Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Percy!” Brenda called from her place on the female yeti’s shoulder. Percy looked over, mildly surprised to see her face lit up by a brilliant smile. “This is great – imagine what this means for the world!” She was gesturing wildly as she spoke, almost slipping off the yeti’s shoulder in the process.

Percy smiled back, nodding along to her words from his perch on his yeti’s palm. “Yeah!” he agreed, patting his yeti’s finger affectionately. There was the scratching of chatting in the background, their own human voices mixing with the gruff yetis’. He sighed. “I just wish we knew what they were saying…”

Brenda’s smile faded into a contemplating frown. “Well,” she said, “I… might know someone who can help us.”

*

Scientists Begin to Search For Way to Communicate with Newly-Discovered Yetis!

After startling discovery of a tribe of yetis made by Percy Pettersson, scientists all over the world have begun the search of finding a way to communicate with the creatures previously known only from myths. More at page 6.

*

Migo squinted, using his hand to cover his eyes from the pale light inside of the large building. The whole affair was almost like stepping outside of his room on a particularly bright day, but these lights hurt more than the glaring snow and ice.

Smallfoot – with a capital S, rather than all the other smallfeet – walked beside him, guiding him through the rooms and corridors. It was talking in its high-pitched tones, rambling excitedly about something or another. Truly, it was a shame that they didn’t fully understand each other – one can only get so far with drawings on cave walls and wild hand gestures.

Finally, after a walk that was uncomfortable merely because of how small every door was, they arrived at wherever they were supposed to be going. Smallfoot rushed over to another smallfoot, shaking its hand before gesturing towards Migo. The new smallfoot waved at him, and he uncertainly waved back.

He trusted Smallfoot not to take him to someone harmful – it had protected him many times before, after all – and after a few minutes it became clear that no, this smallfoot didn’t want to harm him. In fact, after a few confusing moments with more and more frantic hand-gesturing, Migo puzzled together that they –

were trying to find easier ways to communicate?

Oh, he was one hundred percent down for that. He accepted the examinations with ease, staying still even when he’d rather run out of there screaming.

*

Communication With Yetis Possible? Scientists Are Uncertain.

Weeks after the discovery of yetis scientists are still not sure whether true communication is possible or not. Their voice chords are, according to professor James Schmidt, “vastly different from ours”, making a common language hard to find basis for. More at page 4.

*

Percy stared at the wall in the cave, tugging at his hair in frustration. All their research was hung up on the stone wall, displayed in front of him in all their raw honesty – there were handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, prints of scientific papers, prints of messages and emails – and still, the gaps of lacking knowledge were far too many to count.

By all means, every single test showed that a common ground was possible, despite the differences in their voice chords. He knew that yetis were smart enough to learn and understand new languages– the sceptics didn’t believe him, of course, but there will always be sceptics and he’d accepted that… but still –

A small grunt came from his yeti, who was resting against the other wall with his legs folded up against his chest. He’d been watching him work, as he at times did, fascinated by all his gadgets. Now the usually curious look had been replaced by a somewhat worried expression.

Percy sighed, letting go of his hair and walking over to him with heavy steps. “It’s alright, big guy,” he said, leaning against his leg and patting his knee comfortingly. “We’ll figure it out.”

His yeti made one of the noises Percy had learned was a happy noise, picking him up and placing him against his chest. Rather than complaining, Percy laughed and shook his head fondly. His yeti was in the habit of doing that, sometimes, and he didn’t complain – it was rather comfortable, actually, his fur was soft and in the cold harshness of the winter the warmth was nice.

*

Research For Communication at a Standstill – Scientists all Over the World Frustrated.

Yet another attempt at communication has failed. It seems that, after weeks of research and close examinations, we have come to a standstill. We are simply not moving forward in our search for a common language – but Percy Pettersson, discoverer of the yeti, refuses to give up, insisting that “there must be a way. And if there is none, I will make it!”. More at page 7.

*

After the first contact between yeti and smallfoot, most of the yetis had moved back to their mountain, choosing to live there until communication became easier – but some of them had found caves nearer the smallfeet’s villages to live in. Migo was one of them, along with Meechee, the rest of the SES and a few others.

The pros of moving? He was closer to Smallfoot and the rest of the smallfeet. Always new stuff to learn. Fun adventures every day. The cons?

“Meechee!” Migo yelled. Well – whisper-yelled, he didn’t dare raise his voice right then. “Smallfoot fell asleep on me again! Can you bring me something to drink?”

Smallfoot was, indeed, asleep. It was sprawled out across Migo’s chest, a light weight that he barely noticed, its chest rising slightly with every soft snore. Migo hadn’t wanted to wake it, and so he’d been sitting in the same position for way too long, his hand resting gently on its back.

Meechee poked her head into the room, giggling at the sight of the two of them. “Aw! You’re so cute!” she gushed. Whether the sweet words were directed at Migo or not he didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t care. There was a sleeping smallfoot on his chest and he was thirsty and couldn’t move, damnit.

“Yes, thanks,” he muttered absentmindedly, “could you? Please? I don’t want to disturb it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Meechee said, still giggling when she left the room.

Migo looked down at Smallfoot and couldn’t help but smile – Meechee was right, all things considered. It was cute, with its soft skin and fiery hair.

*

Scientists Sure They Are Close to Communicating With Yetis!

Despite many dead-ends in search of a way to communicate with yetis, scientists recently had a stunning break-through! Communication might be just around the corner! More on page 2.

*

Percy stormed into the cave his yeti had taken up residence in, glancing wildly around before sprinting further in. “Hey, big guy!” he called, looking from room to room with a speed he didn’t know he could reach. “C’mon – where are you – ” He was growing impatient, his gloved hands shaking with anticipation rather than the usual chill of the mountains.

His yeti appeared – finally – around a corner, looking amused and curious, and Percy rushed over to him. “You have to come, come on, come on – they’ve got a prototype ready, they think it’s ready to be tested and they want us, come on – ” He tugged at one of his fingers, shifting constantly and almost hopping on the spot with his excitement.

His yeti, clearly understanding something big was going on, beamed and hurried after him, only yelling something over his shoulder as he went. The echo of another yeti’s answer bounced through the halls, but Percy couldn’t care less and only hurried on.

A quick run later and Percy tugged his yeti into the building that had been dedicated to the research, hurrying on through the hallways and pushing aside pretty much everyone who stood in his way. “We’re here!” he called, nodding hurriedly to the press cameras lined up against the walls before pushing through the doors leading to the room he’d been showed earlier.

It was a mostly blank room. There was only a small table and two cushions on the floor, one enormous and one regular-sized. On top of the table lay two devices – the prototypes his yeti and he had been asked to test out –, these also of different sizes. Two of the walls were one-way mirrors, camera-men and documenters waiting patiently on the other side of the glass pane. In addition to that he knew there were microphones in the roof.

If nothing else, the world would know how this first exchange of words went down.

Percy gestured for his yeti to sit down in the enormous cushion before sitting down in the one meant for him. Then, making eye-contact with him, he reached for the smallest device and popped it into his ear.

His yeti followed, only somewhat hesitantly.

There was a soft crack in his ear.

His heart beat harshly in his chest – he’d bonded with this yeti, bonded hard and fast, protected and been protected – what would he be like? How would he sound? What did he have to say to him?

What would he say? Sorry for shooting him? Thank you for not harming him?

A simple introduction would be a nice start, he berated himself, and with a final nod to himself he cleared his throat. “H – hello?” he said, the first word shared between human and yeti.

And his yeti’s eyes widened, mouth falling open as his hands dropped into his lap. For a moment it seemed like he searched for words, something shocked about his expression though hope soon came into its place. “It works,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it works – ”

Chapter Text

Percy laughed, breathless and relieved. His hands, who’d been clutching the hem of his shirt, eased up on their tight hold. “Wow, I – I’m actually talking to you,” he said, for a moment forgetting everything about the cameras and the microphones and just breathing, “I’m – I’m talking to you, and you understand me – ”

The awe Percy was experiencing was reflected in his yeti’s eyes. “I – we – have so many questions for you,” he said, a beaming smile now on his face.

Percy didn’t say anything for a moment. He could only stare, short of breath and filled with wonder , as he finally, finally could talk to this creature – be understood, and understand in return, seeing just how intelligent they were –  and there were so many things he wanted to ask, too – how long have they been here? What’s the deal with the guy with the stones? How do they resolve conflict? He wanted to know everything about them – as a community, as a species –

And instead of asking any of it, he blurted, “What’s your name?” Heat rushed to his cheeks right afterwards; here he had the chance of a century, talking face to face with an actual, understanding yeti, and he asked for its name? It felt like an opportunity lost, somehow, but –

But the way his yeti’s face lit up made it all worth it. “I’m Migo!” he said, prodding his own chest with a beam. “You?”

“Percy,” Percy replied easily. “Well, Percy Pettersson, but you can call me Percy.”

“Percy…” his yeti – Migo! A name, he had a name! – repeated thoughtfully. “I like it.”

