I am afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you

[alotofnerve]

The surrounding area was quiet as Red peeked out of the hole they were in, the last cover before they left the tunnels of Fraggle Rock entirely to step out into Outer Space. Even though she had agreed to start traveling with Gobo and Mokey, she had yet to actually do so.

And even now, looking out at the dark open area just ahead of them, she hesitated a moment. "I...I dunno about this, Gobo," she said after a moment. Then she cleared her throat. "N-Not that I'm scared or anything! It's just...so sudden."

Comments

[gobetween]

"Then you bet wrong." He flinched back from the wave and snickered some. "I got us here, in the middle of the night right? How else would I know where the pond is?"

[alotofnerve]

"Just 'cuz you know where it is doesn't mean you use it a lot." She swam around him a bit. "I bet I could beat you in a swimming race."

[gobetween]

"Oh yeah? I bet you you couldn't! One end of the pon to the other, using the bridge as a guide."

[alotofnerve]

She grinned. "You're on!" Then she swam to the bank of the pond, getting ready to start. "Let's go!"

[gobetween]

He laughed and dipped in some, swimming after to get into position.

"Alright. Ready... set... GO!" And he took off, swimming across the water at full speed."

[alotofnerve]

She swam and kicked as fast as she could, quickly moving through the water. "Yahoo!"

[gobetween]

He would've laughed if he thought he could avoid swallowing half the pond doing so. All the same a competitive grin was on his face as he powered himself through the water, only stopping to look for Red once he was able to touch the other bank and come to a stop.

[alotofnerve]

By the time he reached the other end of the lake, she was already sitting up on the bank, grinning at him.

"What took you so long?"

[gobetween]

It didn't take long for him to find her at all, and once he did, then he laughed.

"Alright, alright." He hefted himself up beside her, pausing a moment on all fours to shake all over before actually sitting down. "So maybe I am a little out of practice at swimming up here."

[alotofnerve]

She snorted. "A little? I beat you by a mile!"

[gobetween]

He laughed again, and shoved her with one hand. Pause-

Then the same hand just pushed her the whole way back into the water.

[alotofnerve]

She gave a startled cry, flailing as she fell back into the water and reaching out to grab whatever she could.

- which in this case happened to be Gobo's tail.

[gobetween]

There was just enough time for him to realize she'd grabbed his tail before the momentum yanked him down with a sharp cry, which got choked off by the actual splashdown. Coming back up, he spat out a mouthful of water, and jerked his head to flip some hair back out of his eyes.

[alotofnerve]

With pulling Gobo down with her, Red ended up a bit farther underwater and had more to swim to get back to the surface. Once she broke through, though, she shook her head a bit to get the water from her eyes before looking around to see where Gobo was.

And once she found him, she sent a wave of water his way.

[gobetween]

He looked up in time to get that face full, flinching back and spitting out water all over again. Then he snorted and laughed, and swept both hands to send a return wave right back.

[alotofnerve]

Raising her arms to block most of the water, she laughed before jumping at him, trying to dunk his head back under the water.

[gobetween]

She got him down some before he was able to move back and grab her arm, pulling her over and trying to dunk her down by her shoulders as well.

The waterplay continued for a good while yet until, tired but still laughing, he heaved himself out and onto dry land, flopping over onto his back and letting his arms spread out to either side. Snorting some, he shifted his head so he could see Red, watching her.

[alotofnerve]

Though she would never admit to being tired, it was easier to get out of the water once Gobo did so first. Pulling herself out after him, she shook the excess water from her body before flopping onto the ground beside him.

[gobetween]

A half flinch back when she shook herself, then he looked back with a smile. Once she had joined him on the ground, he scooted a bit closer until they were touching, and rested his tail across her legs.

[alotofnerve]

Glancing over at him, she returned the smile, resting one hand on top of his.

[gobetween]

His smile widened a little at that, and he rested his head against hers, sighing softly. After a moment, he tilted up some to look at the sky, letting out a soft breath.

"It really is pretty up there, isn't it? All those stars. Some places in the city, you really can't see them that well but here in the park? It's dark enough at night to practically let you see them all..."

[alotofnerve]

Glancing up at the sky, she nodded. "Yeah...there are so many of them."

She paused a moment, glancing back at Gobo briefly. "...doesn't it make you feel kinda...small, though?"

[gobetween]

He was quiet for a little while, just staring up at the sky. Then, he nodded.

"Yeah, but... I'm kinda used to it? That feeling is why I was first so scared to go into Outer Space, even just to get the postcards. It seemed so much bigger than anything I'd ever seen before. Then I started hearing about Uncle Matt's travels, and I started seeing more and more of it, and I felt smaller and smaller..."

His voice trailed off, and he shifted his hand under hers so he could lace their fingers together. Then he glanced alongside at her, and smiled gently.

"But I figured out that feeling small is okay. It's gonna be like that from time to time, especially since out here we kinda are pretty small." A bit of a giggle in his throat, and he continued. "That just means you've got so much to do, so much to see. If you're feeling small... that's because there's so many big opportunities waiting for you."

[alotofnerve]

She gently squeezed his hand, glancing at him. "But do you ever get worried about...getting lost? Like, being so small, you'll just get...swallowed up by everything bigger around you?"

[gobetween]

His answer was almost immediate. He gently squeezed her hand in return and leaned over, nuzzling the end of his snout against hers, before planting a soft kiss near the corner of her mouth.

"No. Not as long as I have you, all of you."