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baenxietydad · 1 year

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2006 || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

tl:dr: Mu-yeol tells Nemo about the reopening of his mother's murder case.

Read the setup selfpara here

MARLIN:

Soon-ja’s voice echoed in his head long after he’d hung up the call, long after he gave up parsing out the things he was feeling. He was pleasantly surprised he still found himself capable of functioning after being brought back to the subject of So-yeon— guess the therapist and listening-talent both helped after all — and prepared a homemade lavender lemonade for Nemo. He’d texted him saying he wanted to come home and stay the weekend with his Appa, and would be home any minute. Mu-yeol had almost told him ‘oh, but I’ll be too busy, how about next weekend?’ to process the news longer, but there was the promise he made to Nemo. No more lies; and telling him in a week wasn’t technically a lie, but it was concerning his mother. Nemo deserved to know quickly.

The door swung open and Mu-yeol grinned ear to ear at seeing his little — Ah, well, his grown up son.

“Nam-min! Come here, Appa needs a big hug, it’s been ages since my only son left for the war.” He put on a dramatic gaze out to no man’s land.

NEMO:

Nemo had started a new routine this term and so far, it was definitely better. Not perfect, probably, but on the road to good. And that routine meant working out every day, working at Ruff to Fluff only twice a week, and every other weekend, he came home to the Hollow where he could let his wings down, eat Appa’s cooking, and flutter around his favourite places in Enchantra. All these things kept his head much more clear, though there was still this nagging anxiety that he wasn’t sure what he was doing and in reality, he was just wasting time until the inevitable.

At least he was managing that anxiety well. Stick to the routine. So here he was, sticking to his routine.

Nemo snorted at Appa, but the snort at least curled his lip into a smile. With a big roll of his eyes, he fluttered toward him. “Soooooo dramatic,” he said, but hugged Appa anyway.

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol hugged Nemo tight, wriggling him around a bit and pressing a kiss to his forehead before letting him go. He wanted to hug him again, as if a second hug would soften the upcoming conversation, but he knew it would also be a dead giveaway that something was…well, was it wrong, or was it just off? One meant something bad had happened, which he supposed did (eighteen years ago), but the other meant there was simply a shift in his normal.

“Are you hungry for anything? I could make something. Or just a cup of tea?”

He didn’t want to stall, but he didn’t want to launch right into it either. Welcome home son, let’s talk about your mother and how she got murdered! Let him settle in first.

NEMO:

Props to Marlin – Nemo didn’t notice anything was different. Though maybe that was because it had been another long week. Every week in uni felt like a long week, even just taking his two classes. He still had homework, plus he was making sure to go to the gym every single day. He was a little sore, but Nemo was sure it was a good sore, the kind that meant his muscles were improving.

So tea actually sounded pretty good. His eyes lit up. “Ohhhh, orange peel tea? With honey?” Nemo said eagerly, a pretty typical kind of tea for this time of year (right before spring).

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol got the water going over the fireplace and hovered near it, his wings lifting him a little off the ground. He let the water boil in comfortable silence as Nemo flit up to his bedroom to change clothes and had the tea ready for him when he fluttered back down.

“How’s school going? Is there anything I can do to help you succeed right now?”

Right, start with this. Then…then broach the real subject.

NEMO:

This was a pretty typical question these days. Appa asked it basically whenever Nemo came home, or when they talked on the phone (which they usually did a few times a week). Nemo understood why Appa had to ask this, though sometimes it just made him feel self-conscious, like there was a mark on himself that he couldn’t erase… just like there was a blemish on his school record that he couldn’t erase.

But ah well. Nemo knew not to fight it. He had to be like a fish and go with the flow.

“It’s going well, Appa, I feel good these days,” Nemo said, which is what he also usually said to this question. It was the truth! Two classes and working less hours at Ruff to Fluff was helping. “Ashlee and I were talking about maybe working on a showcase together again. That’d be fun.”

MARLIN:

“I think you should!” Mu-yeol lit up at the mention of dancing with Ashlee. “You love dancing with her and it would be nice to dance with her again before your dance careers eventually might see you two taking different opportunities in different places.”