Percy blushed again, smiling nervously as he fiddled with his shirt. “I, uhm. Thank you. Your name is quite nice as well.” He looked over to the mirrors, where he knew the camera men were gathered, and remembered with a start that Migo thought they were in private. “This is a, uhm,” he said, desperately trying to find a way to inform Migo about this without being obvious, “a big occasion! Yes, a big occasion – for the first time that mankind can remember, communication between human and yeti is possible.” He raised his eyebrows pointedly, then spoke a bit louder for the next part. “We are very lucky that this is being caught on tape.”

Migo blinked, then he widened his eyes, gasping softly. “Are we being monitored?” he whispered, leaning towards him and glancing left then right suspiciously. Percy nodded slowly. “Can they hear us?”

Percy nodded again. “They can’t understand you, however, as I am the only human alive with a translator device on my person.”

“Oh,” Migo said, sounding a bit relieved as he leaned back on his cushion. “So… no matter what I say, you’re the only one who’ll understand?” Percy nodded once more. “That’s… pretty cool!”

Despite not being directly involved in the development of the translator, Percy still flushed, a sense of pride rushing through him. “Yes, indeed it is.” He smiled, a bit flustered, then hurried to pull out the folded paper he’d had in his pocket. “Now – we have sort of figured out that we’re not interested in harming each other, but, uhm, humans want proof of that. So, uhm. We have a list of questions you’ll need to answer…”

*

After a round of exhausting questions that was pretty much just the same question phrased a bit differently every time it was asked, Percy – and what a fitting name – finally put down the information. “Sorry about that, big guy,” he said, shrugging apologetically, “but I’m not in control of those things.” There was a pause, and then he blinked, widening his eyes before slapping his hands up to cover them. “I cannot believe I just said that…” he murmured.

“Said what?” Migo asked, curious and confused at Percy’s reaction.

“I’ve, uhm.” Percy threw a glance at the reflective surfaces at each wall, then grimaced slightly. “The official meeting is over,” he said, raising his voice, “please turn off the cameras.” A few moments later the doors opened and a female smallfoot came in.

“Mister Pettersson,” she said, not offering Migo a glance, “we have stopped recording. You may not bring the translators home just yet – in two days’ time or so you may, but we still need the information stored within them.”

“Oh,” Percy said, “oh, well, alright then.” He looked over at Migo, a small frown on his brow. “Uhm. Could we get some more time to talk?”

“Apologies, mister Pettersson,” she said, shaking her head. “We cannot allow that as of right now.”

Percy squinted at her. A few moments passed where they just looked at each other, Migo sitting uncomfortable and out-of-place in the corner –

and then he nodded. “Alright, then. But we’ll be back in two days.” He looked over at his shoulder again, his gaze quickly finding Migo’s. And then he smiled, a small, soft smile that was barely even noticeable if you didn’t know what to look for. “We have a lot of missed talks,” Percy said, quiet and soft, the words directed at him rather than the woman.

Migo smiled, then nodded. “We sure do,” he agreed. “Do we really have to wait two days, though?” He would’ve loved to talk more to Percy – ask him what he’d been thinking during their first meeting, apologize for almost letting him die, thank him for saving his life and for giving this peace the opportunity to live.

“Afraid so,” Percy said. He shrugged, then turned to face him fully. “Well,” he said, bringing one hand up to his ear, “I’ll talk to you later – Migo.”

And with that he tugged the translator out of his ear. Migo reached up to do the same to his, placing it back down on the wooden surface he’d picked it up from. Percy put his down beside it, and then he stood, waving for Migo to follow him.

“Two days, huh?” Migo said, walking out of the building. Percy looked over at him with raised eyebrows and a curious tilt to his head, but he didn’t speak. “I can wait. Not like I have much of a choice,” he muttered.

The defeated tone must’ve translated across the language barrier, for Percy laughed lightly and patted his leg, chattering away in his bright tones.

And, strangely enough, Migo felt a bit better about their situation just from that.

*

They didn’t get very far before Brenda stormed after them, calling Percy’s name as she went. “Wait - they want an interview with you, Percy!” She sounded excited, her hands waving frantically for him to stop.

Blinking, Percy gave her a wide-eyed, surprised look. “With me?” he asked. “Now?” She nodded, breathless and with her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. “But uh…” Percy looked over at Migo, who only seemed confused at the commotion. “I… I guess?” He turned to Migo with a sigh, offering him a helpless shrug. “I gotta go, big guy - you get back to your friends, yeah? I’ll come back later.”

And despite not understanding his words, Migo apparently understood the intent, for he nodded, then walked away, his steps light only because he wanted them to be.

Percy stood very still watching him walk away, distant for a moment as he considered everything that was going on in his life. Then –

“Alright,” Percy said, clapping his hands together and spinning to give Brenda a smile. “Let’s do this, shall we?”

*

“...and now, directly following this first contact, we have Percy Pettersson! And tell us, now, Percy, how is it, talking to a yeti?”

“It is absolutely sensational,” Percy said, giving the camera a wide, beaming smile that was far from fake. “Every single moment I spend in their presence makes me more certain of the fact that they are far from the wild beasts we once thought them to be. Rational thought! Actual speak, with no stutter or hesitation! Nuanced, emotional words! It’s simply mind-blowing.”

“Yes, of course,” the woman behind the microphone said, nodding hurriedly. “Tell me - and all of us at home, watching - what did you talk about?”

“Peace contracts, mostly,” Percy said, shrugging slightly. He didn’t add the ‘unfortunately’ that rang at the back of his mind. It had been, it truly had been, but he doubted the cameras would appreciate that.

She nodded again. “And, Percy, you were the first to trust the yetis were not out to harm us - are you surprised by anything that was said during this meeting?”

Percy cocked his head in thought. “Not really,” he admitted. He hadn’t been; Migo hadn’t told him anything he wasn’t already unconsciously aware of. “I knew they wanted nothing but peace for our kinds. The only surprising thing was his readiness to part with his name, to be honest.”

“You exchanged names?” the woman asked, her eyebrows rising into her hairline. Percy nodded easily. “And this yeti - the first yeti to ever talk, understand, and be understood by humans - what is it called?”

He looked at the camera, a warm happiness crawling through him as he was, again, reminded of what had just happened. He’d talked to him. Talked to him. “Migo,” he breathed, and the name fell from his lips with ease. “His name is Migo.”

Chapter Text

The moment he was out of view from the building, Migo began running. Meechee met him halfway down the hill, her eyes bright and joyous. “So?” she asked, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. “How did it go, Migo?”

Migo grabbed her by the elbows and hopped with her, his beam even brighter than hers. “His name is Percy,” he exclaimed, breathless after the run, “his name is Percy and I talked to him and he understood me – ”

“That’s great!” Meechee said, her smile widening. “That’s – really cool, actually – ”

“And his voice is actually kinda nice, when it’s not high-pitched and squeaky,” Migo mused, poking his lower lip thoughtfully.

Meechee laughed. “So is everybody’s, though,” she said, her amusement and happiness bleeding into the words. Then she looked around, a confused frown slowly forming on her brow. “But – where is smallfoot?”

“Oh,” Migo said, stepping away from her with a shrug. “He had to do something else. I think he’ll be back soon? I’m not sure.”

“Oh.” Meechee tapped her chin for a brief moment, looking up at the sky as she thought. “Well, tell me more, then,” she finally said, again breaking out into a wide grin. “What did he say? What did you talk about? Spill the details!”

*

“Percy,” Percy said, for the sixth time in half a minute. “Per-cy. Come on, big guy, you can do it. Peeeercyyyy.” He gestured towards Migo, who was sitting opposite of him in the main room of the cave-system he and a few other yetis lived in.

Migo very pointedly cleared his throat, then said, somewhat hesitant and in a dark growl, “Poor-sea?”

“Yes!” Percy exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air with a beam. They’d been trying to say each others’ names for quite a while now – poorsea was the closest either of them had gotten this far. “Great, good job, Migo, I knew you could do it.”

He preened a bit at that, before focusing on Percy once more. Then, prodding his own chest pointedly, he let out a low, deep rumble of a growl.

Percy blinked.

“Oh,” he said, “that’s – that’s your name, right, of course – ” He cleared his throat, then, very nervously, attempted to procreate the sound Migo had made.

Migo stared at him with wide eyes. Then, very slowly, he shook his head. He coughed, then repeated the deep growl, slower this time.

“Wait, that… that sounded kind of like maroon…?” Percy mumbled to himself. “Only slower. Deeper? Maroo. Maaroo. Marrooo?” He cleared his throat, held up a finger, lowered his voice, and attempted a deep, “Maarroo.”

Migo nodded enthusiastically, repeating his own name. Percy, happy and excited to have managed the sound so quick, said it back to him again. They got caught up in this and repeated it a few times back and forth, getting increasingly more excited about it each time, until the two of them were nearly bouncing around the room while happily shouting Migo’s name at the top of their lunges.

Then suddenly Migo broke the chain, pointing at Percy and uttering a very clear, “Poor-sea,” in what Percy translated to be a ‘I might be Migo, but you’re Percy,’ tone.

