Hi!
For context, this OS is a translation of my collection "All the ways you come back to me", so you can find the text there in French under the title "Héritage".
Anyway, English isn't my native language so please forgive any weird spelling or mistakes this text probably contains! I'd be more than happy to correct them if you can point them to me!
I wish you a good reading, hope you'll like the story!
All the ways you come back to me
Legacy
Ah, shit.
Honestly, he should have seen it coming. When he started to travel alone, he had tried to move around a lot and hide himself as much as possible. He changed his name, learnt new languages, changed his appearance. At the cost of long sleepless nights, a non-existent social life, flights spent hidden in holds... Life is hard, but he chose to live it this way. And to be fair, he held good for a long time. All these years spent looking over his shoulder, improvising routes through the galaxies, stealing what he needs, defrauding when he had to, fighting when he must. The Genesis' luxury hotels were quickly forgotten, just as the comfort of the Faculty. His mother, his friends, his coach, his career, all his memories buried in a corner of his head. Locked away with the key thrown in the sea. He moved on with his life and clung on this new adventure to keep moving forward.
But obviously, he has grown soft over the years.
How can he be so sure?
The four kids piled up in front of his door are probably proof enough.
They stare at him for long seconds, the dirty yellow neon of the staircase casting light on the scene. He's half hidden behind his front door while they're huddled together, their bags way too big for their shoulders, hair and clothes soaked by the rain, dripping on the old tiles of the hall.
Obviously, he knows them. By sight, anyway. He's only seen them a few times on social media or on holoTV programs, but he never thought he would meet them someday. He shouldn't have met them. If he didn't go back home to the Snow Kids, it wasn't for their children to come get him.
Upstairs, his old Xzionian neighbor screams at her holoTV, and the kids who had been staring at him for the last thirty seconds jump out of their trance. They exchange a few glances, a silent conversation going through the group, and finally, it's the small dark skinned girl posted in the first row who takes a step forward. She seems much younger than the rest of the kids, making him guess her age between seven or eight years old at most, but when she starts to speak in a shy and quiet voice, he realizes six is probably more accurate.
- Hello sir... Sorry to bother you, we just wanted to- We came here because-... Well...
Another silence takes place and the neon of the staircase sizzles. The little girl sighs shakily then takes a deep breath, building back her courage before resuming:
- Would you be sir Micro-Ice...? The- hum... The Snow Kid ?
What a fucking idiot. All of this because he stayed in this hideout for two more weeks. If only he had remained rigorous... Honestly, he could answer "no". Send them back to their parents who certainly don't know their precious offspring are on his filthy doormat. But the four kids are soaked, almost shivering from the cold, and sending them back outside, in this town, on this planet, it would have been quicker to just rob them himself. He still lets a few seconds pass, noticing the doubt on their faces and their shoulders tensing up more and more after each second of silence. Then, finally, he lets out a sigh which goes right through him, and opens the door further, moving slightly out of the way to invite them in.
- Hurry up, before the neighbor across the hall calls the cops.
The kids flinch, widening their eyes and smiling with all their teeth, forgetting instantly their soaked clothes and their too heavy bags. They almost run to rush in the door, passing close to him while barely stifling victory noises.
Closing his eyes tightly in hope to cancel the head-hake he feels coming, Micro-Ice closes the door, realizing he'll have to contact Mei quickly. Turning around to face his small and dark living room, he can only witness the four teens and kids taking over his flat. Their shoes are thrown in the entrance, their bags piled up in a corner and their wet jackets over them. The kids are already busy testing the comfort of his couch and admiring the view from his small window. Rain is pouring on the concrete landscape, making the bricks of buildings glisten to the horizon.
Micro-Ice vaguely feels like he is seeing himself at the same age and can't help but think of his mother when he swallows back a comment.
He was happy for his old friends when he learnt about their newborn in the news, he was ecstatic in front of the first pictures published on the net or in magazines, just like Mei. Really, they were both happy for them. But clearly, having said kids in the flat that is supposed to be his hideout of the month is more stressful than anything else.
