Chapter Text
The Doctor walked the hallways of Rhodes Island. He stopped in front of the correct dorm room and looked at his phone. The clock and calendar were rehearsing the numbers to prepare themselves for the next year.
The Doctor had promised Suzuran, Shamare, and Popukar that he would visit and take them to the deck for the New Year's celebration. This allowed them to sleep to their heart's content and tag along when the time came.
Unfortunately, he became engrossed in his work and needed multiple reminders from several operators to snap out of it and check the time. But he was here now.
The Doctor slid his identification card over the sensor and stepped inside. A few dim lights illuminated the room, but the Doctor's eyes adjusted.
He found the three children huddled in one bed, sound asleep. Another bed across the room carried Frostleaf, who embraced a pillow close to her chest and a phone in her hands. Her casual clothes, comprising a black hoodie and sweatpants, were a delightful contrast to her white hair and usual outfit.
The sound of the door caught Frostleaf's attention, causing her ears to twitch. Frostleaf lifted her head and gazed at the Doctor. She waved her hand as a greeting.
"Doctor," Frostleaf said with a nod. Her eyes darted to look at the three children. "You're here for them, right?"
The Doctor nodded his head. "You guessed it. They said they would stay awake for me, but it's nice to see them getting rest. Besides, they always visit me first, so I thought I would return the favor. How about you? What are you doing here? I thought you were already on the deck celebrating New Year's with the other operators."
"Mm... I wanted to join, but it's because there are a lot of operators that I stayed back. And to entertain the children until they fell asleep. They were excited for you to pick them up."
"I shouldn't have expected anything less." The Doctor said. He glanced in their direction and smiled under his mask. "Did you want to join us?"
Frostleaf laid her head on the pillow. "In a bit... Are we going now?"
"It's close to twelve, the dawn of a new year. I'm going to wake them and go to the deck to celebrate with whatever the event planner chooses. Come along, Frostleaf. It would be lonely without you tagging along." The Doctor said.
The Doctor intended for the last sentence to be inviting, not flirtatious, but it lost connotation in communication.
Frostleaf blushed, but the Doctor missed it because of the dim light. "Okay... I'll go."
The Doctor walked to the bed where the three children were and gently shook them awake. With an oversized sleeve covering her mouth, Frostleaf joined him and kept a watchful eye before assisting.
Suzuran rubbed her eyes as she awoke. She extended her arms to the air and locked her eyes on the Doctor. "You're here, Doctor…"
"True to my word, like I promised. Are you ready to go?" The Doctor asked, helping Suzuran on her feet.
Suzuran nodded her head and smiled at the Doctor. "Ready as ever!"
"Hello, Doctor," Shamare said. "Morte, say hello to the Doctor."
The Doctor returned her greeting with a head pat. Fortunately, Shamare didn't pout or display objections because of her sleepiness.
"Doctor, how much time do we have until the New Year's celebration?" Suzuran asked.
The Doctor looked at his device and showed her the time. "Sorry, I got carried away and lost track of time, so we only have a couple of minutes."
"Oh… Well, it's fine, Doctor. We know how busy you are... Even in the jolly season. Hehe."
"Thank you, Suzuran. That means a lot. How about we make more organized holiday plans next year?"
"I would love that! But I also don't want to take time away from your work if it's a requirement…"
The Doctor patted Suzuran on the head to comfort her. "I'm sure Kal'tsit will give me some time off next year when I ask her, so I look forward to it."
Suzuran nodded her head and giggled from his warm head pat. At this moment, the Doctor stole a glance at Popukar. Because of Popukar's drowsiness, she couldn't greet the Doctor normally.
The Doctor looked around and pointed upwards. Everyone nodded except for Popukar, so he opted to cradle her in his arms and take her to the deck.
Together, the five of them started their journey. Along the way, the Doctor felt Popukar twist in his grasp to survey her surroundings before snuggling closer to him. It was adorable.
When they made it to the deck, the door opened, courtesy of Frostleaf with her identification badge. For a moment, the Doctor's pain of carrying Popukar diminished. The illuminating dots of light on the deck held him spellbound.
With the help of fire-obsessed operators such as Ifrit, Skyfire, Firewhistle, and more, operators were lighting sky lanterns and setting them free. The sky was adorned with a trail of orange hues, following the path dictated by the wind.
The calm nature as opposed to setting off fireworks was a pleasant combination in the late night. Operators, patients, and visitors who slept could rest without interruptions.
