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]

Kent falls back asleep and when the morning comes, he stands up and takes the waking hatchling in his arms and against his chest. He straps them in so he can have his hands while he works, and makes sure to put on pants.

"Alright, time for Papa to make breakfast."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar wakes when their little one is taken away, getting up with a slow stretch of their arms up over their head. They smile when they see Kent getting breakfast ready with the hatchling strapped to them and hop out of bed to bathe and dress.

“What are the two of you making?”

[videointhenoise]

"Toasted bread with that vegetable paste that's so good."

He smiles to himself, humming as he starts the little fire on the stove. "You want to take them out on a walk while I cook?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar, still a little tired, immediately brightens. “Yeah, I’d love to. C’mere, Pebble, Feldspar’s taking you out to see the trees.”

Hatchling in their arms, Feldspar gives Kent a kiss and heads out into the world to walk about and say hello to the others before breakfast. They run into Rutile and Tektite talking about village logistics, then Gneiss who insists on holding the hatchling for a couple of minutes before Feldspar takes them back to their papa.

[videointhenoise]

Kent whistles to himself in the absence of the Hatchling and Feldspar, eventually moving up to singing Magic Carpet Ride as he taps the counter and the pan with a spatula.

He is very lost in the music.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar brings back the precious bundle, already napping snuggly against their shoulder, to their little cabin by the waterfall. They can hear Kent belting out a tune and grin to themselves as they creep up behind them.

“Whatcha doing?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent doesn't hear them until they speak, and he flails in surprise, dropping the spatula.

"I was singing," he laughs.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sets the hatchling down in their cradle and picks up the spatula. “Oh, I could hear that. I don’t think I know that song - was that one of the ones you played for us?”

[videointhenoise]

"No," he laughs. "Just a song I like."

He holds out a hand for the spatula.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sets the spatula into Kent’s palm and swoops up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Food smells great. I’ll set the table.”

And by set the table, they mean push aside all the various star charts and astronaut knickknacks to make space for plates and cups.

[videointhenoise]

"Make sure you put those in their spots!" he calls over his shoulder. "If I can't find my charts when you're in Giant's Deep, I'm going after you."

He starts to plate the food still humming to himself.

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah yeah,” Feldspar snorts, though they do set the charts into their proper spaces. “Like to see you try.”

[videointhenoise]

"Don't doubt me. I can hear you and your harmonica from across the system," he says and points his spatula menacingly in their general direction.

[getfeldsparred]

They just continue to chuckle. “Now that’s romantic. You’d chase me across the whole star system just to knock me out.”

Feldspar comes up to Kent from behind and loops their arms around his torso, chin resting on his shoulder.

[videointhenoise]

"I would. And to get my charts back," he murmurs, placing a hand over Feldspar's around his waist. "You'd do the same for me."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar can, with full and complete confidence, pledge the same for Kent. “To the edge of the star system and back.”

[videointhenoise]

"I know," he smiles. "Now sit at the table and eat."