Percy nodded very seriously, still moving in a marched circle, “Oh, I’m Percy, alright,” he said, again nodding.

“Poor-sea!”

“Maarroo!” Percy called back, and soon they were in a back-and-forth loop of poor-sea-maarroo-poor-sea-maarroo, pointing at each other more and more forcefully with each name.

They were in the middle of a dance jig when the purple female yeti walked into the room, coming to a full stop when she noticed them.

Percy froze mid-move. He hadn’t expected her to interrupt – he hurried to sit down, legs crossed and cheeks on fire.

Migo said something to her, shrugged, and offered a goofy grin. That made Percy feel a little better, and he offered her a small wave when she shot him a sceptical look.

The two of them exchanged a few words, and Percy sat back on his elbows to admire them as they spoke. It was weird, knowing that their language was just as nuanced as his – that their thought process, their brains, everything was just the same as the homo sapiens.

Thank lord they were finally done with all of this, all of the research and the worrying – God, but it had been tiring. Day after wretched day with reading, checking and double-checking and triple-checking, chugging coffee like there was no tomorrow, four hours of sleep each night – just the thought of it made the exhaustion finally sink in, and he yawned, moving a gloved hand to cover his mouth.

A second later he had two worried yetis hovering by his side.

“Guys, guys!” he called, attempting to wave them off even as he fought another yawn. “I’m fine, I’m just – I’m tired, is all.” Ugh, imagine going home now, trekking through the snow with his eyes falling shut nearly on their own accord… it would be easier just to stay here.

…and why not? He knew it was fine; he’d fallen asleep here several times before. Why couldn’t he do it again?

Migo and the other yeti shared a few more words, and then a few moments later Percy was picked up gently from the ground. A few yeti steps later and he was held against Migo’s chest, the other yeti coming over with what, in her hands, seemed to be a tiny blanket. It was draped over Percy’s back, and one of Migo’s hands joined it soon after, the warmth doubling quickly.

“Oh,” Percy said. “I – thank you.” He ducked his head so the others wouldn’t see his smile, small and flustered and terribly genuine. Not wanting to move all too much in case he’d disturb Migo, he used his teeth to tug of his gloves, tucking them into his pockets before burying his hands in his fur.

They lay in silence for a few moments, and then Percy, exhausted and sleep-deprived, began to talk.

“I’m kind of scared, you know,” he began, slowly carding his fingers through Migo’s thick fur. “I don’t know what to say to you. What I should say.” He tipped his head back to look up at him, surprised and happy to find a clueless yet understanding look on his face. “You don’t understand a word, of course,” he said, smiling softly, “but I need to sort out my thoughts, and I do that aloud.”

He put his head back down on Migo’s chest, sighing with tire and not distress. “I think I’d like to thank you,” he muttered, “for everything you’ve done for me. And not only me, but my career, too.” Slowly, and terribly gently, Migo patted Percy’s back, tracing small patterns as well as he could with his gigantic fingers. Percy blushed again, pressing his face into Migo’s fur so he wouldn’t see it. He bit back a goofy grin, took a deep breath, and continued to speak. “Then again, maybe I should apologize… oh, I don’t know. I just… I don’t know anything anymore - about myself, about the world - if yetis exist, what other mythical creatures might?”

He huffed a small laugh. “I’m talking to a yeti,” he muttered. “A yeti. And he doesn’t even understand what I’m saying.” He shook his head. “I’m so confused, Migo. Uh - sorry, Maarroo.”

Migo perked up at that, uttering a quiet “Poor-sea,” before falling silent again.

Percy laughed softly. “I think it’ll be worth it, big guy.” He tipped his head again, this time giving Migo a very genuine and very tired smile. “You’re probably worrying about the exact same thing, aren’t you?”

Migo, despite having no idea what Percy was talking about, smiled back.

“I doubt it,” Percy said, grinning before putting his head back down again. “You’re so sure about yourself in everything you do…” He yawned again, rubbing his eyes before closing them and shifting into a more comfortable position. “I like that about you, Maarroo.”

A soft growl followed by poor-sea was the last thing Percy heard before he slipped off into sleep.

*

Migo sighed heavily as Percy finally slipped into sleep. “The poor guy must be exhausted,” he said. Meechee, who was sitting over by the living room table, muttered an agreement. “He’s been driving himself nuts searching for a way to make this translating device,” Migo continued, stroking his finger down Percy’s back once more. “I’m glad they finally made it.”

“Because he’s got a pretty voice?” Meechee asked, stocking her playing cards and giving him a teasing grin.

“Uh - ” Migo stuttered, heat rising to his face. “Nh - no! No.” He looked down at Percy, resting peacefully on his chest, and smiled softly. “That’s not it at all…”

Meechee snorted. “As long as you have fun together,” she offered, spreading her cards out on the table. “And judging by how I found you just now, you do.”

Migo pouted. “Don’t mock us,” he complained jokingly. “We are very dignified.”

“Mhm. Sure.”

*

When Percy woke up, it was to his own voice crackling across a speaker. And though he’d been deep in the clutches of sleep just moments ago, now he was wide awake, sitting up so abruptly that the blanket fell off him and down at the ground.

“What’s going on?” he asked, nervously looking around for the source of the noise.

The female yeti was sitting on one side of Migo, the curly purple one on the other side. Brenda sat in the female’s hand, a computer on her lap. On it was his own face from the broadcast from – earlier? Yesterday? What time was it, anyway?

“B – Brenda!” he stuttered, heat rising to his cheeks as he gestured for the laptop. “Don’t – ” Migo made a surprised noise, then picked him up from his chest, placing him on his shoulder instead. “Oh – uh, thanks for that, Migo. Maarroo.”

A growl, then his name.

“Marroo?” Brenda repeated, frowning in confusion, just as the purple yeti growled something similar to Percy’s name.

“It’s his name,” Percy explained, in time with Migo likely saying the same to the purple yeti. “Well, his yeti name, anyway.”

“Oh,” Brenda said. “You got him to say it?” Percy nodded. “Neat. Well, Percy – look here, they’re loving the show!” She gestured for the screen with a bright smile, turning to him with sparkling eyes. “It’s the third time we’re seeing it, now, I haven’t been allowed to turn it off – just look.” She reached for the space button and paused the video.

A row of complaining growls came from the yetis, Migo’s the loudest of them all.

Percy chuckled as Brenda started the video again, patting Migo’s cheek affectionately. “I’m flattered, Migo, really,” he said, nodding along to his own words. “But if you think that’s good, you should see my documentaries.”

Brenda gave a delighted gasp. “Percy, that’s a great idea! But I’m not allowed to turn this off…”

Waving his hand dismissively, Percy stood up on Migo’s shoulder before walking, somewhat shakily, down his arm. “Here, let me,” he said, crawling undignifiedly into the female yeti’s hand. He reached for the computer and paused the video, opening a new tab in one swift move.

The complaints were louder this time.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Percy rushed, turning to Migo with a raised hand. “Just hold on a moment, Maarroo, okay?”

Migo stilled, looking uncertain for a moment before nodding. He said something to the others, who also stilled, giving him a confused look.

Percy turned back to the computer, finding his webpage with ease. Then he found one of the earliest videos he had saved in the archive – a shot of him, some five years younger, somewhat inexperienced and hunting for snakes in the Amazon.

Migo gasped when the video turned on, then started blabbering excitedly, gesturing towards the others. Percy’s name was mentioned several times. When he finally calmed down, almost two minutes into the episode, three yetis were glued to the screen, more attentive than any child during their first day at school.

Percy laughed fondly, then made his way back onto Migo’s shoulder, where he leaned against his head with an affectionate smile. If they wanted to spend the whole day watching his reportages, he wasn’t about to complain.

Chapter Text

Percy was arguing with another smallfoot standing behind a desk, pointing fingers and raising his voice with almost every garbled word that left his mouth.

Migo was fairly sure that this was about the translator devices. It’d been two days since they’d spoken, after all, and this was the same building. Weren’t they allowed to get them yet? Was that what was going on?

He fiddled with his fur somewhat nervously. If they couldn’t get the devices yet he completely understood that – didn’t mean that he had to like it, but it wasn’t something he could do something about.

Finally, after almost five minutes with back-and-fourth high-pitched bickering, the smallfoot held out the devices. Percy snatched them from him, glared, and began to stomp out of the building, Migo hurrying to follow.

Percy grumbled darkly to himself the whole hill up to the cave, arms crossed as he glared at the air in front of him. He didn’t hand over the biggest device before they made it back to the cave, but when he did, time seemed to slow around them.

Migo fastened his device, Percy mirroring his move.

And then they stood there for a bit, staring at each other in muted excitement.

Percy was the first to speak. “Migo?” he said, and he sounded so vulnerable and small that it almost hurt.

A smile crept upon him, wide and relieved, and he replied, “Percy.”

“Are you going to hang out there in the hallway forever?” Meechee called, her voice bouncing off the walls in the cave.

