The days fruit was red. The children laughed as they ate and played in motherers' laps. They were learning new things everyday because Voice commanded learning as a viral pillar in life. Fatherers were taught by fatherers to be strong and kind to their chosens. Motherers were taught by motherers to be supportive and mentally able.
They taught the children to listen to Voice and her guidance was the absolute. Her choices led to good things and kept them safe and healthy since the first fatherers and motherers.
She knew who were meant to be chosensed. She knew what and where things were. She knew what name to give to all.
But, during the day of the red fruit, a child didn't want to listen to Voice. She wanted to play with someone else other than voice told her to. She wanted to play with a small boy that was by his fatherer and motherer.
She walked up to the motherer and the boy while the fatherer gathered the red fruit. His motherer combed his hair and hummed to him. He smiled. The girl smiled.
"Hello. Im Marinette."
The two were shocked to see the little girl away from her motherer and fatherer.
"Are you lost?" asked the motherer. "Has Voice told you to come?"
She shook her head. "I wanted to." She turned back to the boy and waved happily. "Hello. My name is Marinette."
She looked at his motherer who, while unsettled with Marinette's sudden showing, urged him to respond. He waved, "I-Im Adrien."
–––
Marinette was never one to take everything seriously. At least, not to the full level as everyone else. While Voice come at least once a day and during ceremonies and controlled everything, the girl felt very much in power over her day.
Growing up, she would see what the fatherers would do versus what the motherers would do. She'd explore the woods and fruit to mix them together for paste. When she showed Nino, he would come with her every time whenever he wanted to remove stress.
Adrien would come to, but he always was on about how his fatherer would yell and how Voice would disapprove.
"Marinette, Voice never wanted us to make these icky things. We'll have to spend more time in bathing and our day will get lost."
She rolled her eyes. "If you're not fast enough," she said while she picked the last fruit and handed it to Nino. He then broke it up and smashed it with his hands like a child.
Adrien squirmed at the sight. "What are you going to even use it for?"
Marinette and Nino smirked knowingly, making the boy frown for not knowing. "We call it "painting.""
They next took the bowl of watery fruit and used their fingers to smear it on the bark of a tree. Marinette made a hand while the boy made a circle with dots and a half circle, or as it came together, a face.
Adrien started at awe. But. . . "That's pretty and all, but why do it?"
Marinette smiled and offered her bowl. "It's fun." she said.
Adrien was astonished that she offered the bowl of "painting" to him, but he kept his arms up and out off it. "No thank you. Father says Voice loves those who stay pure and follow Her."
"But she only ever says the same thing all the time. Don't you get bored?" the girl asked.
Adrien gave an angry frown. "I don't because I know what to do every day. What are you going to do with this tomorrow? You're not gonna eat it." he said, gesturing the mushed fruit.
She tightened her grip on the bowl and started at the ground. "I just . . . wanted to have some fun."
"This isn't fun," Adrien said as a matter of fact. "This isn't following Voice. I don't want to be in trouble because you think you know better. But Voice has lived far longer than any of us. She knows best, and if she thinks painting would be fun, She would say in a sign."
He took the bowl from her and stormed away. Nino watched in horror as Marinette ran after him.
Marinette managed to grab his arm, but she wouldn't stop him from going forward. "Adrien. Where are you taking my paint?"
"Away so you don't them."
She partially growled. "They're my paint, not yours, why do you care about them?"
"I don't." he said as he final stopped. Marinette was launched forward, but she recomposed herself and stood in front of Adrien. He looked at her, then looked away. "I just don't want to know what Voice would do to those who disobey."
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not disobeying Her. I'm just doing more things that I want to do along with her things." She looked up at him with weary eyes. "Is that bad?"
He took a moment to think. He thought and thought for a while and his grip on her paints loosened. He sighed in defeat and handed her back the paints. "I suppose not."
She took back her bowl and squealed in delight. "Yeah! Adrien, I knew you'd get it."
–––
Adrien watched as Alya and Marinette run around the gather and holding thin slabs of bark. Marinette held it while her friend showed or something on it. She was also holding her bowl of painting. He walked forward to see what they were trying to do.