Because he was going to manifest opportunities actually coming his son’s way. Of course they would be fewer and further between than a Mundus or just generally human dancer, but once just a few came he knew his son would earn more. He worked too hard to not get his fair shot. That’s all Mu-yeol wanted for him.

Mu-yeol bit at his lip and sighed as he set the tea down in front of Nemo.

“Nam-min, 아들 (adeul).” Mu-yeol began. “I…need to talk to you about something. Um, it’s about eomma.”

NEMO:

About Eomma?

For Nemo, this came out of nowhere. He and Appa did talk about Eomma often enough. She was carried into their conversations naturally though, as Appa saw something that reminded him of her or questions popped into Nemo’s brain about this or that. In the past few years, it was no longer as painful for the both of them. Nemo liked that she stayed close, y’know? Like a breeze that always came his way.

But this was different. This– Nemo knew right away, by the tone of Appa’s voice but also by the lines on his forehead.

Nemo had no clue what it could be, but his stomach clenched.

“Uh– Eomma? Um, sure. What about Eomma?” Nemo asked as he tucked his palms around his warm mug of tea.

MARLIN:

There probably was a better way to frame that but pardon him for not having read the guidebook for this conversation. He tapped his fingers against the table and exhaled slowly before going into it.

“Um. Soon-ja called me a couple days ago. The South Korean government is reopening a bunch of cold cases involving fairy murders. Palatable fairies anyway, like your eomma.” Mu-yeol explained. “Her case was declared cold pretty quickly at the time, with little effort, but the government has an interest in appearing more friendly toward fairies right now and her case is being investigated by a special task force. I don’t know when I’ll know more information. And it could take months, a year, more than that even. Or it could go cold again. But I thought you should know there’s an effort being made.”

He stopped at looked at Nemo, waiting for his response.

NEMO:

Nemo listened.

What else could he do? This whole thing was like nothing he ever heard of before. He didn’t watch much TV, so he didn’t have experience with police dramas or true crime. He had learned a few things in his fellowship this year about magicks and law, but it was precisely that kind of complex, nuanced information, which required so much knowledge of other cases, that had confused and challenged him in class. In a way, Appa’s news felt a little bit like those classes actually – a discussion on an article he was assigned to read, about a case far away, that had nothing to do with him.

Only this news had everything to do with him.

Nemo didn’t know what to feel about it. He clutched at his tea, the orange smell wafting into his nose, and he searched for some kind of word that could explain it. Weird came to mind. This was weird.

“Oh,” Nemo said then, feeling stupid– feeling weird. Feeling– nervous? “Um… does that mean… what does that mean? Like, er, for us? Do you have to talk to police again?”

MARLIN:

What did that mean for them. That was a very good question, because he’d like to know too.

“I’m not sure yet; Soon-ja said she’d tell me if I need to fly to Korea to give a new police statement, but they should have my original one.” Mu-yeol said, tapping his fingers against the table nervously. “And they took DNA samples from under our fingernails so they should have that, too.”

He clicked his tongue.

“Of course I’ll go to Korea for the trial if there even gets to be one, keep in mind there’s not even – they don’t have their eyes on anybody yet. But I’d have to testify I’m sure. I’ll let you decide if the time comes whether you want to come with me or not.”

NEMO:

Fly to Korea.

Appa had talked about that in the past, but it was always in a positive context. In a “Oh I can’t wait to show you Korea, Nam-minnie” context. And Nemo had looked forward to it too, hoping that the day would come, that the talk would become action, and that dream reality.

This was– different. How would Appa feel, if the first time he returned to Korea was because of the murder of his promised partner?

How would Nemo feel?

His brain was still empty, besides a distant rumbling. It was the same feeling he got when he knew a storm was coming his way. It was tangible in the air, this heavy and thick and dangerous thing.

“Oh,” said Nemo to all this, feeling dumb that he couldn’t come up with anything better. “Right um… that… that makes sense.”

He drank some more of his tea, gulping it down so it scalded his throat.

MARLIN:

He sat there, a numb silence between them as he didn’t have the capacity to feel how awkward it must be at this moment. Mu-yeol’s feet flinched, the nerves in his body finding any way possible to escape.