Percy startled, turning wide eyes in the direction the sound had come from. “Oh,” he said, a soft and astonished noise. “I –

“Uhm,” Migo called, “nooo…?”

Meechee laughed, then showed up in the cave entrance, a wide beam on her face. “Oh!” she said. “The translator devices? You got them?” Before either of them could reply, she waved eagerly to Percy. “Hi!”

“Heh,” Percy uttered, giving a small wave back. “Hello.”

“Aww,” Meechee cooed, clapping her hands together beneath her chin. “He’s so cute! Right, Migo?” She directed her beam at him.

Percy’s gaze flickered between them. “Sorry,” he said, tilting his head curiously, “but are you two, you know… dating?”

Migo blinked. “What? No – no, no.” He shook his head, emphasising this gesture by making wild cutting gestures with his hands. “We’re just – we’re just friends.”

Meechee gasped. “Wait, he thinks we’re mated?” she asked, sounding both delighted and shocked that he’d come to that conclusion.

“Uhm,” Migo said, exchanging a look with Percy. “Something like that.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, little guy,” Meechee said, directing her smile at Percy this time, “but I’ve got someone else in sight.”

Sighing theatrically, Migo shook his head mournfully. “And she refuses to tell us,” he muttered.

“Boo hoo,” Meechee said, playfully wiping the fur beneath her eyes. “Anyway, I’m sure you have lots to talk about, so I’ll return to my drawing. Bye!” And with that she disappeared back into the deeper parts of the cave.

They both stared after her for a moment, then Migo shook his head. “Let’s just... ignore that,” he muttered. “Come on!” He walked further into the cave, Percy following him with ease. They made their way to Migo’s personal room, where Migo sat down on his bed – a stone – and Percy sat down on his beside table – also a stone.

“Right,” Percy said, his breath hitched and word hesitant. He rubbed his hands together, looking down at his lap rather than Migo. “Uhm.”

This was it. The first actual conversation the two of them would hold.

And all Migo felt was guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted, the words rushed and running into each other.

Percy blinked, looking up at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Migo repeated, looking away from his piercing eyes. “I – for – for everything – leaving you – hurting you – ”

“Migo,” Percy said, stumbling to his feet and stepping over to him, hands on his knee, “Migo, what are you – when did you hurt me, I don’t – ”

And it all came pouring out, all the guilt and the shame and the pain, now that he could finally say it to him. “You couldn’t breathe – you couldn’t breathe and you fainted and I just let him take you because I believed a lie from a liar even when I knew you’d die and I’m sorry – ”

“Migo – ” Percy repeated, tugging gently at his fur, “Migo, stop!” Migo obediently shut his mouth, closing his eyes in shame. “You’re sorry? You regret your actions?”

His eyes snapped open again, staring down at Percy in shock. “Wha – of course I regret my actions, I almost had you killed – if it hadn’t been for Meechee – ”

“Migo. Migo, look at me.” Migo did so, surprised to find a gentle expression on Percy’s face. His next words, spoken softly yet sternly, echoed through the room. “I forgive you.”

Migo inhaled sharply. “But – Percy, I – ”

“Sht.” He held up a finger, raising his eyebrows pointedly. “I don’t want to her it. I forgive you. I don’t know the story behind it, but I’m fine, everything worked out, and you regret what you did. Of course I forgive you.” He ducked his head, rubbing his arm self-consciously. “The question is if… if you can forgive me.”

Now it was Migo’s time to be surprised. “Forgive you?” he asked. “What have you done?”

“I wasn’t exactly kind to you when we first met,” Percy muttered. “Or is that how you yetis greet each other? By hurling skiing rods at each other’s faces?” he asked, his tone most definitely sarcastic. He still didn’t look at him, giving the wall a somewhat disgusted look instead.

Migo, astonished, blinked in shock. “Are you – are you serious? You saved my whole species,” he said, gesturing both to himself and towards the mountain he’d once called his home. “I have – no idea how much you gave up to do it, but you did it, and that’s what matters.” He drew a deep breath and shook his head in disbelief, straightening up again. “Even though I couldn’t see it then, I see it now. I forgive you, too, Percy.”

Percy’s hands dropped to his sides. “Wait – really?” Migo nodded. The smile he got in return was shaky, but a smile nonetheless, and he counted that as a victory. “Well – yes, okay, well then – ” Percy cleared his throat. “I, uhm, what was – what was next?” he muttered, frowning to himself. He patted himself down, sticking his hands into his pockets, the frown deepening. “There – the list, there was a list – ” He continued patting himself down, walking in a stressed circle as he emptied his pockets. “Where is – I know I had – ”

A small piece of paper was torn out of one of his pockets when he pulled his hand out, but he was too busy patting himself to see it, so Migo reached for it and plucked it out of the air. He chuckled. “Is it this one?” he asked, offering Percy a smug grin when he flushed. “You’re cute when you’re flustered, you know that, right?” He handed the paper back over.

Percy turned a brighter shade of red. “I – I, uhm – ” He cleared his throat, then smiled at him, a nervous but genuine smile. “Thanks, you’re… you’re not that bad-looking yourself.”

Migo laughed. “What’s the list for?” he asked, once his laughter had died down.

“Well,” Percy said, unfolding the paper and scanning its contents quickly, “I was, uhm, nervous about talking to you, so I – uhm, I made a list of what I wanted to say.”

Blink. “You made a list,” Migo repeated, dumbfounded. “You made a list?” A slow grin came over his expression, a low giggle at the back of his throat. “You’re an adorable dork!” Percy’s cheeks turned dark again. He raised the list to eyelevel, very obviously hiding behind it. Migo laughed again. “That’s cute, too! Don’t hide!” He gently pushed the list down with one finger, winking at Percy when he peered at him, cheeks still fiery red.

“You are insufferable,” Percy muttered, but he couldn’t quite hold back the grin as he looked down at the paper again. “Aw, come on – this isn’t the right one, this is my grocery list.” He sighed and pocketed it again, shaking his head in disappointment. “I guess we’ll go by heart, then.” Clearing his throat, he shook his hands and shoulders before clapping said hands together. “Right, so – I wanted to say thank you, and I wanted to tell you my full age, and I wanted to ask you who you are, and I wanted to – ”

Migo chuckled, shaking his head fondly as he tapped Percy’s head gently. “Percy,” he said, “how about we just talk? No lists. No walls.”

Percy, who’d been in the middle of a word when Migo cut him off, gaped at him. Then he shut his mouth, smiled a small smile, and nodded. “No walls,” he agreed.

Chapter Text

They talked for hours on end, Migo telling Percy all about himself and who he was. About his friends, and about his father, who’s job was to… wake up the sun, apparently? An honorable job which was supposed to fall onto Migo’s shoulders, but was no longer necessary – nor, as Migo told him, wanted.

In return Percy shared childhood memories, telling Migo about his own father who’d never truly supported him even when he burned for something. The conversation then turned to Percy explaining his job – how he’d always been interested in animals, fascinated by the world, intrigued by the wonders of life.

He left out the part about being more interested in fame recently. The shame was still fresh in his mind, even then, almost three months after he’d realized his mistakes – how could he have done such a thing? When had fame become more important than what he truly wanted – to be free?

When Percy finished telling the story about the monkey who stole his tent that one time, the female yeti – who he still didn’t know the name to – popped her head into the room. “Uh, guys? It’s gone dark outside. Is the smallfoot – ” She glanced at Percy. “ – sorry, Percy – is he staying tonight, too?”

Too? He hadn’t slept over that often, had he?

“Uhm,” Migo said, looking over at Percy with raised eyebrows. Percy shrugged, leaving it up to Migo to decide. It was the same to him – he had no problems with staying, and although walking home through the snow would be a nightmare after dark it’s not like he would die. “Yeah, sure.”

She beamed. “Okay!” She walked half-way out of the room, then stumbled back in, a soft frown on her brow. “Uhm, Kolka is trying to sleep… could you tone it down a little?” she asked, sounding far more apologetic than she should be.

They hadn’t been that loud, but nonetheless, both Percy and Migo nodded.

And with a grateful ‘thanks!’ she was gone.

A beat, and then Migo looked over at Percy with a raised eyebrow. “Are you tired?”

Determined not to let his exhaustion show, Percy shook his head. It likely would’ve been believable, too, if he hadn’t had to slap his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Migo snorted. “Whatever you say, Percy,” he said, grinning when Percy shot him a glare.

“Look,” Percy said, mockingly disgruntled, “it’s not my fault that I tire faster than you.”

The grin widened. “Did I say it was?”

“I – no, but – ”

The grin developed into a giggle. “C’mon,” Migo said, standing up from the stone, “let’s get you to bed.”

“I’m not going to bed unless you are, too!” Percy stubbornly called after him.

“Shhh,” Migo said, putting a finger to his lips. Mischief shone in his eyes. “Meechee told us to be quiet. So be quiet!”

“Meechee?” Percy repeated, jumping from one stone to another to keep up with Migo as he moved around the room, poking his head into a closet. “Is that her name, then?”