"With this system, we could start counting how much food we need and how many people we have. We could paint any information we want on here. This could help us so much." she argued.
However, there was one man to retort. "Young girl. There is no need for this. Voice will provide us with everything we need. If she decides that we do not need for food, do be it. She has her will." The nose that arose from her idea began to settle down and b became murmurs of suspicion. "Or do you not believe that Voice has this power?" More murmurs broke out, some glared at her. "This would be a disgrace to her. She would put her Wrath on you for disobeying her will."
In anger, the crowd rose up and started agreeing with the man. They all followed him because Voice appointed him to be her speaker. Andre glared down at the girl. And everyone called at her, a disobeyer, and a Voice Killer.
Water welled in her eyes as she stared back with her own anger. She grabbed Marinette and ran into the forest. Adrien was shocked to see her face so red and puffed. He rushed towards them and caught up to see the black haired girl sooth her friend. "I think it was an amazing idea."
He stepped forward. "You didn't have to share it though." he said. The two looked up to see him. Both frowned at him, but one scowled more. He gulped and continued. "We have simple lives here. Voice provides everything we could ever want. We don't need something like a system to keep track of everything. We don't need it."
Alya growled at him and marched forward. "I know that, pretty boy. But if we always depend on Voice, how will we learn to depend on ourselves? How can we ever learn for ourselves if we don't even ask Voice." She turned away and marched up to a tiny plant. Pointing to it she said, "I made that. All on my own. I ate a fruit, got sick and pooped, then buried it. After a few months of rain, I found it again and saw tiny leaves coming out of the ground.
"Since then, I give it water everyday and watch it grow. Voice never told me how to do it, but I made a tree. And I know I could make more."
Adrien stood dumbfounded. He looked to Marinette who nodded and clutched onto the thin bark. "Do you believe this?"
She walked up to him and showed a slab. "She showed me the day she found it. I was excited so I painted it." The slab was a dark brown with what looked like two leaves stuck in the ground. "It's grown since then. A lot." Adrien frowned at her. Angrily. Why did she go against him and Voice? Did she no longer follow her? Was she and Asking pretending to love and give their thanks to their guide in life? "We could do so much if we could just . . . be on our own."
"Why do you both distrust Voice?" he asked. "She had given us everything we need and want."
"But she doesn't," Alya growled. "What we need is our own lives." She pointed to her ears. "We start by cleansing out her unnecessary commands."
He took a closer look at her ears and saw that her rings were slightly darker than his own. "Y- you removed her voice."
"I removed her control," Alya corrected. "We don't need it. We never did. All we hear is her telling us what to do and when to do it. When I got rid of them, the appearance of the food didn't change, the water wasn't any different. Nothing was wrong."
Adrien backed away slowly. Marinette saw him and her eyes looked into his. "Y-You too?" She approached him and gently took his hand into hers. He flinched at her touch and made a move to back up again. However, she pulled him into a hug.
"Sorry."
"M-marin—"
Before he could ask what was wrong, he felt fingers playing with his earlobe. He struggled to free himself and stop them, but the girl had an iron grip. Once he felt this way was less heavy we began to squirm like a terrified worm. He yelled for them to let go, but they didn't. Marinette locked her ankle behind his and pushed him against it, throwing him off balance. He fell with a thud and with the girl in top of him. He couldn't scream with her weight on his chest and her hands over his mouth.
Alya worked to get the last one out and with every movement driving stronger and stronger to keep it on, a humming noise grew louder and louder in his ear. He felt comfort in it. He wanted the noise to stay. But alas, Alya ripped it out.
From the dead silence, Adrien grew still. He heard nothing. Everything seemed white. The world vibrated and his eyes darted everywhere at once. Slowly, he felt the pressure lifted off his chest and his mouth was free at last. He took in a deep breath and looked up to see Alya starting down at him. She said his face, but he barely moved. She seemed different. Fuzzy. And darker. The whole world seemed darker. Black even. Just black. Where was Alya again?
–––
Marinette watched as he fainted and breathed. On the ground, his earrings laid, shaking on the earth. Alya took them and pressed them into a tree behind a bush. They stopped. She sighed in relief. The last time they were left there, they magically disappeared in front of her very eyes.