As if he read Nam-min’s mind, it occurred to him that his son’s first time in Korea shouldn’t be his mother’s murder trial if he can help it. He probably couldn’t help it. They weren’t rich…but then again, what expenses did they have besides cell phones, tuition, and occasional groceries at Moon Market? It wasn’t as if they paid rent or utilities.

“Should we…” Mu-yeol began hesitantly. “See if we can afford visiting Daegu this summer? I know my parents want to see you again…and you could meet your younger cousins.”

I just don’t want home to become painful for you.

“Maybe Won-shik will loan me some money, eo?”

NEMO:

Nemo frowned at once. He knew what Appa was doing, just like how Appa had sensed some of Nemo’s own thoughts. That was the problem with the two of them, wasn’t it? A problem as much as it was also a blessing sometimes. They just knew each other too well.

They also shared each other’s issues, like this one–Nemo not wanting to be a burden.

“I – I mean, no, you don’t have to do that. It’s okay, Appa. Like you said, you’re not really sure how this will turn out right now, right? We just need to…wait a little.” Nemo slumped in his chair. “And see.”

MARLIN:

He nodded and tapped at his own teacup, not entirely convinced he shouldn’t try to make a Korea trip happen before any big movement in So-yeon’s case, but not stupid either. He knew he didn’t have a lot of money, limited in how much he could work outside of the Hollow due to his obligations as a healing talent living in the Hollow.

The money didn’t bother him constantly, seeing as the communal living of fairies meant that their basic needs were always met and then some, but it bothered him when it came to things like this. Like Nemo’s dance classes, his tuition, and his ability to see Korea. Money was a troublesome, vile thing, and the suffering required to earn it was hardly worth the treats it could buy you.

He wondered, briefly, how Jun, Eun-jung noona, Ting-Ting, Hatter, and his Pixies coworkers could live like they did. Having to claw their way into surviving more or less alone, without anything except maybe your immediate family to fall back on? Sounded horrible. As lonely as Mu-yeol felt in the Hollow, as isolating as it was being an objectively ‘weird’ fairy, he felt the warmth and the security of being a part of the Hollow community. It was true he didn’t really have capital ‘F’ Friends in the Hollow. But it was also true that anybody in the Hollow (except his nemesis, Elm Featherdew) would go leaps and bounds out of their way to help him and Nemo. That was just what pixies did.

He felt, in the midst of longing for home and processing this news about So-yeon’s case, very sad for his human friends.

“Right,” Mu-yeol conceded. “You have a point, we should wait it out a little. Wouldn’t want to visit and then have to turn around and come right back.”

Well. He wouldn’t mind it. More time in Korea the better, he missed his home so much it hurt sometimes, despite his complicated relationship to it as a fairy.

“It’ll work out,” Mu-yeol said, only mostly believing that. “We can talk about something else now, I don’t want your weekend home to be all sad, you just needed to know.”

#nemo #the baes

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baenxietydad · 1 year

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Moon And Sand || Baes + Robbie

@justkeepdancing-nemo @robbie-ryeo

Date: Sometime early January

Marlin and Robbie have a very awkward interaction lol

MARLIN:

A couple days before Nemo moved back into the dorms, they had a couple errands to run so he thought they’d start at Hatter’s with tea, a snack, and the to-do list. Mu-yeol clicked his pen a couple times before finally getting ready to write.

“Okay, so.” Mu-yeol began. “What did we come to town for? I forget. I know we had to go to the market but for what? I’m getting old.”

He wasn’t, not for a fairy anyway. But he was always tired.

And maybe he did forget, or maybe he was hoping to kill another five minutes in Hatter’s for no reason at all.

NEMO:

Nemo had dreaded coming out. Errands meant that he was going back to school soon. School meant– well, Nemo didn’t know. His head hurt thinking about it, even if he knew he needed to get used to it and not be a coward this time.

So he very much was fine with stalling in Hatter’s for now, blowing a little on his hot cocoa. “Uh, you wanted to go by the market for tupperware…” Nemo mentioned. Appa was determined to send Nemo to school with a tonne of extra meals, convinced that his diet had been one of many factors that contributed to his embarrassing meltdown.

