Work Text:
“WOOOOOOOAAAHHHHHHH!” Puff exclaimed, gawking all around the Ancient Life exhibit with big, awe-filled eyes. Her middle-school was on a field trip to Kakuto’s museum, and Ikaika had offered to be a chaperone. “So many animals!”
She reached a hand out to the eurypterid on the wall, only for Ikaika to pull her back. “Sorry, kiddo, but we ain’t allowed to touch those. It’s like if someone stained your drawings with sticky fingers.”
Puff looked down in shame, but seconds later, her eyes caught on the descriptive plaque for two Smilodon replicas midway through leaping at a bison. As she read said plaque to herself, Ikaika couldn’t help but ruminate about the saber-toothed tigers.
After all, if you thought about it in the right ways, they had a lot in common.
Both (or was it all three?) had tigrine aspects, with Ikaika’s old wrestling alias and Gorgeous George’s fur-covered design. Both had spent plenty of time on this Earth and were tougher than nails.
Both had deep connections to the way the sands of time withered away at everyone.
One day, Ikaika would die, leaving the others behind. He wouldn’t lie - the thought of leaving everyone else behind frightened him, and the chances were almost 100% that he would go before the others.
(Bar some great tragedy, ‘course.)
“Grandpa?” Puff called, breaking Ikaika out of his thoughts. “We’re going to a break place for thirty minutes! Hurry!”
Ikaika laughed. He’d keep to his plan until he went out - making an impact on other people’s lives. That way, he wouldn’t truly die.
“I’m comin’, I’m comin’!”
Ikaika agreed to split the cost of a Smilodon plush with Puff (Wilma was teaching her financial literacy, so he didn’t buy it for her), and he didn’t complain when she named the plushie Iki, either.