An excited hubbub has quickly taken place in the small room, and Micro-Ice decides to take advantage of the moment to grab his phone while the attention is not entirely on him yet. Discreetly pulling out a bag hidden behind the entrance cabinet, he takes the device out of one of the pockets and hastily composes the number he's learnt by heart. Mei has never changed it and him either, a flaw in their great masquerade, but they need it. The distance does not prevent them from keeping an eye on each other, same for the Kids. Quickly typing a message to inform her of his situation, he presses "send" before raising his head. He finds four pairs of eyes looking in his direction, accompanied by more or less impatient faces, and Micro-Ice hardly restrains himself from releasing a frustrated growl.
- You know sir, you were super hard to find! exclaims the redhead, his eyes shining with excitement. I swear, the only reason we managed to figure out where you were is thanks to Toshi and his super strong computer skills! We would have never made it without him!
M'iko is an exact copy of his father at the same age, his red hair a tad longer and his green eyes a bit lighter perhaps, but the paternity link is blatant, making Micro-Ice's heart twitch. The little brunette at M'iko side tucks his head into his shoulders, blushing furiously at the praise of his friend, his delighted smile proving yet a sincere pride.
- I mostly reused my father's early research from back then, corrects Toshi, running a hand over the back of his neck. His base was good, reusing everything with today's technologies and with the hope that you would end up leaving a trace somewhere... if you were somewhere... Anyway... I didn't really do much.
- Uncle Thran still couldn't do it, Toshi! M'iko is right, you are super talented.
Black hair cut very short, taller, and looking a bit surly, Yuna has obviously avoided her father's narcolepsy, but inherited his almond-shaped eyes and milky skin. Micro-Ice estimates the age of the boys to be between twelve and fifteen, but he gives her sixteen easily. The years get a little too mixed up in his head, and he has trouble finding back the precise dates on which the children were born.
Half hidden behind Yuna, the little brown skinned girl who spoke earlier opines in turn, shyly congratulating Toshi for her technical prowess which she must not understand much about. Besides, Micro-Ice is not sure to understand by which means the child found herself in the adventure certainly initiated by her elders... With her chocolate skin and light hair, Zoe is already a fair copy of her mother. Her large green eyes, her petite frame and her round face, everything about her reminds him of Tia's sweetness. However, the politeness in her speech and the shyness that she lets show prove that she certainly inherited the more reserved temper of her father.
He shouldn't have ever met them. The only way he was supposed to see them grow was through holo-screens, or in magazines filled by overly curious paparazzi.
Shaking his head to force himself to come up with something to say, Micro-Ice crosses his arms as he leans against the doorpost.
- Yeah, great, congratulations... I guess they know you're here by the way, your parents, right?
The silence following his question confirms his intuition. Obviously, the apples didn't fall far from the trees, meaning he has in front of him four millionaires' kids who decided to run away to look for him. Great. Perfect. If the Pirates don't knock on his door in the next five minutes to blow his brain out, he'll consider himself lucky.
- It's not a problem, Yuna explains, lifting her chin to show she's confident. They won't mind our disappearance if we come back home with you.
- Oh, I see. Very smart of you, really. But didn't you think that if I didn't come back home by myself for almost twenty years, you'd find the words to convince me? Sorry to crush your dreams, kids, but it's not happening.
- But it's not fair, you have to come with us! M'iko says indignantly, stamping his foot. We found you, we were even ready to free you from bad guys if necessary!
- But… But you don't want to come back on Akilian? asks Zoe in a small voice. It's your home too…
Micro-Ice clenches his teeth and frowns, cutting short the next remarks that are about to cross M'iko and Yuna's lips.
In his hand, he feels his phone vibrate. Mei didn't take long to answer his previous text:
"Sanja says they've been on the search lists for at least two days. Send them back and move, don't risk getting caught with them. Beep me if you need an emergency hideout, I'll pick you up."
