openmisc | Kent/Feldspar

"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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

videointhenoise

"Good," Kent laughs. "Because I'm not doing this with anyone."

He wraps an arm around them. "You feel like home, Felds."

From:

getfeldsparred

Feldspar feels like home.

Kent feels like the whole universe, right here in their arms.

“You had to travel across the universe to find home. Isn’t that funny?”

From:

videointhenoise

"A little, yeah," he admits and there's a flutter in his stomach at the admission, then he sits up. "Oh shit. I forgot to give them the record!"

He runs his hand down his face. "Oh no," he adds with a laugh.

From:

getfeldsparred

"It's too late now," they hum, pushing Kent back down onto the bed so they lay their head on his chest. "You have sex face. Drunk as they are, they'll all know."

Feldspar grins. "Save it for another occasion."

From:

videointhenoise

Kent groans as he settles back down. "How do you know what my sex face looks like?" he grumbles, though he's in no hurry to leave. "You don't know what humans look like. This could just be regular face."

From:

getfeldsparred

"I've been staring at your regular face for months now," Feldspar mumbles, wrapping them both up in a blanket and settling back down. "I know what a sex face looks like."

From:

videointhenoise

Kent reaches up to rub at his face. "Well, I'll work on that," he laughs and curls up around them. "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep," he yawns.

From:

getfeldsparred

"No? Then I'll tell you a story," they murmur, happily cuddled into Kent's arms. "Maybe my first rocket ride? That's probably a good one."

From:

videointhenoise

"Is this a good story, or is this going to make me want to slap you and Slate?" he murmurs, closing his eyes.

From:

getfeldsparred

They pause for a long, long moment, then grin.

"It's both!"

From:

videointhenoise

Kent sighs. "Alright. Then tell me," he mutters.

From:

getfeldsparred

Feldspar very happily, though sluggishly, tells Kent all about the first official launch of Outer Wilds Venture. They pause at the right points, trying to hit the right dramatic beats, though they soften the blow about the ship completely disintegrating upon impact with the Hearth.

They blink slowly and close their eyes.

From:

videointhenoise

"You're right," he mutters. "About enjoying it." Another yawn. "And about wanting to punch you both. I know what you're omitting."

From:

getfeldsparred

“You’ve sat in the chair. What remains of the chair.” They smirk a little. It’s fun to rile Kent up.

“You okay with going to sleep now?”

From:

videointhenoise

He raises a hand and plants it right on top of Feldspar's face. It's as close to a slap as he can get.

"I'm already asleep," he mutters into their shoulder.

From:

getfeldsparred

“Good.” They turn their head and press a kiss to…somewhere. Who knows at this point, but it’s warm and smells like Kent.

When they’re sure that Kent’s sound asleep, his breathing deep and even, they exhale quietly into his skin. “I love you,” they whisper, almost testing it out.

From:

videointhenoise

Kent doesn't hear, of course, but he does pull them closer in his sleep. And when he wakes up the next morning, his stomach grumbles, reminding him that all he had to eat the night before was one perfectly roasted marshmallow.

"Felds?" he mutters, reaching for him.

From:

getfeldsparred

They’re not in the bed with Kent when he wakes, having gotten up early and gone out to do some of the chores so the elders can sleep. They’re in the kitchen when they hear Kent call for them, and they grin and pop their head into the bedroom.

“Hey! I’ve got breakfast if you’re hungry.”

From:

videointhenoise

"How the hell did you get up so early?"

But he crawls out of bed and finds his clothes, tying the little belt around his middle.

From:

getfeldsparred

“I get up early when I’m not coming back from a flight!” they call back, grinning to themselves.

They finish cooking up the fish and set everything out for Kent: a bowl of berries, roasted fish, plain broth soup, and a few dumplings with roasted veggies stuffed inside. A perfectly good Hearthian breakfast.

From:

videointhenoise

Kent stands up and holds out his hand for them. The cabin is similar to his own, but without his markers, he's a little lost.

And god knows where his stick ended up.

"It smells delicious," he admits.

From:

getfeldsparred

Feldspar’s by his side in a matter of seconds, guiding him into the kitchen and at their declutterred table.

“Gneiss taught me how to cook, so now the only fires I start are with the ship.”

From:

videointhenoise

"Mm, and is this where I'm supposed to be thankful?" he laughs, settling down at the table. He reaches out and finds each of the plates, starting with the berries. "This is great, though. Thank you."

From:

getfeldsparred

“I never said anything about being grateful, though a little appreciation would be nice.”

They sit down and pull their own plate closer, their foot finding Kent’s under the table.