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

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar yanks Kent up a little further so they can enjoy themselves a good cuddle.

“What, hatchlings? Each of us has a fertility period. If we have sex then there’s usually an egg, but…” They sigh. “Eggs have a low rate of survival. It’s why there are so few of us.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent nods. "Life is a miracle no matter what."

He wraps his fingers around their hand. "You don't have family units, so that makes raising the hatchlings a community venture. Any of those hatchlings from your genetics?" he wonders.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar shakes their head, holding onto his hand.

“No, none of them are mine.”

They laugh quietly, a little self-deprecating. “It’s probably good that they don’t have my genetics.”

[videointhenoise]

"No," Kent tells them. "I think they'd be lucky to have it. But - I dont have kids, either. Not really something I wanted."

He kisses them again, his hand on their jaw.

"But hey...now that we've effectively deflected the talk...this was nice."

[getfeldsparred]

They can feel themselves grow warm at the compliment. Kent…really does seem to like them, huh?

They turn their head to press a kiss onto Kent’s lips. “Yeah. It really was. Do you…maybe wanna do it again some time?”

[videointhenoise]

"Yeah. How about tomorrow?" he grins. "Or the morning. Maybe the afternoon if we can slip away?"

[getfeldsparred]

They tilt their head. So, it’s like that. “Maybe all three?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs again, turning on his back. "Yeah, if you're up for it. But uh...after that, we should probably talk."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar turns onto their side, wanting to look and admire all that pink skin and hair of Kent’s.

“Talk about what?”

[videointhenoise]

"I'm not Hearthean," he tells them, eyes closed. "I've been here a while, but I'm not really the 'community love' sort."

He rests his hands on his stomach. "But it seems a little soon for this kind of talk."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar blinks in surprise. Some have described them as fearless, but he doesn’t feel that way now.

“I guess so,” they say quietly, even if that’s not what they want to say at all.

They don’t want to share Kent. They don’t want others seeing Kent they way he is right now, vulnerable and bear. That’s…this is theirs, and only theirs.

[videointhenoise]

"You guess so?"

He reaches down and takes their hand again, finding it close. "You wanna talk about it now?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar finds their bravery as they look at Kent again, studying his face with four wide eyes. They frown and move closer, pulling their hand away in order to touch his cheek.

“I’m not that kind of Hearthian. I don’t go bed-hopping.”

[videointhenoise]

"Yeah, I know you haven't been. But we haven't actually talked about it. If we're- if this is something we want, then I just want you, Felds."

He turns towards them.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

[getfeldsparred]

Kent says the words and Feldspar stares a little harder. He loves them. He loves them.

And Feldspar…well.

Feldspar’s pretty sure they love him too. Not just pretty sure, but really sure.

They lean forward and kiss him fiercely, pulling back after a long moment. “I only want you. You’re…you’re the most amazing discovery I’ve ever made, I claimed you from the start.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent basks in the kiss, then smiles and leans back again. "Yeah," he agrees. "But uh - you haven't put a flag in me yet so..."

He turns on his side towards them and puts an arm around them.

[getfeldsparred]

“I mean, if that’s something you’re into,” they grin, sliding their arm around Kent’s waist. “You know me, I’m willing to try anything once.”

Including this.

Feldspar leans their forehead against his and exhales quietly. “Hatchlings are gonna tell everyone about us.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent snorts. "They've been telling everyone about us for weeks," he points out. "Didn't you hear the rumors? Ever since you took me back to Brittle Hollow, they've been talking about nothing else."

[getfeldsparred]

What!?

“No!” Feldspar says, sitting up quickly. “Those little…for weeks? I’m going to thrown them all up a tree. I’m usually in outer space, how’s starting a rumor about me fair!”

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs, staying still. "You're an easy target, I'm afraid," he tells them with a straight face. "But if you throw them up a tree, you have to find a way to get them down."

[getfeldsparred]

“No I do not.” They flop down indignantly, pulling at the blankets at Kent’s feet to cover them both up. “They can stay up there and rot for all I care. They get no more stories from me.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent wraps an arm around them again when they settle back down, and he kisses him sweetly. "Oh you're not the one who stays behind to listen to them."

[getfeldsparred]

“Wait until they figure out how to use the radio,” they mutter, tipping their head lazily against Kent’s. They can’t help it, he’s just so warm and inviting.

And tomorrow they’ll wake up next to him too, and that makes something in his belly feel just as warm.

[videointhenoise]

Kent nods. "Then you'll be in trouble," he murmurs before he closes his eyes.

"I'm going to sleep," he tells them. "So if you want to sneak away, now's your chance."

[getfeldsparred]

“Sounds good,” Feldspar says, snuggling even closer to Kent. They have no plans to leave or sneak away, so Kent will just have to deal with the pilot’s grip throughout the night.