Micro-Ice reread the message several times. He would have done it, without hesitation. If the kids had caught up with him on a more secure planet, or on a galactic station with a proper astroport, he would have done it. But now, he barely understands how the wonder quartet managed to survive past the cutthroats on the way from the astroport to his building, let alone how they managed to land on the planet to begin with.
- You got a ship?
The dry tone startles his audience, but no one answers him, probably not understanding where the question came from.
- It's a long way from Akillian. Did you come here by stealing one of your parents' ships?
- No, never! exclaims Toshi. They would have found us right away with the tracking chip!
- How did you do it then?
- We paid a lady on the Esta Archipelago, and she dropped us off here afterwards.
Yuna crosses her arms, scowling, forcing him to ask for more details.
- And from Akillian to Esta?
- We hitched a ride or two, no big deal.
By all the gods of the galaxy. Even the Galactik Kids weren't this naive in their early days of dabbling. But unfortunately for him, it means they don't have a ship around, and neither does he. No driver, no contacts, fifteen galaxies to cross. If the trip would take only a few hours with a good spaceship, hitchhiking back would take them at least two whole days, maybe more depending on the trouble they'd find in the way. Seriously, how did they survive for two days in these conditions? How did none of the mobsters recognize the kids of the most famous figures in Galactik Football running around on their own? Actually, he could call said parents… But if he does, if he gives them this starting point, they would catch back on him way too fast…
Resigned, Micro-Ice sighs and crosses his living room in two fast strides, opening the door to his bedroom on the fly.
- What are you doing?
- Pick up your coats and bags.
- You're... You're kicking us out...?
- I'm taking you back, you don't leave me much choice, obviously.
The foursome is conscious enough that he's not thrilled to swallow their exclamations of joy, but Micro-Ice can clearly hear them hopping around through the wall separating the two rooms.
Hijacking a ship with four overexcited kids glued to his sneakers isn't going to be easy, but he's done far worse. The Kids were eight and they made it, he and Mei, back in the day... nothing to panic about.
Five minutes later, their little group is walking through the dark city on foot, the four silhouettes well hidden under their hoods, following the adult towards the astroport. It took Micro-Ice only two minutes to pack all his belongings in the bag he carries on his back, and one more minute to clean the few obvious traces of his passage in the apartment. His phone safely tucked in his jacket pocket, nothing ties him to this place anymore. He can find another planet to stop at later, and start over anonymously for a few weeks. Again.
The walk to the astroport is done in relative silence, the rare conversations immediately silenced by him so they remain as discreet as possible. Their little group already attracts enough attention as it is, and he prays to all the gods of the galaxy that some asshole doesn't choose this moment to try to pick their pockets.
Fortunately for him, the heavy and dirty rain visibly discouraged the most vigorous to venture into the night, and they arrive at the astroport without too much trouble.
Time for the next step then, find a ship to borrow permanently. One big enough and fast enough to get them to their destination. And if its condition promises not to explode on the way, that would be a big plus.
- Or we could buy one? proposes Toshi as they start to go around the landing tracks discreetly, trying to spot a potential target.
- Sorry kid, but I didn't have the time to rob any banks this week.
- Maybe not, but we have.
Bringing the group to a halt, Yuna quickly reaches into her jacket to pull out a metal card, which she holds up proudly in front of her. The gold coating glows faintly in the rain, but Micro-Ice has no trouble recognizing a credit card. He arches an eyebrow and the girl shrugs.
- We already used it to pay the lady who dropped us off here this morning. Since you can fly, we can just buy a ship this time.
- Wait, wait, wait. Who'd you swipe this card from? Your dad's?
- It's my stepmom's, she won't even notice.
Micro-Ice frowns and sighs. Again, does he really have a choice? Not so much. And even if he did, between stealing a stranger's ship and stealing the money to pay for a ship, the line is fine. But still. He looks around quickly, looking for another last-minute option. But other than the dirty, rain-beaten old spacecrafts, there's not much in the astroport. With the money, they could go to the guarded counter and pay for one of the used models stored in the basement. It would be far from luxury, but it would ensure that the ship would hold up. And that no one would come after them to get it back.