The girls looked at Adrien's still body. "What do we do?" Marinette asked.
"Just what we did with Nino," she said, "Stay with him until he wakes up."
For a day, they sat with him and watched his breath change over time. Around night time, his eyes flowered. He mumbled something incoherent before getting up. The girls rushed to him as he grabbed his head. "Wha. . . Wh-wh-what happened?" he asked with sleep lacing his tone. "I remember Marinette throwing me down and Alya grabbing my head. . ."
The two looked at him. "Are you alright, Adrien? You know Marinette's not strong enough to do something like that." Alya said with a grin towards her girl.
Marinette have an awkward laugh. "Yeah, that would be crazy."
He chuckled with them. "Yeah. Crazy." His hand slid down to his ear. They watched as horror covered his face in one second. He drew a large breath and tried to scream. He would have succeeded if not for Alya slamming her hands over his mouth. He grabbed at her arms, but she held firm.
Marinette tried to sooth him before he hurt himself or her best friend. "Adrien, calm down it's not as bad as you think. Promise you." She his arms and looked into his livid eyes. They glared at hers. He pushed Alya's hands on his open mouth and bit down. The girl yowled in pain and threw herself back. He quickly got up and tried to book it. However, again, the two got the better of him. Marinette tackled him and pinned his arms behind him. "Don't run." She turned her head. "Alya!"
"What are you gonna do? Whatever it is, Andre will punish you for it!"
Without a word, but with an angry face, she clipped on a pair of fake earrings. He stopped struggling when he heard the clip. Marinette released him and he pushed himself up. He touched the jewelery and smile. "thank you," he murmured.
Marinette sighed and finally relaxed. "Is that better?"
He looked at the girl that was on top of him just moments ago. "Why did you take them off at all?"
Alya smacked his head roughly. "So you don't have to listen to that stupid voice all the time. You really don't need it. We've just been trained all our live that we do."
He touched his rings again and clenched them. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "What did you do to my real ones?"
"Threw them in the river."
He growled at her. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"To show you that she's useless to us. We can survive just fine on our own."
Adrien stood up and marched up to the amber girl. "Voice is our guider. She knows all and comforts all. She is our way and love. She knows why we are here and how we will live."
"She tells everyone what to do and everyone just says okay, because that's what she's been doing all of everyone's lives. No one bothers to ask what they want. They just do what she says just because."
"That because She knows what is best."
"She might know what fits, but no one knows what fits them. No one knows who they are outside of her."
"I know. I'm Adrien!"
"Are you? Just a name. A husk of body with a name that follows Voice? How is that different from Andre or your father?"
He breathed heavily and charged at her. Alya didn't flinch with her eyes trained on his dog rage eyes. Marinette was quick to wedge herself between the two hounding teens. "Both of you, calm down. Alya, he just took them off, he's not gonna listen at first of coarse. Adrien, I understand that you love Voice, but Alya's right on this. Trust me. I've known too. Without her, I've become more Marinette than I've ever been."
He looked at her with the rage still swirling in his eyes. "And that's exactly the problem. You became someone else."
He walked off towards the group, or at least he hoped. Alya shot an unimpressed look behind him as he looked around aimlessly. "To your left."
"I knew that."
Marinette frowned as he walked off and looked back between her friend and him. Alya sighed and nudged her head in his direction. Marinette gave her a small smile and rushed off to join him.
When they were towards toe to toe, he glared at her and marched on. "What do you want?"
"I just . . . wanted to keep you company." she said.
"I don't need it."
Silence took over for a few minutes.
Suddenly Adrien stopped their walk. Marinette stopped just a finger ahead. She looked at him curiously, while he didn't meet her eyes. "Adrien?"
"Why did you decide to . . . give Her up?" he asked.
She didn't meet his eyes. She tried to look at his but he wouldn't lift his head. "I never really felt anything with her to begin with. Unlike with the other fatherers and motherers, mine didn't push me to accept her. Everytime we ate when she said, we ate while everyone awed to their childs about Voice. They mentioned her all the time to them. My fatherer didn't push too much on her although I know he loves her, and my motherer . . . I don't know where she stands." She looked up at him. "I can't give up something I never really had."