His eyes flicked up at that moment and spotted someone coming through the door. “Robbie!” he blurted, without even thinking about it. It was instinct. Like a sneeze.

MARLIN:

The neutral facial expression was expected from Mu-yeol. So was calmly sipping his tea. There were also lots of other things that maybe could be expected.

An eye roll, a scoff, a ‘Nam-min, what are you doing?’ among other things, none of which happened.

Instead, he set his tea down and very casually said, “Oh, that’s fortunate actually.”

He turned around in his seat, following Nemo’s eyes, and said while beckoning Robbie over with his palm facing down, “야 Robbie, 이리와, 빨리.” (Ya i-ri-wa, ppal-li.)

NEMO:

His eyes widened. What?! What was Appa doing?! Nemo had been a blink away for apologizing but now–?!

“Appa–” Nemo hissed. He glanced at Robbie and actually tried to shoo him away, even as Marlin beckoned him forward.

ROBBIE:

Um.

Robbie hadn’t actually expected to see Nemo in Hatters today, which normally would be a very pleasant surprise. Robbie obviously loved seeing Nemo and he smiled big and bright at first when Nemo called his name. Then Robbie realized that Nemo wasn’t alone and Marlin was with him.

Marlin, who was calling out to him and telling him to come quickly. Cue Robbie’s nervous laughter as he raised his hand in greeting and made his way over to the table. The whole Marlin situation was…delicate to say the least, and Robbie didn’t want to make anything worse by ignoring him or being rude! That’s why, despite Nemo’s shooing, he still sat down at the table.

“안녕하세요,” Robbie said respectfully, dipping his head in a tiny little bow.

MARLIN:

“안녕,” Marlin returned the greeting, ever so slightly nodding his head to him.

There was a brief silence, no longer than four or five seconds, as Robbie settled into his seat. Mu-yeol ignored Nemo’s slightly agape jaw and looked directly at Robbie.

“I realize I neglected to thank you the other day for helping with Nam-min. I intended to but you can imagine I had a one-track dad mind.” He began in Korean. “So, thank you very much for telling me and everything. 고마워, and I apologize for not thanking you that day.”

NEMO:

What was about to happen?!

It could be anything. For a long time Appa and Robbie existed in separate spheres of Nemo's life, which maybe wouldn't be all that weird if they also didn't pretend the other didn't exist. Robbie wasn't as bad as Appa. Robbie did ask about Marlin sometimes, or well, sometimes Nemo talked to Robbie about his abeoji… because how could he not? But with Appa, the rule didn't need to be spoken: don't talk about Robbie. Don't expect Appa to talk about him either. Nemo thought this was stupid and Appa too stubborn, but it was better than being at war. So he followed the rule.

Now Appa broke the rule.

Terrible visions of an all-out screaming match passed through Nemo's mind. He sat rigid, terrified. If this went bad, what would he do? Defend Robbie? Usher Appa out? Create a diversion?

He definitely didn't expect Appa to thank him.

Nemo blinked several times, but was too shocked to do anything more than that. His eyes darted from father to boyfriend in a dizzying mental game of ping pong.

ROBBIE:

Robbie wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do or say. This seemed like a normal interaction, one that could happen to anyone, but there were layers. So many layers and those layers weighed on him.

Marlin hated Robbie. That was the first layer and also the hardest one to forget because, in a lot of ways, it was the exact reason they were here in the first place. Marlin hating Robbie had affected his and Nemo’s relationship–they were driven closer together, loved harder, felt things more fiercely in the face of his father's disapproval. Marlin's hatred was a fact.

But then there was the second layer: Robbie wasn't a vampire anymore, the thing that Marlin hated the most, so he wasn't sure where that left them. He knew Marlin still didn't like him, didn't think he was good for Nemo, but Robbie felt that way about Marlin too.

A thing that should be simple, Marlin thanking Robbie, was buried underneath so many hard feelings that the moment was hard to extricate.

But Robbie had to try.

For Nemo.

"You're welcome," Robbie said. "Anything to help Nemo, of course." ”

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol shook his head ever so slightly, a silent signal that, no no, that wasn’t entirely it. It was most of the reason Robbie did what he did, but not all of it. Robbie was mature in ways that Tae and Nemo simply weren’t yet and it made him think harder about things.