Somewhere in the middle of his fascination, the Doctor found Popukar poking him to attain his attention. When their eyes matched, Popukar pointed at the ground. The Doctor set her on the floor and stepped back to let the three children marvel at the sky lanterns with no interruptions.
To his side, Frostleaf took off her headphones and brought it down to her neck. A soft, muffled melody drifted out of her headphones, harmonizing with the ethereal glow of the sky lanterns.
The Doctor didn't realize it, but he gravitated toward Frostleaf to gain a better comprehension of the song. However, he miscalculated his distance and bumped into her. "Oh, sorry, Frostleaf. I didn't mean to..."
Frostleaf glanced at the Doctor and smiled under the dim lights the sky lanterns fostered. "It's fine."
The Doctor stared at her smile, unable to say a word. The anxiety flowing through his veins froze him in place. Was it him, or was she smiling more often?
"Doctor, you invited me here, so let's go light the sky lanterns for ourselves to celebrate... That's why you invited me, right?" Frostleaf asked, ready to put the headphones over her ears.
"R-Right." The Doctor said.
A second later, the children interrupted the Doctor and Frostleaf with a barrage of questions filled with excitement. It was obvious they overheard the conversation between the two.
"We can light the sky lanterns?" Popukar asked.
"Doctor, can we light the sky lanterns, please?" Suzuran asked.
"Morte would like to take part," Shamare chipped in.
The Doctor smiled at their enthusiastic reactions. "Should we start?" He asked.
And so, the five of them walked to the location where a group of operators were aiding others to light the sky lanterns.
After exchanging friendly greetings with one another, the Doctor donned the mantle to help the children and Frostleaf light their sky lanterns. At least the best he could without the fire-loving operators getting too close to the children.
To do this, the Doctor had to ask for the lighter from Firewhistle. Then he used it to ignite the fuel-soaked towel for Suzuran's sky lantern first. The patch combusted, strengthening the tiny flame.
The Doctor held the top before transferring the ownership to Suzuran when the paper balloon inflated from the hot air. "Here, Suzuran. Hold it from the edges. When the sky lantern pulls away from your fingers, you know it's ready to reach the stars. You can do that, right?"
"Mhm!" Suzuran exclaimed, holding the sky lantern above her shoulders with her fingers on the borders.
Shamare, Popukar, and Frostleaf looked at Suzuran's sky lantern with anticipation. When one side lifted away from Suzuran's fingers, she let go.
It floated into the atmosphere and danced its way to the heavens. The once tangible object dwindled into a tiny but bright speck in the sky. A soul free to join the sea of others.
The Doctor kept his eyes on the sky lantern, his neck aching, but unable to tear his eyes from the phenomenon. His only respite came when Popukar tugged on his sleeve.
"Doctor, could you light mine next?" Popukar asked.
The Doctor patted her on the head and chuckled. "Let's light the remaining four at once and send them off."
As a result, they added four more souls to the vast stretch of space.
The Doctor watched them until he felt someone bump into him. One look told the Doctor all he needed to know. The three children's sleepiness was apparent, even in the dim lighting.
Just as the Doctor was about to take them to their assigned dorm, he faced a surprise. And it wasn't even intentional on his part. As his hand led them in the exit's direction, Suzuran misunderstood it as an affectionate moment. But one the Doctor would not deny.
Suzuran wrapped her arms around him. A second later, Popukar joined, and then Shamare, when her friends encouraged her. The tactician's initial reaction was shock, but a second later, he returned their display of appreciation by returning the embrace.
The Doctor looked at Frostleaf and beckoned her to join them with a wave of his hand. "Join us, Frostleaf."
"Doctor, I... Okay."
Frostleaf placed herself in between the children and the Doctor. Despite Frostleaf's nervousness, the three children accommodated for her addition and embraced her.
"Doctor, what's your New Year's resolution going to be?" Popukar asked.
"Hmm... I'm not sure. I never gave it much thought since I'm always busy-"
"It should be about listening to this new diet plan specially planned to stop the Doctor from guzzling on snacks all the time."
The Doctor froze when he heard the voice of Sussurro behind him. He turned his head around and made eye contact with Sussurro, who wore a grim, fake smile.
A shiver of fear slithered down his spine.
"Uh, please spare me…" The Doctor said.
Unfortunately, no matter how festive a celebration was, it would not save him from Sussurro's wrath.