Adrien stiffened as she came closer. "How do you even begin to live without Her?" He spat. "Why can't you see her the was I do?"
"Because she can't be seen." Marinette said. "We've only ever heard her voice. And we don't know her. She give playful orders like a doting mother. And what we see it as is different to all of us. I've never paid mind to her, and I felt nearly nothing, no sadness or happiness, when I let her go."
Adrien began to walk away from her.
"I don't know how you feel. I can't fathom how much it hurts to have her gone. Nino told me she was like an aunt to him. For all I know she might be a second motherer to you." He slowed down to a pause. "I understand though. I don't feel what you do and I can't. But I know that it pains you. I know that you feel unhappy with her gone, but I want to help you."
"Unless you can fill my ears with our loving Voice, I don't think there's anything you could possibly do for me."
–––
Nino patted his back. "It's been three days." he said monotoned. "You can't fake sickness all your life."
Adrien didn't answer. He looked to a smile girl who smiled while sweating a fever. She hummed to someone and breathed as if on commanded. He wouldn't have paid any mind before because he would have been doing the same. And he would have felt at ease like that girl too. "I miss Her." he said.
"The voice or your motherer?"
"Voice." he said, miffed. "She was all I had left after Motherer left. You know that, Nino."
He sighed at him. "You had us, Adrien. We were always here for you. Marinette always followed you, Alya always shared with us, I always stood by you. We are right here."
"How do you live? Without Her?" he asked.
Nino shrugged. "In a way, we never lived with her. Marinette always just went with what made her happy when she wanted it, I followed her. Alya became like that too when she found us. After a while, she, Alya, lost a ring and didn't notice. She then replaced both. Had us do the same. And we realized, the whole time we've been filtering that voice out." He have Adrien a very sad look. "I'm sorry. But . . . I think you'll have a hard time without her."
The boy sat himself up right, unable to make eye contact. "Then . . . how do you live without getting noticed?"
Again, his friend shrugged. "We just follow everyone's actions throughout the day. We eat when they eat, play when they play, bathe when they bathe. Just between, we do what we want. And we do it how we want."
"But what about . . . When we have our Selecting and everyone has their names called and She shines with you . . . " He played with the fake rings on his ears. "These won't let Her shine and we might never get selected to be with our selected."
They were in silence together for a moment. Nino looked at his friend who stared at his hands with a sadness that he couldn't name. He knew that he was sad for his future, and his situation, but the longer he looked sad, the deeper it became a part of him. "We'll be alright. Alya has our rings hidden just for that reason."
–––
At first, he didn't like to leave his family behind during play time. That was when he and Nino would slide down hills and race together. Voice would select teams to have competitive activities. He was always with Nino for the games. He thanked Her for keeping his best friend with him at all times. Now, however, was different.
This time, he couldn't be one a time. Nino was unable to take part since he gave up Voice. Now, Affirm had to give up everyone. Instead, he joined Nino, Marinette, and Alya. They played in a river. He asked what they were doing, "You all know it's not time to bathe, right?"
Marinette swam up to him and got out. He stepped back from her wet figure and the lack of her clothes. She grabbed his hands and pulled him closer towards them. "They all are going to bathe anyway after they play. We just combined the two."
"But they're very different activities." Adrien argued. He ripped a hand away. "Besides, we . . . Young boys can't go near young girls because . . ."
"Voice said it wouldn't be appropriate for future selecting?" Alya asked. He shot his head up at her. She smirked as she swam up to Nino and tackled him. She pressed herself against him and laughed when he wrapped his arms around her and tackled her.
Marinette giggled, but Adrien looked at her nervously. She looked at him, her face turned red and she just turned away. "I-if you don't want to play with me, I understand."
"It's not that," he said quickly. "It's just . . . I'm not—" he suggested to find the words. "used to this shift yet. I still believe that the young shouldn't. . . Touch in such away." He looked at Nino and Alya who had their arms linked together and one pulled the other towards them.
Marinette looked at the two played closely together, both happy with just one another. She looked at Adrien, who still had a frown plaguing his lips. She let go of his hand, which he was shocked to even be holding it at all, and stepped away from him. He looked at her confused, but she stretched a smile and said, "It's okay. W-we could just p-play by ourselves." Before he could respond she ran forward and jumped into the river with her friends.