“I know being responsible and looking out for someone isn’t always easy, because sometimes you have to do something that might upset them for a moment to ultimately do what’s best.” He sympathized. “I really appreciate you making the choice that was about looking out for him, even if narcing on him to his dad might not have felt right.”

ROBBIE:

Robbie was maybe a little bit tempted to remind Marlin that he probably knew a little bit more about protecting people and doing things others might not like simply because he'd been alive a lot longer than Marlin, but he knew Marlin really was just a grateful father and it was easy to forget that Robbie was actually over 300 years old.

"It was the right thing to do," he said and then looked at Nemo. "I'm sorry I upset you, Nemo, but I'm really glad you're okay." He reached over and squeezed his boyfriend's hand.

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol sipped his tea and snorted, rolling his eyes in that way he does when Nemo roasts him accurately or something.

“He was over being mad in five minutes, I promise.” He said, glancing at Nemo. “We were able to work out a plan in time to keep him in school, which is what he wanted, thanks to you.”

He nodded in Robbie’s direction. “And I’m very grateful, again.”

NEMO:

What was worse? Appa and Robbie hating each other?? Or uh– whatever this was?

Nemo couldn’t decide. Whatever this was, though, was a very specific type of humiliating. They were basically talking like he wasn’t even there! Nemo shrank in his seat a little as his ears went red. This was just so weird and embarrassing. Yah, Appa should have just– well- called Robbie or something! Why did they have to do this in front of him?

But he didn’t dare complain either. He’d wanted something like this for a long time. Just, y’know – a civil conversation.

Once again, his eyes darted between Robbie and Marlin. Appa’s final comment, though, irritated him too much to stay quiet (wasn’t that just the way with fathers?) “Um, I’m here too y’know, I can talk for myself,” Nemo broke in. “Robbie knows I’m not mad at him anymore.”

MARLIN:

“I’m just assuring him you weren’t too upset about it,” Mu-yeol said, patting Nemo’s hand. “But you’re right, sorry.”

He…didn’t think about this interaction past thanking Robbie actually. And telling him ‘go away now’ would just be rude, though he very much did not want to continue this interaction since he’d just unintentionally pissed Nemo off in front of Robbie, who surely hated him and thought he was a terrible father.

I can speak for myself Aiya Nemo why did you say it like that? As if he was actively not letting you speak and hadn’t just misstepped in reassuring your boyfriend that he hadn’t committed a grave offense.

Anyway. He smiled politely and, in an attempt to escape this situation that he was very aware he had started by calling Robbie over, pushed his tea aside.

“I’ll get out of here.” He sighed, lightly slapping the table. “You don’t need to run errands with me Nam-min if you don’t want.”

NEMO:

What? Now Appa was leaving?? What?

Well, Nemo didn’t really know what was going on, but he did think that was bad. Agh, he should’ve just shut up! Who cared about his pride? What if this never happened again?!

“No!” Nemo blurted quickly. “I mean! Finish your tea, Appa. Robbie, you can, um, you can join us, right? If you want, I mean, just for a little.”

MARLIN:

Daebak. He was turning Nemo loose to hangout with his boyfriend and he was rejecting it? Wild stuff. Okay then…

“Ah, I suppose you’re right, I did pay for this one.” Not that Mr. Hatter was unreasonable, but you know, you shouldn't waste something you pay for.

Sooooo…what now?

ROBBIE:

Robbie didn’t really want to stay, if he was being honest, although it was a complicated situation and spending time with Nemo was always usually a wonderful way to spend his time. It was just that Marlin made him exceedingly uncomfortable. Especially this new, “Pro-Robbie” Marlin. He couldn’t help but wonder if there were some sort of ulterior motives behind Marlin’s actions, although that was probably a little more the distrusting 300-year-old vampire in him that felt that way.

He wasn’t exactly that person anymore, so he hesitated and then nodded.

“Ah, yes, I’d um–I’d love to stay,” he said with a smile. “Just for a bit, though, like you said. I don’t want to derail father-son time.”

