Chapters: 25/?
Fandom: Subnautica (Video Game), Subnautica: Below Zero - Fandom
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: AL-AN/Robin Ayou, AL-AN & Robin Ayou, AL-AN & Ryley Robinson
Characters: Robin Ayou, AL-AN (Subnautica), Ryley Robinson, Architects | Precursors (Subnautica)
Additional Tags: Romance, Drama & Romance, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Alien Cultural Differences, Awkward Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Infection, Action/Adventure, Space Exploration, Al-an is a angsty flashlight, Ryley is ..vary confused, Robin needs a drink, Someone looses some digits..., Ryley is a walking cockblock and doesn't know it., Al-an isn't amused., Drones have it out for Ryley, Ryley is kinda of whipped, Robin gets thrown..for the second time, Panic Attacks, Al-an riles himself up and need to take a time out, Other alien species - Freeform, Parasite/host egg laying, Leviathan class lifeforms, Dubious Bargains, Only dream Al-an gets laid, Imposter
Series: Part 3 of A Splash Across a Pale Sky
Summary:
After Al-an's failed attempt to initiate warp drive, and rejection of consciouses's aid at Robin's behest the team is forced to set their sights on a distant planet Al-an claims to be the homeworld of a fickle alien species they once called allies.
Meanwhile Ryley struggles to fit in with a enigmatic resercher and her apathic alien companion, all the while trying to figure out just what it is they are keeping from him..
The crew soon finds its best to come clean and wear their ambitions on their sleeves, trust their fellow crewmates. It may very well save their lives.
"Ryley could see the pouting researcher was at her wits end, the bored researcher had been reduced to gleaning amusement from patting the alien's rear, watching the green biolight erupt under her palm then measuring how long it took to dwindle out when she pulled her hand away.
What was kinda of more amusing was the fact that everytime she swatted the precursor's ass Al-an responded subconsciously by issuing a soft quiet clicking noise, despite having no real qualms regarding the researcher's restless exploration of his vessel.."
- Dust (sugoi). “Chapter 11: A Shift in Circumstance.” Planet: Marighettis 047. A Splash Across a Pale Sky https://archiveofourown.org/works/37964023
I absolutely love this fanfic, so I did some art of it! Highly recommend checking it out! Its kinda been my hyperfixation for the last month.
"Yes. The data beyond this point has proved unsalvageable." Al-an sighed blankly, he sounded distanced and somewhat apathetic but she can tell he was still vary upset.
It was understandable Robin herself felt sick, her stomach still tight with dread and anxiety, and terrifying as it was, Robin realized that she equally felt lucky…
Lucky that they had not come sooner, that they avoided being drawn into the brutal slaughter that took place there, knowing Al-an it was likely he would not know when to back down and flee, the likelihood of him surviving was better then the others…but still skeptically low seeing what they were pit against.
As repulsive as the realization was Robin was glad that they were not there to have to make that choice to leave the afflicted behind if need be…
Would Al-an think less of her for this epiphany..?
Finally Al-an moves to stand, Robin finds her person easily picked up as well, her architect ferrying them both out of the observation and into the dark common area, the halls are still subtly glowing, but somehow everything seems a tad bit dimmer…
Robin's throat feels tight and it takes a second to speak around the knot forming in it, and even then she really didn't know where to begin, there was so much to unpack here…
"How are you holding up in there..? It was a lot to unpack, if im being honest I'm glad that last creature wasn't still running around when we arrived…" She admits still feeling that heavy sense of unease as she thought back on it.
"I am fine Robin, I do not require consolation. However if that was your intent your efforts are appreciated. Here..drink this it will calm your nerves." Al-an states simply, pushing a warm mug of tea into her hands, it smelled oddly nutty, but also pleasantly fruity.
And yes she felt it almost immediately when she sipped the mildly bitter concoction, the anxious knot in her shoulders started to wane, that was until Al-an revealed her assumption to be inaccurate.
"I think your assessment is inaccurate, I believe that creature we just witnessed or perhaps a similar variant of the lifeform was tracking Ryley shortly after the matriarch abducted you, had i known the danger it posed i would have ensured I disposed of it before our depature.." Al-an sighs in quiet frustration.
"Well, it's gone now..along with everything else." It only now occurred to Robin that they were probably the only ones left who knew what tragedies transpired on the planet before its destruction..
But something else was also nagging at the researcher's mind….
Something that her architect himself proposed before he left her side to aid Ryley, and frankly Robin had almost considered it too, given her bleak circumstances…but now after seeing what precursor blood was truly capable of, it certainly would have given the researcher second thoughts despite his assurence..
"About…that, can I ask you something Al? About something you said to me when I was sick.."
"….Yes." The way he lowers his eyeless face and shifts away tells her that Al-an was fully aware of what was to come, whether it was shame or something else Robin could practically feel the waves of his aversion to the topic at hand.
"You said you wanted to use your blood to cure me…that my bloodstream was exposed to it before, what did you mean?
Al-an makes a soft trilling noise, but fails to answer her immediately, instead her architect slowly closes the distance between them, his claw hooked the rim of the mug he gave her moments prior, peering down at the half filled mug with muted interest.
"Are you done with this..?" It was a request but poised in the way a question would be, simply put Al-an wanted it..
"Yeah, it's all yours…thanks for that. I think it helped.." Robin allowed passing him the half filled mug and watched with intrigue as her companion quickly drained it and set the cat engraved mug carefully aside.
"You..don't remember..do you?" When he finally spoke it was with timid resignation
"Stop being so damn sweet, Your giving me terrible impulses.." Robin snorted as she pressed another soft kiss to her architect's jaw, the soft content hum her affection earned her only further instigated her dotting.