–––
Adrien walked through his week with his friends and how it was different from when he was with Her. He learned to eat fast, play more closely, and more. Alya taught him all she discovered on her own and they both started making more discoveries every chance they had. Nino always hung of his shoulder and stood by his side since the event and they were like brothers.
He was still shaken by the absence of Voice. She was his guide all good life and in a second, she disappeared. He still longer for Her soothing approval and Her kindness. He want to curl up and sleep to Her reassurance that the day ended perfectly and that he was Her perfection. He loved the softness he felt when the day dragged on with her voice filling in the spaces.
Now, he realized just how much time he used through his days just listening to Voice's words. Before they all left their huts, everyone stretched the same way and the same time. Only he and his friends were a second behind each stretch. They then just sat there, smile to words that they couldn't hear. Adrien looked at all the happy faces around him and struggled to not steal their rooms and listen to Her. He wanted to smile with all of them. He longed for Her to fill his ears. He needed Her to fill his ears. He feel like a stranger left behind in absolute silence.
Alya giggled. He shot a look at her and she pointed ahead. And he saw Nino nodding off back to sleep while Marinette held his head up right by tugging his hair. He nearly laughed himself.
At bath, the boys were stationed with the men who cleaned them thoroughly. In turn the boy's did their best for their fatherers. Adrien always took his job as a soning seriously. He wanted his father to know him as the most caring and special soning ever. He did and paraded him for always listening to Voice and following Her command beyond limitations. Andre thought to parade his daughter in a similar fashion, but she then took it to her head that she was better everything.
After the bathe, everyone moved on to pretend. Marinette stayed behind in the shrubs and didn't follow the family when they left to take parts. Alya saw this and ushered the two to come with her. Adrien was in habit to follow the gather even without Voice. He was hesitant, but at the sight of worry in Alya's eyes finally swayed him. They came up to Nino holding her hand and her used the other to cover her face.
As if she knew why, the girl rushed over and embraced her tightly. Adrien stiffened at the sight of Marinette shaking and burring her head into Alya's shoulder. Averting his eyes, he asked Nino, "What happened?"
"My guess? Chloe."
A part of him wasn't at all surprised. She often called Marinette out for being inherently curious and for questioning her position. She often made fun of how she looked and acted. The girl always retorted with a snarky answer and she had a tiny following for it, but something different had happened. She never ended up shaking because of her. Her eyes never welled over anything she said.
She was muttering something to Alya who nodded along. After sniffling for a moment, she wrapped her arms around herself and walked in with her best friend. She murmured an "I'm fine" to them, and continued, a glance at Nino, but not even an acknowledgement towards Adrien. He moved to ask her about the reason she wept, but his friend held him back. "Don't. For all we know, she might feel worse if you say anything."
"What? I'm her friend too. I should get to know what's wrong. I could help. I could talk to Chloe or—"
Nino held his arm tighter. He glared at him. "don't. Not today." He watched Marinette leave without a word to him and how niether girl bothered to look his way for the rest of the day.
For the first time, he wished that he didn't have to follow the gather in a tight pattern during the day. He was forced to take part when all he wanted was to look at Marinette and see if she was smiling. Chloe was dragging him and attached herself to him more than he was used to. She used to walk with him, talk about their day, even played on the notion of being selected together. However, now she was entangling her arms around his, pressing her face against his skin. The whole day, Chloe dragged him around to the activities. He never heard the pairing names, but by their faces, he was her partner for all of them.
He couldn't smile once. Not when she could be the reason Marinette wept after the bath.
Once they were in for the bedding ritual, Chloe finally let go of him. He quickly tried to leave to find Marinette and see if her mood lightened at all. However, his fatherer stopped him. "Soning. We are all going to sleep. I know that you want to spend more time with Chloe, she's a perfection by Voice, but we need sleep."
He stared at his fatherer. "I was going to see my friends. I hardly got to spend time with them today. I wanted to see if they aren't mad at me for abandoning them."
He stared at his soning and frowned. "But you could do that tomorrow. The bedding will start soon."
"I won't be able to sleep without confirming it, fatherer." he said, adamantly.