“Hm? Oh – oh, of course!” Migo offered him a sheepish grin over his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s – that’s Meechee. The tiny one is Fleem, the purple and curly one is Gwangi, and the last is Kolka.”

“Huh,” Percy said, climbing onto Migo’s hand without a second thought when it was offered to him. “Those are some peculiar names.”

Migo sat down on the stone again, letting Percy crawl onto his chest. “Maybe to you,” he said, draping a thick woolen blanket over Percy, “but not to us. Percy is a weirder name, I think.”

“Excuse me? Percy is a perfectly normal name, thank you very much.”

One of Migo’s eyebrows slowly rose into his hairline.

“Oh, fine,” Percy muttered, looking away and crossing his arms. “It’s a normal name to me.”

Migo giggled.

*

The darkness in the room was pressing, harsher and colder than any ice Migo had ever encountered – and still it had nothing on the lump in his throat, or the lump in his chest, or the ever-present guilt-tinted shame.

He couldn’t sleep.

Three months had passed since it had happened, and still it hurt – still it pained him to think about what he’d done, what he’d almost done, and what he’d considered doing. He was in a turmoil, confusing himself and hurting because of that, confused at his pain and pained at his confusion, worried and not understanding and longing for the truth.

The truth. He had to know. “Percy?” he asked, his voice casting echoes within his own mind.

A shift, a gentle tug at his fur, and then Percy’s voice came, thick with sleep. “Yeah?”

“I – how – what were you thinking?” Migo stuttered. The words didn’t want to come out, stuck in his throat, caught on the hesitant stutter of his heart. “When you first – when I – we – ”

Percy, perhaps noticing his struggle, cut him off, soft and gentle. “When we first met?”

“I – yeah.”

Silence crackled through the air, his skin crawling, a sense of worry creeping down his spine. Why was he taking so long to answer? Was it bad? Did he hate him – regret ever talking to him?

Finally, after a pause that seemed to stretch on for eons –

“I thought I was going to die.”

Migo inhaled sharply, the hand that was resting upon Percy’s back twitching.

Die. He’d thought he was going to die. Gosh, how stupid did Migo have to be to not realize that it would be off-setting? The size-difference, the language barrier, the abruptness of it all – he, damnit, of course he’d be off-setting –

Had he been picked up by a creature six times his size he would’ve been terrified too, for wowness’ sake!

“Percy…” he whispered, voice and heart cracking.

“Wait. I’m not done,” Percy interrupted softly. He took a deep breath, then continued, “I was terrified. Thought you were going to eat me, actually.”

The words sent sharp shards of cold fire through him, throbbing pain that welled and curled through him. Of course he’d thought that. Of course. What a stupid idiot he’d been –

“But then you saved me from a bear.”

– wait, what?

Percy chuckled softly, slowly carding his fingers through Migo’s fur. “And then you fainted at the sight of a teeny tiny bit of blood, and I realized that…” He chuckled again, warmer this time. More welcoming. “Well, that you’re just a dork, really.”

Migo gaped at him. “I – wh – ”

“It was the moment that changed everything,” Percy whispered, peering up at him through his bangs. And through the darkness – of the room, of Migo’s thoughts, of his guilt and shame – his eyes gleamed with honesty something utterly, terribly kind.

Closing his eyes, Migo drew a sharp breath, bringing Percy up to his shoulder to hug him as well as he was able to. He didn’t say anything, only held on as tightly as he dared – and Percy, bless his soul, didn’t comment on it at all.

*

The view from Migo’s shoulder was truly something to behold. Percy’d seen a lot through his life – he’d travelled across the world for several years, discovering and exploring and documenting as he went. And still there were moments where he was in complete awe of the world and its beauty, at the way it tugged and tore at his heartstrings.

Moments like these, when there was nothing but snow and forest and mountains stretching before and beneath him, warmth underneath his palms and Migo’s steady hand holding him up. His heart swelled in his chest, familiar and safe –

“God, how I’ve missed this,” he breathed, a wide and breathless smile on his face as he turned to take in the full scenery.

Migo tilted his head. “Missed what?” he asked.

Normally Percy would be irritated if someone interrupted a moment like that, but – somehow it made it better, having Migo there – his warmth, his smile, the steadiness and safety. “The beauty of the world,” Percy replied, looking down at Migo with a widening smile.

It was noon when they finally made their way into the village. That was partially Percy’s fault – he had Migo stop by every little thing so he could take a picture, or so he could explain what it was, or just so he could take a moment and breathe, basking in the glory of being alive.

The plan was for Percy to stop by the shop to get some groceries for later, but before the two of them could get that far, a disgruntled Brenda ran up to Migo’s side, glaring up at Percy. “There you are,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She sighed, giving him a mostly irritated and somewhat amused expression. “Did you sleep with the yetis again?”

Percy blushed. “Why do people keep saying again? I don’t do it that often!” Migo coughed into his hand, looking away with a barely-concealed smile. Percy blushed harder, tapping his cheek lightly – a mockery of an offended slap. “Hush, Migo!”

Brenda shook her head in exasperation. “Should I just cancel your hotel room?” Percy gaped, then flushed tomato red when Migo howled with laughter. Brenda raised her eyebrows at them. “Yeah, I’m just going to cancel your hotel room.”

She walked away before Percy had the time to do anything about it.

“Gosh, how embarrassing,” he muttered, covering his face in his hands. “Do I really sleep over that often?” he asked, shooting a somewhat desperate look in Migo’s direction.

Migo merely raised an eyebrow at him.

Percy groaned.

*

The images that flickered across the screen in all their colorful beauty would never cease to amaze Migo.

Something told him that the person featured most of the time wouldn’t cease to amaze him, either.

Migo paused Percy’s show, looking up from the screen to the actual Percy. He was sitting on the round stone table in the living room of the caves, a computer in his lap, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He appeared focused, eyebrows knitted together and lips pursed in concentration – but when he noticed Migo’s gaze, the frown eased and the frantic typing stopped. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question, tilting his head slightly.

“I had no idea there was so much out there,” Migo whispered. The awe in his voice was so clear that he could hear it himself. “The world is – so much bigger than what I – what any of us could’ve imagined it to be – ” He drew a deep breath, shaking his head in astonishment. “And so many species, so many places I’ll never be able to see…”

When he was ten he thought he’d seen the whole world because he’d stepped outside of the village. Gosh, how wrong he’d been.

“One day I’ll take you there,” Percy said, fondness bleeding into the words. “All of the places I’ve been to. I’d be happy to show them to you.”

“I – wait, really?” Migo gaped at him, a slow smile creeping onto his expressions. “No, seriously? Are you – really?”

Percy shrugged. “Travelling has been my career since I was nineteen,” he said matter-of-factly. “Of course I’d like to show you the world.”

Migo, incredibly flustered and very unsure about how to react to that, blushed and turned back to his screen. Whether Percy heard his mumbled thank you or not he didn’t know – but the soft smile he got in return suggested he might’ve.

Chapter Text

“What if they get mad?”

“Huh? Mad? Why would they be mad?”

“Because we – well, because we took… you know.”

“Oh! Oh, nah, they won’t be mad because of that, trust me.”

“But what if?”

“Then you can blame it all on me and let me do all the talking.”

Meechee winced, not entirely convinced about that approach. “Well, if you say so…” she nonetheless muttered.

Brenda offered her a kind smile. “Look, Percy is a nice guy, he’s not about to chew you out because of this.” She gestured towards her ear, where the translator device was nestled. “And it’s about time I get to talk to you anyway, it’s been months.”

“Yeah, I – I guess it has!” Meechee smiled, nervously poking her index fingers together. “I, uhm. Have been wanting to talk to you, too, actually.”

“Oh?” Brenda cocked her head curiously. “About what?”

“ – everything,” Meechee blurted, “about your world, about you, about all the knowledge you have, and – ” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath and gesturing for herself to calm down. “Right, sorry. You wanted to talk to me?”

She shook her head fondly. “I’ll answer all your questions in a few,” she promised. “But before that…” Drawing a small breath she stapled her fingers together beneath her chin, tilting her head down to give Meechee a serious look. “Percy is very obviously crushing on Migo.”

Meechee exhaled heavily, pressing a hand against her chest. “Oh, thank stone!” she exclaimed. Brenda blinked, a confused expression taking the serious one’s place. Meechee hurried to elaborate. “If Migo hasn’t already fallen he’ll do it any moment now – I’m just glad it’s not one sided, is all.”

Brenda gasped in delight. “No!” she exclaimed, a wide smile unfurling on her face. “Are you serious?” Meechee nodded eagerly. “Well, that makes everything way easier!” Then she frowned, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. “It doesn’t solve the full problem, however.”

Meechee very determinedly did not stare. “I don’t know about Percy, but Migo is an oblivious moron,” she added. While it wouldn’t be helpful to find a solution, it was valuable information.

“An oblivious Maarroo?” Brenda asked with a playful grin. Then she giggled, shaking her head at her own antics. “Sorry, I had to – Percy hasn’t been talking about anything but Migo the last few days, I’m getting tired of it all.”