Sighing for the hundredth time this night, the adult finally nods, and the merry band sets off towards the secure building, one of the few on this planet. About twenty minutes later, they come out of it by air, well installed in a ship dating from the previous decade, but able to survive the trip.
The shape of the hull is vaguely reminiscent of a hummingbird and its purple and orange colors stand in stark contrast to the black of space, but the interior of the little ship is large enough for them all to fit comfortably. The cabin is crossed by carbon benches, promising a spartan comfort, and at its end, an individual cockpit composed of the piloting station and a windshield at almost 180°. The wonder quartet invested the place in one second, spreading out on the benches laughing and by taking its place in the cockpit, Micro-Ice can't help having a pinch in the heart thinking again of the Galactik Kids. He hasn't seen any of them for a long time now, he has to contact them one of these days, he suddenly feels like having a family meal.
The first few minutes of the trip pass in relative calm. Everything happened quite quickly, and the youngsters visibly needed to talk to each other, leaving the adult a bit of space to breathe for a while. But what had to happen happened, and after a short hour of flight during which Micro-Ice could almost believe he was alone on board, he is shaken by the son of his former best friend.
- Say sir! M'iko crashes against the back of his pilot's chair, leaning over his shoulder. Is it true that you were a great friends of my dad?
- Yeah, we grew up together.
- Sometimes he tells me stories from when you were kids! Is it true that you blew up the oven at the midtown bakery?
- Don't blame me, it was D'jok who wanted to get back at the owner.
- No way! exclaims Toshi somewhere behind his back. And the flooding of the dining hall, is that true too?
- Hm, that one was me, yes...
The conversation is more pleasant than he expected, and he finds himself laughing with the kids who are obviously delighted to hear all the tricks their parents did when they were young.
- It must have been fun! Zoe's little voice is louder now that she's getting more confident and a delighted smile spread across her face.
Micro-Ice could only nod, returning the smile to the child. It's been a long time since he'd thought about all these stories, and all those memories had gotten dusty on the shelves in his head. Time has made them somewhat unreal, and he feels like he's lived ten lifetimes since then, but they're still there, sweet and comforting.
- My dad, he keeps a picture of you on the living room mantel, you know.
Mice feels his smile freeze and his eyes get lost in the galaxy stretched out on the other side of the windshield. He feels the next question coming and grips the handles of the controls with anticipation.
- Say, sir Micro-Ice, the redhead begins hesitantly. Why didn't you come home when you had the chance...?
He could make up a story. Say he was driven by revenge, that he lost track of time, that he moved on… But the truth is he was scared to death.
Not like the time they played on the Genesis stadium for the first time, not like their first game against the Xenons, not even like when they were kidnapped. Not like when they stole his fluid either. Their release was accompanied by fear. Real fear. The kind that twists your insides, that takes your breath away, that pins your feet to the ground and makes you want to run away. That prevents you from sleeping. That prevents you from living. So they ran away. They all ran away. Together at first, then each on their own. It was less painful than going back, less painful than having to explain, to testify, to see the pity in the looks, the hesitation in the gestures.
He was afraid to go back to his life, so he crafted another one.
Still leaning on the back of his seat, Micro-Ice feels M'iko slide backwards to land on his bench with a dull noise, aware that the moment has passed and that the adult would not give him an answer.
The trip lasts 8 hours. They had to take a break, dock at a galactic station to refuel, eat, and allow Micro-Ice to rest his eyes a little. But the little iron bird managed to make its way through the galaxies without much trouble. They would have taken less time with a bigger and more recent model, but the small size of the hummingbird ship gives them the advantage of discretion, despite its bright colors.
And quickly, too quickly, Akillian starts to take shape at the end of the galactic horizon. A small white spot in the eternal night. It could have passed for any star, and yet, he already knows that it is her.
Her he has been running away from for so long and is now approaching at high speed.