Gabriel sighed. "Very well. You may go, but I want you to do it quickly so you won't postpone your bedding, even if you have to bed at their home."
He nodded happily. "Thank you."
He raced to Marinette's hut and greeted her small family. He spotted his friend and smiled. She wasn't as closed up. However, her eyes darted away from his every few moments. He asked why she avoided him throughout the day.
"It was Chloe's day and she wanted you all for her own. So she was allowed to disobey Voice to spend time with you for all activities." she said in a whisper so her parents wouldn't hear. "She told me at bathe and pushed me near the fall." She stroked her hair, nervous like it was still wet. "Then she told me that you and her were selected and that I would never get selected because I would make my selecting vomit on sight. She then said that I may as well leave since I would never be in a selecting."
He frowned at the story. He stepped forward, but she stepped back and didn't meet his eyes. He stepped forward again and reached out, but she again stepped back to a wall. He came up to her and all she did was turn away. He touched her shoulders and let his hands pull her forward towards his chest. She didn't move for a moment, but when her hand slid up and around his back he felt a soft feeling burst inside of him. He would have stayed with her in the embrace all night of not for her motherer.
"Sweety, you missed the bedding again." She paused to take in the sight, then smiled. "It seems you've dragged your friend with you too." They parted, both embarrassed, and apologized. "Both of you go to sleep now. You'll see each other in the morning."
–––
Alya smiled as she saw Adrien and Marinette grow to be closer and more open to each other. Marinette's stuttering halted after a few moon cycles, and Adrien opened himself to more hugs and snuggles. He didn't flinch as much as he used to whenever Nino wrapped his arms around him or when Alya snuck up to see what he shared with Marinette and not them.
He even joined them in their private river. They slowly showed the other sonings and dautings for the gather and today only the first four showed. Not many were willing to disobey Voice everyday.
Adrien swam under the water while Nino was splashing the water at the girls. They splashed back with giggled and playful manners. With them distracted, Adrien leaped out and tackled Marinette into the water with her. She shrieked in surprised. They both laughed when they resurfaced. She playfully shoved him away, but he kept swimming towards her. "Come on, Mari." he coaxed. "Let me have a little more fun."
She laughed with Alya as the amber girl said, "You of all sonings should know that bathe is almost over now." They all peeled off their bathe clothes to dry and shook off to dry. Nino helped Alya to dry by draining his bathe clothes taking all the water off.
Adrien took his own to do the same for Marinette, but she flinched. "M-maybe next time." she said, and turned around to get herself dressed in a rush. "If we don't hurry, then the gather might think we're deliberately disobeying Voice."
They all laughed and walked on to rejoin the gather. Adrien smiled as he took her hand and paraded forward. She marched with him, giving a secret smile and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back before giving her a one armed hug and releasing her. They reached the gather and made their way to their families.
But once they were all home, Adrien found himself frowning at his fatherer. And the others were frowning as well.
–––
Gathered out near her tree, Alya had her tight group of friends sitting before her patiently. "Alright. We all knew this day would come. And this is something we cannot avoid. If we missed our names for this, then they'll know for sure that we aren't following Voice. They might not care about us bending our time with them a little like at bathe or during meals, but this would be sacrilege."
She left to the larger tree behind her, and pulled out four tiny pouches. "Nino, Adrien. I'm sorry, but I lied to you. I never threw your rings in the river. I kept them just in case we were ever in a crisis that needed them. Or in case either of you went insane without her." They stared at the backs then at Marinette who was quiet and didn't looked up at them.
Nino shrugged. "I honestly don't mind. I'm sure I would have never felt so free if I fought you at all."
Adrien could only stare at rings. Had he walked away from Marinette that day, ripped his hand away and ran, he knew exactly we're he would be. He'd be with Chloe or his fatherer, following Voice as he did, with a smile that wasn't a smile. He would be following her every small order and think of nothing and no one, just let her noise fill his ears and forget everyone around him. "Will we have to up them in?" he asked.
Alya nodded with a sad face. "The selected will have their rings glow and everyone will hear the names called through her voice. If everyone but us hears, and no one glows, that would mean it was one of us. And we would definitely be caught."