NEMO:

Nemo also wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but it was the only chance he might ever have to, hopefully, smooth things over with Appa and Robbie. He didn’t think they’d be friends. There was too much bad stuff between them. But if they could just get to the point of… having a conversation? If Nemo could mention Robbie to Appa without Appa acting like Nemo was committing some great, terrible sin by staying with him? He’d consider it a win.

It was all up to Nemo though. The pressure fell on his shoulders, heavy as rocks. He swallowed and searched his brain for something for both Robbie and Appa to talk about.

“Um, great! So ah, you um, come in here to study or something?” Nemo started here. “Appa, Robbie wants to be a veterinarian. Isn’t that nice?”

MARLIN:

“Ah, it’s not really— we’re not — errands aren’t anything special. I’m sure he’d rather be still asleep.”

Marlin bit back the knee-jerk instinct to say ‘no money in that,’ even if it was true. There wasn’t much money in professional dance either, not unless you got to star choreographer level, and yet he was financing his son’s dream of that.

“That’ll be nice.” Mu-yeol said. What was he supposed to say? He wanted out of this situation. “If he came to study, why don’t you help him?”

The let me get out of here was tacitly encouraged, though his expression and mannerisms remained calm. Cool. A little too chill.

He sipped at his tea and, reluctantly, said something else. “How many years of school left?” There. Fine. He did Nemo, he asked a question.

ROBBIE:

Robbie frowned, just a bit, at Marlin’s attempt to get out of spending time with his son. It was clear Nemo still wanted to spend time with him and here Marlin was trying to get Nemo to stay in the coffee shop with Robbie. Either that or it was a dig at Nemo not studying, in which case Robbie wanted to tear his head off, but he suppressed that particular thought. Ha.

The question Marlin asked caught Robbie off-guard and he blinked. He’d been so lost in his thoughts. “Oh, um, like four still. Probably. I mean, I want to do it the right way, actually go through all of the courses even if I know a lot of it. Plus there really is so much I don’t know yet. Animals were never something that I studied much, even though I’ve always loved them.”

NEMO:

“He’s good with them too,” Nemo chimed in.

Maybe that hadn’t always been true. As a vampire, Robbie naturally frightened off many animals who could sense that he was a powerful predator. But even then, he’d been gentle with Lovely, and Lovely had quickly trusted Robbie. Now, he was quite the happy little hamster and always squeaked and purred. And Robbie also got on well with all the animals at Ruff to Fluff–

Daebak. Did Marlin know Robbie worked there now? Nemo had no idea. Probably not, considering the unspoken don’t-talk-about-Robbie rule.

“He um, he even started working at Ruff to Fluff. So he’s getting lots of practice with animals. I’m sure he’ll be great.” Nemo flashed a smile at Robbie and squeezed his hand again– under the table.

MARLIN:

“I’d hope you’re good with them. You’ll probably get bitten at least thirty percent less if you’ve actually got a way with animals.” Mu-yeol said, sticking with easy, inoffensive small talk.

He didn’t comment on him working with Nemo which was a tacit approval.

“Does pride u have a vet program? Or do you have to look at other vet schools?”

ROBBIE:

"Pride U has a vet program which is great because I was already an established student. I also really like Pride U and Swynlake and I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere else."

Robbie looked at Marlin and then back at Nemo, fidgeting. He hoped he was doing okay. Was he passing the dad test? He hated this.

NEMO:

This was awkward. This was uncomfortable. He knew that Robbie and Appa both didn’t want to be having this conversation and Nemo forced it on them.

Despite all of this, Nemo thought it was going well. Sure, it was stilted! But it was better than ignoring the other’s existence!

So Nemo smiled. “Yeah, and there’s even the special clinic for magical creatures! I dunno if Robbie will do anything with that but– it’s pretty cool. I bet Pride U’s the only school in England with something like that.”

MARLIN:

He was not even administering the dad test yet, actually. Thanking him was an olive branch and this conversation stood in place of a proper introduction. The dad test was something for later, closer to if and when he actually decided Robbie was, say, welcome to celebrate Chuseok with them. This tense conversation was simply a knee-deep wade in the water for Nemo’s benefit.

Mu-yeol wasn’t sure if Nemo so blatantly selling him made this more or less awkward.