As if to remind him that he still has a choice, his phone vibrates in his jacket pocket. Micro-Ice unsurprisingly finds a message from his friend there.
"You good?"
He didn't tell her his plan. Drop the kids off himself, then leave... Leave? Would he even have the strength... Mei must think he is hiding in a ship headed anywhere, or in piloting a stolen craft, going full speed to an even more distant galaxy.
"I think so. Or I'm making a big mistake, I'm not too sure anymore."
"Did you find a ship to get away?"
"Yeah. The problem is the destination."
"Give me your coordinates, I'll pick you up."
"Zaellion, 12 million km south of Akillian"
The answer is not long to come.
"Mice, what are you doing?"
And Micro-Ice can't help but ask himself the same question. Is he really blowing it? Years of hiding, years of running... Years of loneliness... Years away from home...
Behind him, Zoe squeals when she sees Akillian through the windshield, triggering cries of joy from her friends.
"I'm still unsure. Tell the Kids just in case. I won't tell on you."
He turns off the little cell phone before putting it back in his jacket pocket. Maybe he's making the mistake of his life. Or maybe he's correcting the one he made twenty years ago by deciding not to go home. Or maybe he'll just turn around at the last second.
Taking a deep breath in hope it will give him some courage, he activates the levers to resume their journey towards the frozen planet.
The approach is fast. The descent towards the frozen lands even more.
Akillian isn't much guarded so they enter the atmosphere without any control ship trying to stop them. Even when they are close to the ground, the inhospitable environment allows them to fly low without the risk of flying over cities or other sensitive areas. All around them, the icy fullnesses pass by at full speed, reviving a nostalgia in him that Micro-Ice had not foreseen. The white and cold expanses attack his retinas tired by the long hours of flight, but if he could have landed immediately to lie down in the powder, he would have done it without hesitation.
The radio of the dashboard suddenly activates, cutting him in his contemplation, letting a sizzling and a little distorted voice resound in the small cabin.
"Academy Radio Station - You're about to enter our airspace - State your identity - Over"
Stopping the thrust of the engines immediately, Micro-Ice brings the ship to a halt.
- It's my father! Toshi exclaims behind him, leaping from his seat to stick his head over the dashboard.
Thran. That's Thran's voice. Micro-Ice feels a chill run down his arms. His heartbeat begins to accelerate, and he has to make a conscious effort to force his breathing to remain calm.
"Academy Radio Station - Identify yourself - Over"
- Sir Micro-Ice, you have to answer them! M'iko shrieks on his right, almost shaking his seat in excitement. They're gonna think we're Technoid spies!
Hands glued to the controls, eyes caught by the dancing waves of the radio screen in front of him, Micro-Ice feels a cold emptiness invade him. In one sentence, in one voice, it has just invaded him again. Fear.
"Toshi are you on board? - Over"
- Sir Micro-Ice?
Bracing himself to come out of his torpor, Micro-Ice unhooks the headset hanging under the control console and puts it over his head. Searching for a few seconds how to turn it on, the crackling of the communication line soon crackles in his ears, so he presses the button activating the microphone's sound pickup:
- Ship to Radio Station. Request permission to approach. Children on board. Over.
The silence that follows seems to last forever. Surely dreading their parents' response, the youngsters too have fallen silent, waiting for Thran's sizzling voice to speak again. In the cabin, only the hum of the engine resounds. After a minute, Micro-Ice repeats the message, hoping that the communication is working and that he hasn't taken too long to respond.
- Ship to Radio Station. Four children on board. Request permission to land. Over.
This time, they only have to wait a few seconds for Thran's synthetic voice to come out of the speakers again:
"Radio Station Academy - North Roof Available - Clear to Land"
Pulling the headset to slide them over his shoulders, Micro-Ice beckons the children to sit down before turning the thrusting engines back on. Squeezing the levers a little tighter, he hopes that his trembling fingers have escaped his passengers.
