I am."
Lalli rolled out from under Tuuri's bed and settled up on the floor, still looking at Emil.
"At least you treat me like a person. Well, as much as you treat anyone anyway. On the other hand I guess it would be pretty boring if all of them were like you, wouldn't it?"
Lalli tilted his head, as if considering what Emil said. Emil leaned against the wall.
"But at least they wouldn't pull any pranks on me... Or call me stupid."
Lalli got up, patted Emil on the head and went outside. Emil looked after him, blinked. Let out a sigh and leaned back again, crossed his arms over his chest. Now even Lalli was treating him like a child. This was not what he had signed up for.
He stayed there, waited for something to happen, and after 10 minutes Mikkel's head appeared in the door opening.
"Emil, are you playing hide and seek?"
"No." Emil turned his back towards the door. "I'm just staying away from everyone until they start treating me with some respect."
Mikkel let out a sigh and left the room again.
"I guess that means you will not be joining us for dinner."
Emil's stomach grumbled and Emil looked at it, cursed under his breath and got up.
"One dinner probably won't hurt!"
He followed the Dane outside, settled down on the chair and looked towards the sky. The rainbow was still there, stretched from horizon to horizon.
"Did you give up your attempts to catch the nyan cat?"
"There is no nyan cat anyway."
"True. But there could have been."
"One day you're gonna tell me stuff and I won't believe you and it will all be your fault. You know that right?"
Mikkel didn't answer, simply gave Emil a bowl with food. Lalli flopped down next to him, looked at the rainbow himself, and said something to Emil. Emil looked towards Tuuri for translation and she smiled.
"He said a daddy unicorn and a mommy pegasus must have flown over our camp."
Emil looked at Lalli, who focused entirely on his food, and Emil looked at the sky instead.
"Lalli, you are absolutely correct."
Emil could have sworn he saw Lalli smile in the corner of his eye.