Nodding mournfully, Meechee patted Brenda’s head gently. “I feel your pain,” she said. “Migo has been going on and on and on about Percy’s voice.”

Brenda’s grin turned into a genuine smile as she brushed her hand across Meechee’s finger. “A struggle, isn’t it?” she asked, snorting when Meechee nodded mournfully again. “Well, we can’t have you running around being in pain, and they’ll never realize they’re interested in each other unless we do something.” She shrugged. “So, I guess we’ll have to do something.”

Meechee gasped, not moving her hand from where it lay in front of Brenda. “Wait, you mean we’re going to set them up?”

“Migo gave Percy a rock yesterday and Percy treats it as though it’s a precious gem that will shatter if he handles it roughly,” Brenda said flatly. “It’s not gonna be hard, Meech.”

“Aw,” Meechee cooed, pretending that the goofy smile that came over her was because of Migo’s gift and not Brenda using her nickname. “That’s adorable!” Brenda slowly raised an eyebrow. “And, uh, yes – of course, yes, you’re absolutely right, Brenda, adorable and very, very bad, they need to exchange love confessions, not rocks. Yes. Of course.”

Brenda stared at her for a moment, then snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. Her shoulders shook with muffled laughter, joy in her eyes.

“Anyway,” Meechee pointedly said, heat rising in her cheeks. “How do we go about setting them up? They’re fools in love, they’ll deny every sign of the others’ interest.”

Clearing her throat, Brenda clapped her hands together. “Right, uhm – I do have a few thoughts about that, actually.”

Meechee leaned forward, gesturing for her to continue.

And so the plotting began.

Chapter Text

Percy was looking through the clips from his newest vlog-idea, trying to decide which videos to use and which to discard when Migo popped his head into the room. “Hey, uhm… Percy?”

“Don’t just hover in the door,” Percy said, not looking up from his computer as he spoke. “It’s your room, come on in.”

Migo shuffled into the room, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Percy glanced up at him, a tinge of worry fluttering in his guts. It wasn’t like Migo to hesitate. Had something happened? “Is something wrong?” he asked, gently closing the computer and putting it aside.

“Uh – I – no, I just – ” He poked his index fingers together. “Aaahthere’sayetifestivalcomingupinafew daysandIwaswonderingifyouwantedtogotoitwithme?”

Percy blinked. “Come again?”

Sighing, Migo looked down at the floor, his shoulders slumping. “There’s… there’s a yeti festival soon, celebrating the – uh, I don’t know the word, the Sky Banners? Anyway, I, uhm… I’m going to it, do you want to join me?”

Percy stared at him, heart stuttering in his chest. “I – you really want me to?” Time seemed to slow around them. Migo wanted him to partake in his culture – go to a yeti festival with him, simply because he could. It was – oddly touching, and a terribly sweet gesture.

Migo nodded.

“Migo,” Percy breathed, climbing to his feet in a hurry. He stepped over to the edge of the table, and Migo, understanding his silent question, let him climb into his hand. “I’d love to go,” Percy continued, smiling softly up at him. “When is it? What’s it about?”

For a brief moment awe shone in Migo’s eyes, unclouded and clear, but then he blinked and it was gone, replaced by a relieved smile. “It’s – well, it’s a festival to celebrate the beauty of – uhm…” He hesitating, glancing away from him with downcast eyes. “I… don’t know what it’s called. Lights on the night sky?”

“Stars?” Percy suggested curiously.

“No, not stars, I know those – it’s like, ribbons? Of colors?”

Percy gasped. “Northern lights?” he asked. “Aurora borealis? You have an aurora borealis festival?”

Migo nodded eagerly. “Yeah, we do! Every year, at the same date, the Sky Banners dance across the sky, and all yetis gather together to celebrate them. There’s food, and ice, and drinks, and some games and stuff – merchants lower their prices on things, too.”

Now, Percy’d seen Northern Lights before, when he’d been to Svalbard to document the life there – but he’d never seen them with a yeti before. He’d never seen them with Migo. And besides, this was more than just seeing the Northern Lights – this was celebrating something from Migo’s culture. He couldn’t quite describe it, but – somehow it seemed like it was extremely important. And he truly, honestly appreciated it.

“It sounds lovely,” he said, patting Migo’s thumb affectionately. “When is it?”

“This Saturday.”

“It’s a date,” Percy said.

It was what he and Brenda always said to each other when they made plans – it was an instinctual reaction, really.

Still, he tensed and flushed bright red when he realized what he’d said. “I – I mean – ”

Migo blinked at him, then gave a teasing grin. “A date, huh?”

“I – ”

“Nope! No turning back now,” Migo said, the grin widening as he tapped Percy’s forehead. “It’s a date.”

And Percy, terribly flustered and red as a tomato, found that he didn’t really want to complain.

*

“Meechee?”

Meechee dropped her chalk, jumped three feet into the air, and spun to face him with a too-wide smile. “Hi Migo! Nope I haven’t done anything!” She clasped her hands behind her back, the smile widening further.

Migo blinked. “Uhm. Okay?” He shook his head, pushing her odd behaviour aside for now. “The Banner Fest was this weekend, right?” He was fairly certain he had the right dates, but he’d been known to mess them up before. It was better to be safe than sorry.

“Oh!” Meechee wiped her hands on her fur, a relieved tone to her voice. “Yes, it is.” Then she gasped, flapping her hands excitedly at him. “Wait, no, you should bring Percy! That’d be great!”

Migo grinned sheepishly. “I, uhm, already asked him.”

Meechee blinked. “You did?”

“Yeah. He’s coming.”

“Oh.” She stared at him for a moment before she shook her head. “Yes, well, then – ”

“Who are you taking?” Migo blurted, knowing that Meechee, daughter of the Stonekeeper, would feel obligated to take someone.

She rubbed her arm. “I – I’m taking Kolka. Again.”

Migo squinted. “But she isn’t who you want to take, is she?” he asked. If she’d been crushing on Kolka they’d all know – the two of them had never been able to keep secrets about each other.

Meechee blushed. “No,” she admitted with a grin, “she’s not, and she knows it.”

“I wish you’d just tell us,” Migo exclaimed, flinging his hands into the air. Meechee snickered. “Come on, Meechee, we can help you get together!”

“Hmm…” Meechee tapped her lip thoughtfully. “Nah.”

Migo groaned in frustration. “I will give you a geode if you tell me!”

“Just one?”

“Meechee!”

*

Saturday came both far too soon and not nearly fast enough, by Percy’s standards. Brenda had very pointedly thrown him his bags after she’d cancelled his hotel room, and he’d thoughtlessly flung them into a corner of Migo’s room. Now he stood pacing before them, trying to decide between comfortable clothes and clothes he knew complimented his hair.

“Oh, come on, Percy,” he muttered to himself, dropping the two jackets he’d been weighing against each other. “It’s not even a real date, why are you so nervous?” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “It’s on a mountain. You almost died the last time you were up there, it’s cold, go for warmth, not good looks.” Biting his lip he considered the two jackets again, groaning in frustration. “Oh, but I want to impress him!”

He slapped his cheeks a few times as he thought. “No, damn it all, I don’t want to die up there.” He snatched the comfy, baby blue jacket from his bag and stood up. “Right. Right.” Stuffing the two thermoses of hot chocolate into his backpack he flung it onto his back, making his way out of the room and towards the main room of the cave.

The other yetis were waiting for him there. They’d all paired up, it seemed – Meechee and Kolka sat side by side on one of the stones, and Fleem had somehow managed to crawl onto Gwangi’s shoulders.

“Ready to go?” Migo asked. He’d twined a few flower stems around his broken horn, their sharp green color stunning against his blue.

“I sure am,” Percy said, looping his thumbs behind the straps on the backpack and offering a cheeky grin.

The other yetis turned to Migo with raised eyebrows. Migo sighed. “He said he’s ready to go,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Gosh. Those devices better be ready soon, I’m getting tired of translating.”

“You and me both, Maarroo.” Percy blinked, realizing his mistake only after it’d slipped out of him. “Uhm. Sorry.”

“Cute,” Migo said, a flippant remark that made Percy go bright red once more. Migo laughed, then offered his hand, letting Percy climb onto his palm. “Let’s go, guys. We don’t want to be late.”

Muttered agreements came from the other yetis.

Well, most of them. “I don’t really care,” Fleem said from his position on Gwangi’s shoulders.

“Yes, you do,” Gwangi said flatly. “Or you wouldn’t have asked to go with me.”

Fleem shrugged. “Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you, hm, how about that?”

Kolka snorted.

*

It was the first time in several months that Migo would return to the mountain. He’d been busy down by the village – greeting smallfeet and sharing stories with Percy, getting to know both him and Brenda, getting settled, signing peace contracts. He was excited to be back – he’d never been away from something this long before.

His dad was the first who met them, giving him a warm hug before greeting Percy by name. “You can talk to them now, can’t you?” he asked.

Migo nodded.

Percy waved.

“Oh!” Migo said. “Yeah, uhm, he can understand you, too.”