They are not very far from the academy, by flying over the snowy plains and by circumventing some reliefs, they are quickly in sight of the big white building, stuck to the stadium, dominating the city below. Seeing it Micro-Ice can only realize he had forgotten it was this big.
Concentrating on his approach maneuver, he makes an effort to slow down his inertia as much as possible to approach the building as slowly as possible. He's announced that the kids are on board, so it's highly unlikely that the old Snow Kids or any potential Pirates will try to shoot down his ship thinking it's aggressive. But still. And if he can gain a few seconds of calm before the upheaval he sees coming in his life, he takes each one of them gladly.
On one part of the roof, Micro-Ice sees a door open with force, letting several silhouettes appear. The small group quickly amasses and one of them pulls out a red glow stick, powerful enough for Micro-Ice to see despite the distance and the thin falling snow. The stick is waved in an arc, clearly indicating an open space where he can land safely. Following his guide, Micro-Ice approaches the hummingbird craft from the roof at a reasonable distance from the group, and approach his landing zone smoothly. Orienting the craft so that the exit door faces the people waiting outside, he refrains from glancing at them, worried that his body will freeze as it did earlier. The youngsters, clearly not having this concern in mind, were quick to wave through the windshield as soon as they spotted their parents outside, though the latter were too far away to see them and return the gesture. Any possible punishment was obviously forgotten, leaving only an electric euphoria in the quartet who are now jumping on their seats, waiting for the ship to finally land.
The wheels hit the frozen ground, shaking the plane limply, and Micro-Ice feels nauseous.
Trying to focus on something other than the panic that's starting to burn his eyes, Micro-Ice hurries to push the button on the dashboard that opens the door. Still facing his controls, he hears the metal door slide somewhere behind his back, letting a cold air enter the cabin. Pulling his jacket tighter against him to try to ease the bite of the cold, he feels the phone in his pocket press against his ribs, and he grits his teeth a little more.
- Sir Mice! M'iko almost jumps on him, carried away by his joy of being back home. Come out with us, come on!
- Go ahead. Micro-Ice concentrates with all his strength to force her voice to remain authoritative. You're the one they came for, go and reassure them.
M'iko gives him a thunderous "Okay!", leaping out of his sight as quickly as he entered it. Hearing the sound of snow being stepped on, Micro-Ice realizes that the boy has followed his instructions without any hesitation. Two similar sounds came almost immediately after, and he expects to hear one more when a small voice speaks up beside him.
- Say sir... Zoe's little voice is almost inaudible, masked by the discreet hum of the engines and the wind blowing hard outside. You... You're not going to take off again when I'm gone too, are you?
Of course he will. Of course he wants to do it... He hasn't made up his mind yet, that's all.
Outside, voices echo without him being able to get any words, and he feels his heart beating a little harder.
- Get off the ship, join the others. I am right behind you.
He accompanies his sentence with a smile that he hopes is more sincere than tense, finally turning to the small one. She returns his smile, quickly hiding her chin in the collar of her jacket, blushing a little. A few seconds pass, Zoe staring at a blur in front of her. She didn't believe him, and to tell the truth, he didn't find himself very convincing either.
- Would you... Will you help me down?
Micro-Ice arches an eyebrow, surprised by the barely concealed excuse to force him to follow her.
- It's because- adds the little one with more conviction. The door is- The ship is too high! I might fall!
The tense pout and the stern eyes she addresses him make him think that she is trying to copy her parents' authority tone, and Micro-Ice can't help but smile, feeling the vice that crushes his thorax loosen at once. He'd been taking care of the Kids for a long time, enough to know about children's trickery, never very good, but always terribly sincere, and he has to stifle a laugh. Zoe changed his mind. Or she's confirmed his desire to stay. He's not too sure. But when he stands up and takes her in his arms, he feels the little body cling to him as if she would never let him go again.
Crossing the metters he needs to reach the exit door without hurry, he forces himself to breathe hard to make his stress pass, the cold air almost burning his sinuses. He finds himself quickly in front of the exit, and while jumping on the ground to avoid the uncomfortable distance of the steps, he cannot prevent himself from thinking that Zoe could have hurt herself while going down.
