{ breathe }
unedited
1.2k words
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The other groups were able to successfully navigate through the swamp, meeting up at the trashed Jupiter.
As they were in the hub to figure out what everyone could do to fix the spaceship, John noticed the solemn look on Will's face.
"Hey, Will. Let's get up top. See if we can get eyes on Don or (y/n)." Will didn't respond, as he only glanced away from his father's figure back to the floor.
Also seeing her son's sadness, Maureen called out to him. "Hey. We're gonna make it. Together." Will stood up and gave his mother a fake smile, one that he's been doing quite frequently for the past few days.
"Yeah. Together." Maureen gave him a smile before watching him leave after his dad.
She sighed before going to the boiling room, need to help out with the oxygen once in space.
"We need to swap out the rest of the coils." The woman told Smith. "Make sure there's no residue on the burners. Pliers." Smith handed her the tool. "Judy told me what you did. How you saved her live. kept your nose clean. Became a teacher. I had no idea you spoke French."
"Un petite peu." Smith replied in French.
"My kids, well, all our kids, survived a year on their own, and you were a part of that, so I guess I should be grateful.
"They took care of me too. We took care of each other."
"Uh, I feel like I missed so much during that year that we were apart, and I-I mean, I know that they wouldn't tell us everything anyway, but I thought maybe, um."
"Maybe what?"
"Well, maybe you'd know. If there were any developments or firsts that a mother should know about."
Smith sighed dramatically. "Penny's first love triangle. Don't worry. It was tame. Vijay and this tall kid Liam. Nice guy. King of a show-off. A bit obvious if you ask me."
"Judy must have had some opinions about that." Maureen joked.
"From what I could tell, Judy was focused on trying to be a good captain. And discovering that only by stepping out of the shadow of her parents was there room enough for her to fulfill her own true potential."
Maureen nodded, seemingly a bit disappointed with her answer. Smith picked up on that. "Ah, but you're more curios about how she was with Grant Kelly."
"Did they, uh, get along?"
"What were you hoping for, Maureen? That they did or didn't?"
"I-That has nothing to do with it." The mother denied.
"Okay, then. Well, yes, they got along."
"And what about Will? He seems, I don't know, kind of more serious."
Smith paused, choosing her words carefully. "He has a lot on his mind."
"Like what?"
"Like learning how to control his body. You've seen him. He's all arms and legs now. Puberty, you know? Gets all red when (y/n) walks past him now a days."
"Really?"
Smith smirked, leaning closer to Maureen and speaking in a hush voice. "Don't tell Will and (y/n) I said this, but their practically together. Kisses and all that."
Maureen let out a soft chuckle, happy for the young couple. "Only took them so long. Are they happy?"
Smith gave a gently smile. "Very."
She looked down at the pipe she was fixing and added a few touched. "Okay. I think that's it. Thank you for your help."
"All I did was hand you the tools."
-----
With the father son duo, they began their hike up a mountain. Wanting to spot Don and (y/n) from a far.
"Hey, is that a new haircut? I like it." John complimented the teen.
"Thanks. Judy and (y/n) did it." Will chuckled.
"Yeah? And, uh, did I see something on your chin? A shadow?" Will sighed. "You started shaving?"
"There was one hair, yeah, but it got long. Like, really long. Penny gave it a name before (y/n) plucked it."
"What did she call it?"
"Carl." The two laughed, both missing the moments of creating memories together.
"Hey, Will." Will stopped and turned to his father. "Listen, uh, when we first got lost, I made you a promise that I would never split the family up again. And a year ago, that's exactly what happened."
Will denied his father's claims. "You didn't have a choice."
"I know, I know. But I missed a lot, again. Hell, I never even got to meet Carl." Will smiled at this. "So, when we finally get to Alpha Centauri, I promise you, we're gonna do some regular father-son things. No more running for our lives or fighting alien robots."
"Yeah. That'd be nice." The two gave each other a bright smile, before continuing their path uphill.
"Just do normal, everyday things. Like embarrassing you in front of your friends, or giving you an unreasonably early curfew."
"Or how about docking my allowance whenever I forget to do my chores."
"Really? Kids saves us a couple of times, an uh, suddenly he thinks he deserves an allowance?" The man joked.
"Well, how else am I gonna support my huge gambling problem?" Wil smirked.
"Hey, gambling is only a problem if you lose." John told Will in a serious manner. "I'll teach you a few things. See? This is why you need your old man around."
"How about we start with something small, like teaching me how to use a razor?"
John put his hands on Will's shoulders. "I'd like that."
"Me too." John gave a pat to his head affectionately, while he looked to the side in embarrassment. "And maybe, you'll teach me how to ask a girl out."
John's jaw dropped at his son's confession, before laughing and giving him a light hit on the back. "I knew you had it in you. You have my genes after all, and I was able to pull your mother back down."
Will flushed even more, speeding to the edge of the cliff and pretending to spot Don and (y/n) from afar.
John let out a loud laugh at this reaction before following his son and giving a side hug. "I'm only playing with you Will, I promise I'll give you all the advice you need to ask (y/n) out."
"How'd you know it was (y/n) that I would ask out?"
John's face dropped. "It'd be strange if it were (y/n). I mean, I heard from a little bird that you guys have been sneaking out and having make out sessions here and there." He grinned.
"Penny." The teen said his sister's name, almost as if it was curse. John laughed once more.
"Don't worry, (y/n) looks at you the same way you do to her. Like your in love."
"That would be impossible." Will shook his head. "I've fallen much deeper then she could ever imagine."
Joh's smile grew at the look of his son's smitten face. The father couldn't wait until the two finally came together and admitted their love for one another.
The man gave Will one last pat before turning to the view on the cliff. "Now, if I was Don West and (y/n) (l/), where would I be?"
The two took out their one eyed binoculars and scoped through the landscape. Due to the terrain's dark and gloomy, it took the two a few moments to spot them.
"Got them." Will said to his dad. Don was looking around, a bit woozy from the way his feet were almost tripping one another. And (y/n) looked beyond tired, holding a sleeping Debbie in her hands. "900 meters out."
"Any sign of SAR and his friends?" John asked him.
"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time before they figure out where we are."
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