“Can’t imagine one anywhere else,” Mu-yeol said. “Have you thought about where you might want to start practicing, if not here? Years away, but. Always smart to look into areas where vet practitioners are needed.”

ROBBIE:

“With the forest being so close to here, I always sort of assumed I’d stay in Swynlake, or somewhere near here. The Inn is my home–has been my home for awhile and leaving it isn’t really something I’d want to do. There are plenty of opportunities around here, which is nice. So many animals I can help. I think it’s that way everywhere, though, so really if I changed my mind it wouldn’t be too hard to find somewhere that needed a vet.

Robbie looked down at his hands and then back up at Marlin. “My goal is to help as many animals as possible. I guess it doesn’t really matter where I go.”

MARLIN:

Perhaps as a fairy he should find this endearing. ‘I just want to help animals’ should strike all sorts of chords with him. It was sweet, and admirable, but nothing more than ‘that’s nice’ came to his mind. He had to admit it was a lovely goal to have, and knew he should, as a fairy, be impressed.

Mu-yeol recognized this as coming not from a place of distaste for Robbie’s ambitions — they were perfectly fine — but from the same place as his own father’s ambivalence to So-yeon’s goals, and Bae Tae-il had adored his daughter-in-law. Mu-yeol was hardened the way his father was, where lofty, sugar-sweet dreams like ‘I want to save the environment’ and ‘I just want to take care of animals’ came across as idealistic and trite.

He supposed it was better than Robbie having no direction at all; no, he knew it was much better. And to his credit, it was achievable. Unlike the ambitions So-yeon had that he fell in love with. Animals wanted to be helped. Humans did not want to take care of their planet.

“That’s nice,” was still all he said. He didn’t know what else to say to that. But he did smile.

NEMO:

“Yeah!” Nemo said, more enthusiastically which was in part for Robbie–well, mostly for him– but for Appa too.

After all, he noticed Appa’s smile. Even if it was just polite and forced, Nemo wanted to encourage it. If he was happy and bright, maybe Appa would finally see that Robbie was good for him. And he really was, on paper. He was smart, he was diligent, he got amazing grades and worked hard. He could teach Nemo good study habits! (Well, he could try. Nemo wasn’t sure there was anything Robbie could do for his windswept brain.)

“It’s really hard stuff, honestly, but Robbie’s smart so he can do it,” mentioned Nemo. He wasn’t sure what else to say now… he needed to transition into another topic, probably, since Appa and Robbie were so painfully awkward with each other…

“We um, still practice Hangul,” was what he came up with. Welp. Better than nothing.

ROBBIE:

That’s nice.

Robbie almost wanted to laugh. It was nice, wasn’t it? Him wanting to help animals. So why did it make his stomach churn just a little when Marlin said it? Probably because Marlin still didn’t like him, despite how hard he was trying to seem like maybe he did. Or maybe Robbie wasn’t being fair. Maybe it was Robbie who was seeing the worst in Marlin when it wasn’t really there. Either way, Robbie was trying very hard not to seem annoyed or offended so he smiled.

“We do,” Robbie said. “Nemo is doing great. Pretty soon he’ll be writing in Korean for everything.”

MARLIN:

“I’m glad someone eventually convinced him to learn Hangul.” Mu-yeol said, even if it had hurt a little that Nemo was never interested in it before Robbie. He tried so hard to give his son their language, culture, and history despite living abroad, but teaching Nemo to read and write in Korean was an uphill battle that he gave up on early on.

If he really fought Nemo on it, he could have made him. Just like he required Nemo to speak to him in Korean at home and tried to encourage it in public, he could have imposed mandatory hangul practice. But with how much Nemo protested he worried that Nemo would reject their language fully if he made too big a deal out of it.

He didn’t want Nemo to associate Korean with punishment or consider it a chore. He’d rather his son not be able to read in Korean but speak it well with his father, than struggle to communicate with his son fully because he refused to use a language imposed on him. No matter how fluent Mu-yeol was in English, it was much easier for him to talk about important topics in their native language, and the thought of losing that connection with Nam-min…yes, giving up on Hangul was worth it.