They all got up and Alya gave them each their respective pouch. They counted down to opening them, holding them, removing the fakes and embedding in the old.
"—doesn't that feel wonderful?" they heard.
Marinette covered the rings while holding a malencholy frown. Alya gritted her teeth in annoyance and Nino sighed. Adrien couldn't react. He was far from happy that he heard Her again, but he wasn't upset about it. His face was still.
Alya cleared her throat through the background sound of fake flutters and beats played. "We need to find the gather. Now."
–––
Everyone stood in a circle. Some friends stood with one another, families were close to one another. Adrien was wedged between his fatherer and Chloe.
Nino stood by Alya and they were between their fatherers. Marinette was next to her motherer and fatherer. They all looked at one another, nervous for the event.
"Kim," they heard. "Chloe. You have been selected for each other." They all clapped including the four that feared their lives. At least they weren't selected with her. The perfection girl frowned at the choice Voice gave her, but she knew there wasn't anything her father could do to their guide.
"Juleka," they heard. "Rose. You have been selected for each other." The two practically raced towards on another. Adrien swallowed at the thought of Marinette running towards him.
"Nino." Time froze for them. The called out boy turned to Alya, who kept her face straight in the circle. Her eyes darted at him, welling up like his. "Marinette." Three heart felt themselves crack. Adrien could only stare as the pair walked towards each other, both with of their eyes on the ground. Marinette's hand reached upward. "You have been select—"
"I don't want to be selected with you." she said. Everyone was silent. Voice finished her sentence, but was cut off when Marinette took off a ring from her ear. She looked Nino right in the eyes and said again, "I don't want to be with you. And I never will." She turned around to the gathered people and yelled. "If Voice wants to give me what I want and provide everything for me, then She can give me the freedom to select who I want to be with. We all should select who we want."
Nino laughed. "Then I select Alya!" Said girl jolted from her stance and beamed at him they ran towards each other and embraced.
"I select you, Nino!"
Everyone stared at them in shook. The older fatherers and motherers were horrified as their young were pleased with the idea. Juleka and Rose selected themselves. Lila grabbed Nethaneal in her arms, Alix claimed Kim in a more demanding was and he to her.
Before Adrien could have his say, Chloe squealed, "Then I select Adrien!"
She ran to grab him, but he shook her off. "I'm sorry, Chloe. But I don't want to be selected with you." He turned to Marinette who smiled. "I select Marinette."
He ran after her and she ran to tackle him. They both embraced and held each other. He laughed as he felt his body fill up with excitement. He felt whole and soft and nothing could stop him from holding her forever.
–––
Of course his father wasn't please with his choice. All the youth that selected themselves were cast out. The elder fatherers and motherers began to retell the events to young and impressionable as a horrid story where Voice spoke over them and begged them to see sense, and cry as she led them away from Her people.
He tired to get his soning to reconsider and withdraw his claim. He threatened him by saying he would tie him to a post until he died to keep him from leaving. He'd force him to respond to every noise Voice made and keep Chloe at his side to make sure he did. He would negotiate with Voice herself to pair him and Chloe so he would humble himself to her and have him obedient. He threatened to drown him, burn him, throw him into the sky.
But all was in vein when Adrien finished packing. He looked up to his father and smiled. Gabriel looked at his soning and dropped to wrap his arms around him. He wept. He begged his soning to stay. Adrien smiled and patted his father's back. "Goodbye."
His father let him go and watched as he left the hut. He watched as the girl he selected smiled warmly at him, took his sonings hand, smiled brighter than the sun at his own, and left, neither one of them leading or following the other.
He wept that night. All night. He removed his rights and set them aside. He didn't follow bedding. He didn't listen to anything besides the wind as he walked aimlessly through the forest. He walked to the edge of a cliff and saw the rocks at the bottom where waves crashed. He smiled and called out with open arms and he leaned over the edge. "I select you, Elisia."
–––––
.
What the f*ck did I just write?
This was just something that came to mind when I watched a scene from Steven Universe.
It's almost weird that this is an actual good one shot.
I don't plan to do not with it. There isn't much more that I can do with it as it is.
If there are any mistakes, feel free to comment, otherwise . . .
Peace!!!,✌👋