After that comment he had to make a hasty escape. The villagers in near proximity flocked to them, questions and wonders falling out of their mouths at a neck-breaking speed. If he hadn’t used Meechee as a distraction both he and poor Percy would’ve been trampled by the crowd.

“Phew,” Migo breathed, peeking around the rock he’d hid behind, “that was a close one.”

“You can tell them they can come down from the mountain if they want answers,” Percy said drily. “Hm. Or maybe we could print – but no, you can’t read, you’ll have to be taught – and damn it, we don’t speak the same language.” He sighed in exasperation. “Let’s just forget it happened.”

Migo laughed, stepping aside from the rock and making for the marketplace. They still attracted some gazes, but Migo had expected that. As long as no one mentioned that they understood each other they would be fine.

“Do you celebrate this every year?” Percy asked, holding onto Migo’s horn as he peeked down at the children running around between the stalls.

“Yep,” Migo said, nodding at the owner of the stall that’d always sold his favorite flutes. “We’ve celebrated this for as long as we’ve been here.”

“How intriguing…” Percy murmured, twisting to look behind them at the growing crowd. “Are they all here to watch the lights?”

“Some of them are here for the knocked down prices,” Migo said. He shrugged, then had to scramble to steady Percy before he could fall to the ground. “But – oops, sorry – most are here for when the banners appear.”

“The sun hasn’t even set yet,” Percy muttered. “Incredible.”

Migo looked away, a flustered smile spreading on his lips. How sweet of him, wanting to know more about their celebration. He’d have to return the favor, somehow…

“What do you pay with?” Percy asked, peering curiously at the nearest stall. “You don’t have coins, after all…”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Migo said. “We work with favors.”

“Really?” Percy asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “So it’s a trade, then. You keep amazing me, Migo.”

Migo flushed, proud despite the fact that he certainly hadn’t been the one to invent the system. “Thanks,” he muttered lamely. Then he perked up, remembering why he came up here in the first place. “I know of a neat spot,” he said, patting Percy’s leg as he parted from the crowd, “I found it when I was a child, it’s got some great views – but we’ll have to hurry to get there.”

*

Percy fished his scarf out of his backpack, wrapping it around his shoulders before letting Migo put the backpack down on the snow beside them. “Do we have to wait for a long time?” he asked, rubbing his hands together before burying them in Migo’s fur.

They were sitting atop a stone jutting out of the mountain – Migo had gotten there by crawling sideways across the mountainside, and although Percy had been determinedly staring at the insides of his eyelids the whole time, he could safely say that it was worth it. The view was simply extraordinary – the sky stretched out before them, vast and endless, the mountains and forests of the Himalayas beneath them tiny pricks in the distance. He couldn’t see the village unless he turned towards it, and the sounds from excited yetis were muted and muffled by both distance, stone, and snow.

Migo squinted into the distance, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sunset even as he stared directly into it. “Nah,” he said, waving dismissively with his hand. “A few more minutes, max.”

Percy hummed, kicking his legs up so he could sit sideways on Migo’s shoulder, leaning against the side of his head. “I can wait,” he said, threading his fingers through the soft and familiar fur.

“It’s not like you have a choice.”

“Git.”

They sat in silence for a while, Percy slowly combing through Migo’s long fur. It was calming – he’d practiced meditating when he was in India, and this had many of the same elements. He hummed to himself as he sat there, braiding the strands together after he separated them.

And slowly, ever so slowly, the sky darkened.

Percy tilted his head, glancing up at it with a raised eyebrow. “So, does it take a long time before the lights appear -  ” He trailed off in favor of gaping up at the sky. “Oh,” he breathed, slowly standing up on Migo’s shoulder to take it all in.

Ribbons of light stretched before them, across the endless sky and into the distance, far and further still, dancing and whipping in the wind. Through them the stars were clearly visible – and here, far away from any human made light they shone even brighter in their splendour.

“I – they – it’s – ” he stuttered, struggling to find words through the awe creeping up on him. Finally he settled on a lame, “It’s beautiful,” tipping his head back so far that he nearly fell over.

Migo chuckled. “Yeah,” he said, and his voice was barely a whisper, soft and gentle in the crisp, cold air. “It is.”

Percy looked over at him, expecting him to be glancing at the sky like himself. Instead he was met with a pair of beautiful blue-purple eyes and a soft smile, genuine and almost painful in its honesty.

Percy stared.

The lights shone in Migo’s eyes, reflected and bouncing in the already colorful gaze. And somehow it seemed, just then, that the beauty of the sky came from within Migo, spots and specks of hope and bravery being flung upon the sky.

Oh, nevermind the goddamned sky. Migo was beautiful.

Percy drew a deep breath, looking away from him with his heart drumming harshly in his chest. He pressed a hand to it unconsciously, hoping against all hope that the flush in his cheeks could be excused as cold-induced.

“Percy,” Migo whispered, “look at me. Please?”

He couldn’t have denied him even if he’d wanted to, and so he turned to face him again – and he looked so incredibly vulnerable, so open and raw and loving –

He wanted to kiss him, damn it all.

For a second they just stared at each other, bathed in the lights of the living sky, and then Migo shifted. “I’d like to try and say your name again,” he muttered, and the soft moment shattered like glass. “I know I’m saying it wrong. Will you help me?”

“…of course,” Percy whispered, both disappointed and relieved that neither of them had done anything. He brought a hand to his ear, removing the translator device and waiting patiently for Migo to do the same.

He cleared his throat, then said, very slowly and carefully, “Per – cy.”

Migo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and –

“Purrcy.”

Percy froze, eyes going wide.

That was. Extremely close and that was great, that was awesome, but holy shit there had most definitely been a purr there.

“Oh my God,” he whispered. Migo cracked open an eye, giving him a curious look. Percy gestured for him to repeat it.

He did.

The purr rumbled in the air. He could feel its tremble in Migo’s shoulder.

And it was the most attractive purr he’d ever heard.

He drew a sharp breath, leaning forward to rest against Migo’s cheek, fingers grasping his fur and forehead nestled just beneath his horn. It was the only thing he dared to do, and Migo seemed to appreciate the contact, leaning back and cradling him with one of his hands.

They sat in silence for a long time afterwards, Percy’s heart beating slow and sluggish in his chest, each beat echoing with a bittersweet pain.

*

In the village by the Stonekeeper’s manor stood a figure, framed by the moon and the stars and the lights of their ancestors.

Meechee knew what he was staring at, and she knew she had to intervene.

“Dad?” she asked, stepping up to her father’s side.

He startled, tearing his gaze away from the two figures dark against the colorful night sky. “ – Meechee,” he said. “You know him better than I – what is…?” He gestured with his staff towards the shapes on the rock.

Meechee leaned against the railings, giving her dad a soft smile. “Well, dad, when two yetis love each other very much…”

He grimaced. “Thank you, Meechee, that is quite enough.” He sighed, turning back to gaze up towards the two of them. “I just don’t understand. The dangers, the differences… how do they see past them?”

“They don’t,” Meechee said, making her voice as gentle as she could. Her dad had never been very open with things like these – spoon-fed information was generally the best. “They stare at it, learn it by heart – and accept it.” She walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm and leaning around his shoulder to give him a soft look. “Not everything that’s different is bad, daddy.”

“No,” he muttered, still staring at Migo and Percy with a frown on his brow. “So I can see.”

Chapter Text

The snow was falling, darkness creeping. In the distance was a roar, constant and dark, a low rumble through the air.

He was running, snow in his boots and fear in his heart. Not being chased, but chasing.

The trees surrounding him seemed more like prison bars than wood, tall and dark and looming. He didn’t care for them, only evading one when it stood in his path –

Then, through the darkness a shape took form, as tall as the trees and enormous to boot, as bright as the snow and the very sun itself.

Migo.

And suddenly they weren’t in the forest anymore, instead standing in a long dark hallway, and on Migo’s chest was a target, and in Percy’s hand was an actual gun and he aimed, the metal cool against his palm, the shot rang through the air, the bullet zooming off –

Percy sat up with a start, staring with wide eyes into the darkness.

In his mind was the image of Migo, falling, silent, his beautiful pale fur splattered red –

he heaved after air, horror beating within his heart as he realized –

Migo shifted beneath him. “Purrcy?” he asked, voice thick with sleep and confusion.

It all came crashing down, and Percy began to cry. Not soft, quiet crying, but full on sobbing, barely-holding-it-together wailing.

Migo sat up, then, hands gentle to keep Percy from falling off of him. “Purrcy,” he repeated, worried now –

why was he worried, how could he be worried – he fucking shot him, he was scared and frightened and worried and Percy just up and shot him – yetis had set one foot in this world and immediately been targeted, how could he worry about him?

Something was pushed at him and he blinked, recognizing through his tears the pale blue of the translator device. “Nh – no,” he stuttered, batting it away, “I don’t – I can’t – ”

A low rumble from Migo. Percy glanced up at him, noticing first the concern and confusion brimming in his eyes and then the same pale blue nestled into his fur.