“Though, we don’t really use written language in pixie hollows, so I get why when he was six he was like ‘how about no.’ I’m very impressed with his progress in so little time, thank you, Robbie.” He turned to Nemo and smiled. “Your handwriting has gotten really nice, pretty much as neat as your English handwriting. And good with your double consonants now, Appa’s very proud.”

This…this was finally feeling bearable. Talking about Korean things, he could do this easily.

NEMO:

Hey, Nemo would take it. Even if there was what Nemo felt was a hint of passive-aggressiveness in Appa’s tone. At least that passive-aggressiveness was toward Nemo and not Robbie, and maybe Nemo even deserved it. He could look back at his childhood and regret his own reluctance to practice his Korean. All the reasons he had then had been selfish– worse, they’d been reasons rooted in shame. And Nemo wasn’t ashamed of being Korean or anything, it was just…well, he’d already been so different as a kid, since he wasn’t born in Enchantra and his whole wing thing and he didn’t even have two parents like most seedlings and and and…

Whatever. He squirmed, swallowed down his embarrassment, and took it. At least he was fixing things now.

“Thanks. Um, Robbie’s a real good teacher,” mentioned Nemo.

ROBBIE:

Robbie wasn’t sure it was his teaching so much as it was that he wasn’t Marlin. Sometimes it was easier to be interested in things if your peers were the ones talking about it than when it was your parents. So Robbie definitely had that on his side. Plus, “I try, but it helps that you’re interested and you put in the effort. It also helps that I have a lot of practice too,” he added.

Robbie wanted to say that when you do something for 300 plus years you end up rather proficient, but he figured maybe that kind of comment wouldn’t go over so well.

Still he really wanted to say it.

He didn’t.

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol didn’t know how to keep this conversation…safe. It was awkward. He was awkward. Robbie was awkward. Nemo was awkward.

Aish couldn’t he just thank Robbie and do interacting later? No. All right, ask something, come on Mu-yeol.

“Nam-min. If Robbie isn’t busy today I can go to the market myself. You can stay with him if you’d rather.” He said instead. His gaze only briefly landed on Robbie but it was disinterested at worst rather than poison. “But if you came to study Robbie I’ll —“ he clicked his tongue and mimed removing the Nemo distraction.

ROBBIE:

Robbie didn't want to interrupt Nemo and Marlin’s day any more than he already had. He actually hated it, to be honest, because Marlin made him feel so awkward and uncomfortable. That was definitely something he would need to work on in the future, but not today.

Plus, Marlin had already tried to leave once and Nemo had said not to go. He clearly didn't want to ditch his father for Robbie, nor should he, and really the only thing to do was bow out gracefully. Take the pressure off of Nemo instead of piling it on.

"Oh, you guys already had plans," Robbie said with a smile. "It was really nice having tea with you, but I really do have a few things I need to go do." He turned and looked at Nemo, "We should hang out later, though, if you want."

Then he looked at Marlin. "It was nice talking to you."

MARLIN:

Mu-yeol nodded and politely ever so slightly bowed his head at Robbie as he got ready to leave. Nice was a generous way of describing it, it had been painfully awkward, but it was…fine. And you know, ‘fine’ for them was the same as nice. It was practically rainbows and butterflies.

“어 (eo),” Mu-yeol said, figuring it was good to agree it was nice. “Thank you for having tea with us.”

There. He was nice, welcoming even, no matter how…cautious. Nemo would appreciate that, right?

He cast a furtive glance over at Nemo right before he finished off his tea.

NEMO:

Nemo was relieved that he didn’t have to choose – Robbie removed that pressure from him.

Because no matter what, he felt like there weren’t have been a right choice, right? If he stayed with Appa, Appa would insist he went with Robbie, and if he stayed with Robbie, Robbie might insist he go with Appa. It was dumb. There shouldn’t be all these unseen pressures, all these put-on manners. Wistfully, Nemo imagined what it might have been like if several years ago, Marlin hadn’t turned so quickly on Robbie. If they had started to heal earlier. Maybe running into each other would have been easy, even natural.

At least things were healing now though, right? Better late than never. Nemo should stay optimistic.

And so he just smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll text you! C’mon Appa, the market calls,” he joked, also getting up.

And with a wave at Robbie, the Baes left Hatter’s.

#nemo #robbie #the baes

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