Outside, rare flakes fall while whirling, dragged by the powerful wind at this altitude. Micro-Ice feels the icy breath crossing the meshes of his jacket, sweeping his hair and those much lighter of Zoe in his arms.
About twenty meters in front of him, he immediately recognizes D'jok. His shoulders are broader than when he was still playing, his face eaten by a well-trimmed beard as flamboyant as his hair, yelling angrily at his son. The meaning of the words is too cut by the wind for Micro-Ice to understand, but the big indignant gestures that accompany the speech let him guess the tone. He must have been afraid of losing M'iko, and now he's expressing his anguish as best he can. Not far from there, Yuna is gently scolded by an Ahito who doesn't seem to have taken a wrinkle. Only his long hair proves that time has passed, but apart from that, he hasn't changed at all. Thran, standing behind his brother, hugs Toshi as if he was going to fly away again, glow sticks fallen on the ground at their feet. The former defender hasn't changed much either, he may have grown a little in stature too, but that's it.
And finally, Micro-Ice sees the couple of parents who're still looking in his direction, hoping to see their offspring arrive. He recognizes Rocket, with short hair and glasses on his nose, who breathes such a sigh of relief when he sees Zoe that he almost loses his balance. Tia is at his side, looking sure of herself, her long hair retained in a messy ponytail, and she rushes towards them with a reckless step at the moment he jumps on the ground.
Dreading the confrontation and the throat suddenly knotted, Micro-Ice aborts any desire to advance towards her, remaining frozen at the foot of the colored ship. Feeling his mother's anger coming in, or feeling his own trouble, Zoe holds him a little tighter, and he surprises himself by returning the embrace.
- Zoe!
Still at ten good meters in front of him, Tia's voice reaches him, hardly beaten by the wind, and he has no trouble in recognizing the tone of bad days his friend already had back then. Micro-Ice hardly has time to recover from it when the former captain of the Snow Kids is in front of him, looking at her daughter's back, her eyebrows frowning with anger, but her eyes moist with relief.
- Zoe, do you realize what you've done? Her tone is still tinged with concern. Your father and I were scared to death! How many times have I told you not to follow M'iko and Yuna into their mischief? Zoe, look at me when I talk to you.
The little girl swivels her head towards her mother, an annoyed pout on her face, and when she sees the stern look, swivels again to hide in the jacket of her carrier. Carrier to whom Tia did not grant a single glance until then, focused on her daughter. The raging gesture of the little one forces her to consider the man in front of her and Tia clears her throat, a little ashamed to have lost her temper in front of him without having even thanked him for having brought back the children safe and sound from their little adventure.
- I'm sorry, I didn't- I'm Tia, Zoe's mom, thank you for bringing her home with the others.
She holds out her hand, and Micro-Ice slowly raises his to shake it, nervously waiting for Tia to recognize him, or not. He has changed, he knows it well. Taller, shorter hair, less of a smile, dressed like a counter-banditcher... He has aged a little too. Naively, he expected her to recognize him in a second, and now he doesn't know what to do.
- If you have nowhere to spend the evening, you can stay here. We have no shortage of rooms, and that's the least we can do. We didn't have any rewards planned, but I think we can work something out.
Further on, it's M'iko's turn to scream, surely answering his father's reproaches. The words are too choppy for them to understand, but out of the corner of his eye, Micro-Ice sees D'jok suddenly stiffen. Tia also turns to observe the scene, surprised by the sudden shouting, before turning her attention back to him again.
- Can I take her back? She points with her head to her daughter, still clinging to his jacket. She's small, but I know she weighs a lot in the long run...
Acquiescing with a tense smile, Micro-Ice gently pulls the arms that clasp his neck to give Zoe back to her mother. The small girl protests a little, but ends up letting herself be done, Tia taking her in her arms in her turn.