"Impulses..?" Her architect asked softly tilting his head curiously, she could hear his intrigue but the poor precursor was far too distracted indulging in her attention then to pry any further into the less then innocent comment.
"Yes very invasive ones…" Robin laughed giving into the urge to kiss the side of his neck, trying her damnest to catch one of the anxious streaks of light racing over her carapace.
"Oh…Yes I believe I understand…" Al-an sighed, his claws contently playing in her long braids as he waited patiently for his human to get her fill of him.
"Oh..do you..?" Robin asked curiously.
"Yes, intrusive musings, I often experience these phenomenon when i encounter your coffee machine and contemplate my experiences with it.."
"Hahaha! What..?" Robin couldn't help herself, a mirth filled snort escapes her lips.
"Do you find my unfortunate encounter with your overwhelming bean stimulant amusing Robin..?"
Al-an huffed, a claw idly lifting her chin, angling her face up to meet his eyeless face.
"No..no..i just-" Robin was over taken by the laughter, made even more prominent when her architect blazed an incredulous yellow.
"It was not." Al-an moped broodingly.
"Okay, okay…i know" Robin snickered getting another soft kiss against her cheek for her indiscretion.
"You are still laughing. Perhaps i should recount some of your more questionable decisions in the past year…" Al-an sniffed, pinching her side gently.
"Don't be salty, that was one hundred percent your fault big guy." Robin squeaked with laughter, betting away her testy architect.
"Our vessels require very little salt, I am however experiencing a critical deficit in suger…" Al-an deadpanned rather urgently.
"You are..? No wait. Really Al-an!?" Robin wheezes equally appalled and amused by the terrible pick up line.
"Robin, please utilize haste, I require your aid, carry on." Al-an insisted, pressing forward for his demand.
"Holy sol, your rotten, fine you win." Robin huffed far more flustard then she rightfully should have been at the silly joke.
She didn't even try to stop the laugh the bubbled up when her architect gives a satisfactory hum.
"We are in this together Robin and we sure as hell aren't going to just let a bunch of intellectual space fawns do whatever they want to him!"
"But what if he wants to go..?" The silent distress behind her quiet question urges Ryley to fall silent for a moment, but in that small span of time Robin stood up and started to depart, leaving the hermit still scrambling for an answer to a question he wasn't quite certain of..
"Robin, wait.." Ryley called out his eyes narrowed with worry to his surprise the researcher actually did hesitate before slipping away.
"I'm sorry Ry, i didn't mean that..or any of this, i just feel like shit..i-im going to go lie down for a bit."
"Let me know if you need anything, I'll make us some lunch, til then just try to chill out for a while." Just as the words left the hermit's mouth a loud rumbling echoed in the distance, both eyes shifted to the bright windows, space had been sounding increasingly odd over the past three weeks.
Yet neither biologist or engineer could make heads or tales of it..
Subtle charged energy, minor thunder, ominous echos…it would be a lie to say that on the nights Ryley just barely survived the terrors of Al-an's past he wasn't haunted by another reoccurring dream..
One that clung to him hours after the hermit woke, dreams of a vast maw reaching over the cosmos, it's black mouth endlessly swallowing the stars and planets as they drifted, inside its carnivorous maw was painted with billions of twinkling stars, a universe painted like a night sky its head crowned with the very sun..a distorted circadian rhythm..churning like a choking esophagus.
They could never outpace its hunger, as it was the universe they fled from..
"It's been happening a lot lately" Robin muttered quietly, her tired sad eyes fixed on the too bright void outside their ship, she still looked anxious but at least at this point she had lost steam..
"Yeah.. well it's going to take more than space farts to stop us, I'm going to make us something to eat, but first..come here " Ryley spread his arms in invitation, a sad smile tugging at his lips at her hopeful recognition.
She doesn't hestitate a second before crashing into his arms, he holds her tight because the resilant woman feels like she's falling apart, piece by piece..perhaps they all are, good thing Ryley was well trained in the art of using duck tape, he'd fucking tape these hapless idiots together like mummies if he had to.
"If you start feeling bad again, come talk to me. okay?. He'll wake up, he just probably hit some snags on the way back." Ryley assured as he finally pulled away, Robin made a noise, a tight but brave sigh.
"Thanks.." She sounded distant but that was natural for someone who has just experienced a burn out, he watched as she slipped away, back into the architect's dim room
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 21/?
Fandom: Subnautica (Video Game), Subnautica: Below Zero - Fandom
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: AL-AN/Robin Ayou, AL-AN & Robin Ayou, AL-AN & Ryley Robinson
Characters: Robin Ayou, AL-AN (Subnautica), Ryley Robinson, Architects | Precursors (Subnautica)
Additional Tags: Romance, Drama & Romance, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Alien Cultural Differences, Awkward Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Infection, Action/Adventure, Space Exploration, Al-an is a angsty flashlight, Ryley is ..vary confused, Robin needs a drink, Someone looses some digits..., Ryley is a walking cockblock and doesn't know it., Al-an isn't amused., Drones have it out for Ryley, Ryley is kinda of whipped, Robin gets thrown..for the second time, Panic Attacks, Al-an riles himself up and need to take a time out, Other alien species - Freeform, Parasite/host egg laying, Leviathan class lifeforms, Dubious Bargains
Series: Part 3 of A Splash Across a Pale Sky
Summary:
After Al-an's failed attempt to initiate warp drive, and rejection of consciouses's aid at Robin's behest the team is forced to set their sights on a distant planet Al-an claims to be the homeworld of a fickle alien species they once called allies.
Meanwhile Ryley struggles to fit in with a enigmatic resercher and her apathic alien companion, all the while trying to figure out just what it is they are keeping from him..
The crew soon finds its best to come clean and wear their ambitions on their sleeves, trust their fellow crewmates. It may very well save their lives.
