Kent/Feldspar

[videointhenoise]

"Just once more," they had said when Ellie's team petitioned for it. She was busy with Palmer, falling in love with science while he fell in love with God, and Kent was left to pick up the pieces. He wanted another damn go at it. The Machine had a pricetag in the billions; it was begging to be used again.

But they wouldn't let Ellie go. They wouldn't let just anyone go. They wanted someone who knew how it worked, who had been there from the beginning, but someone who isn't completely taken in by Ellie's words.

That leads them to a dozen people and they end up with Kent. He's blind, but that's not what decides it. They claim that he wouldn't hallucinate the way Ellie did. That he has a unique perspective.

And, he's already proven himself steady and loyal.

He experiences it all the way that Ellie does, but something goes wrong on the other end. Maybe another terrorist attack. Maybe not. All he knows is that he's in the sphere and then, suddenly, he's floating, unable to find his footing until a great crash and he slams into the bottom of the machine.

He groans, pulling his helmet on with a grunt and a wince.

"Fuck this," he mutters, finding the edge of the sphere with his hands. There was a door there somewhere. He just - has to find it.

Comments

[videointhenoise]

"Huh. Makes sense." So no one is ever left out. "And - I've seen what you eat. I have to be picky about what I cook because humans were not designed that way. Too many stomachaches."

[getfeldsparred]

‘So no one is ever left out’ is practically the Hearthian motto. It is a little funny to think of someone actually failing the sapwine ceremony though.

“We’ve gotten better about eating good food, okay? Our ancestors didn’t develop farming and fishing skills for us to go around eating rocks.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh no, just strange mushrooms in zero-g caves," he teases in a happy mutter, picking up some of the vegetables with his fingers to better identify them.

[getfeldsparred]

“You’re just mad because I haven’t brought you the mushrooms yet.”

Feldspar distractedly watches Kent graze around on his plate, eyes drawn to his fingers and then his mouth. Clearly the sapwine is going to their head.

[videointhenoise]

"I am," he agrees with a smirk, and finds his own wine, tasting it.

It's not terrible! And he does enjoy it.

He even takes another drink.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar’s perfectly pleased to see Kent sipping the wine without making a face. So pleased, in fact, that they bring their sock-covered foot up to rest in Kent’s lap.

[videointhenoise]

Kent startles a little and laughs. "Do you have toes?" he wonders, dropping a hand down to their foot to feel for himself.

[getfeldsparred]

They chuckle and wriggle said toes. “I do; they match my hands.”

[videointhenoise]

He feels them move and snorts.

"Oh good. Just what I always wanted." And that foot gets shoved off. "I'm still eating!" he protests.

[getfeldsparred]

“I’m trying to connect with you!” they complain with a soft huff, but go right back to the wine. “Fine; tell me when you’re ready to be fun again.”

[videointhenoise]

"You're not going to bait me with that," he laughs. "I am very fun. I just don't want your stinky feet upsetting my delicate constitution."

[getfeldsparred]

“They’re not stinky! We don’t sweat as much as humans do,” they argue, not knowing if that’s even remotely true.

[videointhenoise]

"You can't possibly know that."

He grumbles, but playfully. "Maybe I'm just sweaty."

[getfeldsparred]

“That’s true, and it’s not like I have any way to find out.” Or any desire to be with another human in a way that would make them sweaty.

[videointhenoise]

The statement would have made him sad once. Now it just makes him laugh. He stands up with his empty plate. "Good, though. Humans are very invasive."

[getfeldsparred]

“So I’ve learned. There are so many of you!”

Feldspar stands on wobbly legs and takes Kent’s plate and their own to the sink to be cleaned later.

“I don’t know how we got lucky in getting you out of all those billions. Sometimes the universe is incredible.”

[videointhenoise]

"You could have gotten Ellie," he teases. "And then you'd have a second Slate."

Which no one wants.

He leans against the table and picks up his wine, sipping at it.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar slips into the space beside Kent with their own glass in hand. “Two Slates would’ve spelled the end of our village.”

[videointhenoise]

"Exactly. So I needed to bring some charisma," he laughs and slides his free arm around their shoulder, turning to kiss them.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar feels all the good sensations from the kiss travel through their lips and down their spine. They kiss him back, hooking the arm with the glass in their hand around his neck to keep him from pulling away.

[videointhenoise]

Kent presses himself close, not intending on leaving. "Now you have to be quiet," he murmurs.

[getfeldsparred]

“Oh,” they mutter, tilting their head back to invite another kiss.

This might be harder than they thought. Why did they have to get out the bottle of wine?

[videointhenoise]

He shushes them softly, helping them out by capturing their mouth in another kiss. He steps back, pulling Feldspar with him.

[getfeldsparred]

They exhale softly through their nose as they kiss him back, using their teeth this time around. They bite and suck on his lips, pausing to take a drink from their cup and then happily diving back in.

[videointhenoise]

Kent tsks softly, reaching for the wineglass himself in their hands. He does step back, guiding them to the bed as he tries not to moan too loudly.