Still out of the corner of his eye, Micro-Ice sees the figure of D'jok striding toward them. He approaches quickly, and his clenched fists, like his tense shoulders, unfortunately do not bode well for him. If M'iko made his big announcement and D'jok didn't believe him, he's sure to have a bad time...
Hearing her friend approaching, Tia turns to him with a smile, still hugging her daughter.
- Zoe is fine too, she is not very happy bu-
The tall redhead, with a furious step and a steaming face, passes by her without looking at her, heading straight for him without taking his eyes off him. Seeing the hands darting out, Micro-Ice grits his teeth, forbidding himself to dodge or retaliate, letting D'jok violently grab the collar of his jacket with both hands. A little shaken and almost on his toes, the position forces him to look his former friend in the eye and Micro-Ice sees only black anger. The hissing tone which follows only confirms it to him.
- You asshole, if you think you can act as if you're-
- D'jok! Tia grabs one of her friend's arms with her free hand, trying to make him let go. What's wrong with you? Let him go!
The scene seems to have stopped, as if put on pause. Tia continues to bark at D'jok, who in return doesn't move an inch. Micro-Ice has known the redhead all his life. He's seen him so happy he had stars sparkling in his eyes, ready to explode with anger, cry with disappointment, ashamed to death... And there, in the eyes right in front of his, he is sure to see a spark of doubt in the middle of all the fury. So Micro-Ice does what his friend needs to be sure.
He lifts his chin up, lets a smirk take place on his face, looking at the man in front of him with a feigned nonchalance:
- What's with the beard, seriously ? Pirate is just a name, you didn't have to take the style too.
The time seems to stretch again. D'jok's fists loosen at his collar and his eyes flutter, giving him a confused, lost look. When his chin starts to tremble and his arms go over his shoulders to pull him against him, Micro-Ice also feels his emotions coming back to him. His fear a little, his anguish mostly. But against all odds, it is a leaden cap that he feels flying from his shoulders while D'jok's big body almost collapses on him.
When D'jok finally lets go of him, standing up straight with a loud snort, he grabs his head with both of his palms, watching him carefully, and sensing the uncontrolled frenzy of his movements, Micro-Ice decides to let him do his thing.
- You were- I thought- an incredulous laugh shakes the big redhead, and his voice goes into the high notes. What the hell are you doing here...?
Micro-Ice laughs in turn at the absurdity of the question.
- I'm sorry, he breathes with a big smile, his voice tied up by the lump he feels forming in the hollow of his throat. It took me a long time to get home...
Feeling Tia draw him towards her, already shaken by big sobs, Micro-Ice lets himself go. Zoe, still in her mother's arms, takes the opportunity to cling to his collar again, making the little group laugh. Soon all the Snow Kids present come running, realizing that M'iko was right, and that the former stiker is there. The hugs keep on coming. The twins almost crush him by hugging him, and Micro-Ice is absolutely convinced that Rocket has never allowed himself to be so familiar with him as he is at this moment. Around them, the younger ones shout with pride that it is thanks to them that he is there, attracting some angry glances, and some "we'll talk about it later".
In the end, they end up in the big lounge inside the Faculty, slumped on the sofas, exhausted by the overflow of emotions. All the kids, without exception, have fallen asleep on the couches, barely taking the time to remove their jackets. The adults talk distractedly, letting long comfortable silences take place at times, trying to recover from the last eventful days. In the midst of all this, Micro-Ice thinks to himself that he hasn't felt this good in a long time. Even when he was still traveling with Mei and the Kids when they were still too small to explore the galaxy alone. Mei. He'll have to send her a note. Or she'll eventually find the strength to join him too...
Still clinging to him, D'jok begins to stir. His best friend hasn't let go of him since he realized that he's not in a dream and that Micro-Ice is real, as if the loss of physical contact could make him disappear again. It has been a long twenty years for everyone. Stirring a little more, the tall redhead finally turns to him, running a hand over his face thoughtfully.
- What the hell is wrong with my beard...? Is it that bad?
Micro-Ice is taken by a crazy laugh like he didn't have any for centuries.