He sobbed, a throb of pain bursting within him. Despite it all Migo still worried, still wanted to know, to comfort –

He couldn’t let him do that –

he frantically shook his head. “I – I don’t want to – understand –” Migo growled softly, using one finger to gently lift Percy’s head. Exhaling shakily Percy grabbed onto that finger, screwing his eyes shut. “It’s just – a dream – a nightmare – God, I’m such a damned mess,” he whispered. “A fucking – I suck! I just straight out suck, I – ” He gave a helpless little laugh. “Why are you even friends with me, I’m a human –”

A complaining sound from Migo, but Percy only shook his head. He needed to say this now, while he still dared to –

“We’ve given you nothing but hell for ages – I’m one of them, Migo, I shot you, for God’s sake!” He sighed, resting his forehead against Migo’s hand. “We’re monsters,” he whispered. “I’m horrible…”

Migo turned his hand to cup his cheek, growled, and without a moments hesitation –

kissed him.

He pulled back immediately after, the contact a bare minimum, but –

Percy stared, tears and nightmare forgotten, shock taking their place. “ – Migo,” he whispered, slowly climbing to his feet.

Using his free hand Migo pushed the translator device towards him, eyebrows raised slightly. Percy took it, hands shaking as he popped it into his ear.

“I love you,” Migo said, speaking in soft tones that rang throughout the air – the loudest words Percy’d ever heard, despite their quiet. “You are not a monster. Humans are not terrible – everyone fears the unknown. Please, Percy… don’t say stuff like that.”

“Migo,” Percy breathed. “I – you – ”

“Love you, yes.”

Percy placed a hand on his cheek to steady himself, then leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Migo’s lips. He stood there for a moment, then pulled back, breathing steadily through his nose to keep from crying again – this time from relief. “I… I love you, too,” he whispered, carding his fingers into Migo’s fur. “Are you – are you sure…? You don’t… you’re not angry?”

Migo shook his head, gently gathering Percy in his arms. “Of course not,” he murmured. “Are you?”

Percy nuzzled his arm, his thick fur soft to the sensitive skin of his cheeks. “No,” he whispered. “I love you.” He was tingling, shock and happiness rushing through him. “God – ”

“I love you, too,” Migo whispered, his goofy smile audible in the words.

Percy snorted, peering up at him with a wide grin. “You’re such a dork.”

Migo shrugged. “I’m a cute dork.”

“The cutest,” Percy agreed. “Very beautiful. Most pretty.”

Migo giggled, patting his head affectionately as he shifted into a presumably more comfortable position. “You feeling better?” he asked, after a few seconds of content silence.

Percy hummed, burrowing deeper into the fur of Migo’s shoulders. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Migo whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Percy’s head.

There were no more nightmares that night.

Chapter Text

Migo had forgotten to mention that there was a second part to the yeti festival. Nonetheless, Percy was happy to join him up in the mountain three days later. He didn’t have anything better to do – though it was hard to find something better than spending time with Migo – and the other yetis seemed very insistent that he should join. He’d been told to wear the warmest clothes he had, and now, stepping under carved arches made of pure ice, he saw why.

“What is this place?” he asked, gazing around with wide eyes. To him this place seemed enormous – it was big even by yeti standards, he could tell. Tall roofs, wide rooms, detailed engravings in the walls… even the air seemed large, heavy around them. It reminded him almost of the aura of a church.

Migo shushed him frantically. “Whisper,” he said, “we’re not loud in here.”

Wincing, Percy patted his horn apologetically. This seemed like a serious place; he didn’t want to offend anyone by accident. “Apologies.”

“No worries,” Migo muttered. “Well – the sky lights – northern lights?” He threw Percy a questioning glance; Percy nodded. “Northern lights – they’re said to be the spirits of our dead. The Banner Fest is them checking up on us to see if we’re all good, and in return we go here when they’re all gone.”

Northern lights as spirits of the deceased? That was a painful, pretty thought that he absolutely could get behind. “But where is here?” Percy asked, intrigued more than ever now that they’d gone further into the ice caves.

The natural light of the sun was long gone, replaced by pale blue snails emitting a soft, faded glow. A few yetis were walking through the halls, either in silence or muttering quietly among themselves. Some were carrying flowers, others food or hand-made tools. In the distance one could catch the faintest of songs; a mellow and melancholy song, the words unintelligible.

“Look,” Migo whispered, nodding his head as they walked through the third archway and into –

Percy gasped softly.

Along the walls were carved beds, each and every one of them with a different design and set of engravings in the ice. Upon each carved bed lay a yeti, covered by a thin film of perfectly transparent ice. On some of the beds were offerings – food, candles, tools and even flowers.

“Oh,” Percy breathed. Graves, almost like the catacombs in Rome – no wonder it’d felt like walking into a church. “Oh, I… I see…”

“These are all old,” Migo explained quietly as they kept walking deeper into the caves. “From the first years we spent up here, I guess.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Percy turned on Migo’s shoulder to take in the grave of a young girl. A single flower lay beside her, her face twisted in a worried frown. “And they’re still remembered?” Percy whispered, awe slipping into his voice.

Migo shook his head, then pointed to one of the graves they passed. “Their stories are written in the ice,” he said. “Who they were. Why they died. What they liked.” He shrugged. “Helps us find offerings. No one remembers them, but we won’t let them be forgotten.”

“Wow,” Percy muttered. “I’m… I’m honored I get to see this…” He truly was; to be taken into such a sacred place as this? To be showed and included in a ceremony such as this – it was almost too much for him. There were so few of them – so little, compared to humanity –

“You’re one of us, now,” Migo said, nudging him playfully with his horn.

Percy chuckled fondly, batting him away before cuddling against his cheek. “Thank you for showing me,” he muttered. “I’m glad I’m able to be here.”

Migo hummed, a warm and happy sound. “Me too,” he whispered, leaning into Percy’s touch. They passed beneath another arch; there were more yetis here, some of them kneeling before the graves. “We’re moving into more recent times,” Migo said. “The oldest of us might’ve known some of them personally.”

“Like the Stonekeeper?”

Migo shook his head. “The Stonekeepers have their own place. They’re our leaders – I guess our ancestors thought it was a good idea to keep the spirits’ bodies separate from each other.”

“Oh.”

They walked in silence for a moment or so, and then Migo sighed heavily, coming to a stop before one of the graves. “Here we are,” he muttered, slowly sitting down before the bed.

It was empty.

“ – Migo?”

He gestured for the empty bed. “Some yetis disappear,” he said. “Now we know what happened to them, of course, but… it was always just assumed they fell into the nothingness.”

Percy’s skin crawled. “And… who is…?”

“Ma,” Migo whispered. “She disappeared when I was young. Went below the clouds, I guess.”

A rush of love and sorrow welled through him. His brave, honorable yeti had gone through all of this mess and was still the great person he was today. That was more than could be said about Percy – even though he’d changed for the better, he’d still been there. “I’m… I’m sorry,” he whispered, placing one hand on Migo’s cheek. He knew how it was to lose a parent.

Migo smiled at him, a soft, sad smile. “It’s no big deal,” he said, turning back to the empty bed of ice. He reached over to where his mother should have lay, then carefully placed an icicle down before putting a deep purple flower beside it. “She’s long gone.” He leaned back a bit, then pointed to the engravings running along the upper side of the bed. “See there?” he asked, tapping a detailed flower gently. “That says what her favorite flower was. And this,” – he tapped the sharp rectangle beside it – “says she thought icicles were beautiful in the sunrise.” He lowered his hand and smiled again – not at Percy this time, but at old memories and forgotten joy. “She was adventurous. Or so I’ve heard.”

“I’m sure she’d be extremely proud of you,” Percy assured him quietly, leaning over to carefully kiss. “If she was adventurous, she was just like you.”

Migo brought his hand up to touch his back, a gesture they’d mutually and silently agreed was affectionate. “Life goes on,” he said. “The saddest thing is probably that she’s never seen the real me – da says she knows who I am, and I hope he’s right. Ma always called me her pretty little girl, but…” He shrugged, even as Percy’s blood ran ice cold. “I guess I’ll never know.”

“Wait,” Percy said, twisting on his shoulder to give him a part serious and part shocked look. “Wait, Migo, what are you saying?”

“…that ma’s only ever seen me as a girl?” Migo asked, a confused frown on his brow.

“Migo – Migo, were you not born in a male body?”

Slowly, confusedly, Migo shook his head.

Percy stared at him. “God, I love you so much,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against his. “I – neither was I.” He let out a small, nervous little laugh. “Are you – are you serious? You’re sitting here at your mother’s grave telling me you’re trans – ” Leaning his weight on his hands he stretched over to kiss him briefly, happy to see the gleeful yet still confused look on his face.

“Trans?” he repeated. “Is that the word for it?” Percy nodded, still airy and weightless from the shocking discovery. “Yes, then, I am very much trans. And,” he said, again touching his back even as he nuzzled him gently, “I love you, too.”

Exhaling sharply, his breath rattling in his chest, Percy leaned against Migo’s head, carding his fingers into his fur.

He’d be staying here for a long, long time. Honestly, that was perfectly alright for everyone involved.