towerofanimus | Now no embrace can quite replace

Characters: Aradia and Sollux
Setting: 14th Floor
Format: Starting off prose, but whatever's good.
Summary: After getting Sollux taken care of at the infimary, Aradia decides some quality time is in order
Warnings: Probably just swearing on Sollux's behalf- also, cuddling

Most of the new floors weren't exactly what she'd call 'suitable' for doing anything relaxing- but the 14th floor, in all its technology-and-entertainment filled glory was about as good as she could ask for, considering who she was with. She commandeered the biggest beanbag she could find and dragged it in front of a t.v. with a console connected to it, flopping down on it and then holding her hand out to Sollux. It might be too close for his taste- in which case there were certainly more beanbag chairs nearby- but she hoped he'd consider joining her. She had a lot of time away from him to make up for, and a lot of worry to get out of her system from the recent weeks. Add in this place and all the events within it so far on top of everything else, and she was definitely in need of a breather.

Thankfully it didn't seem as if anyone else had found this place yet- or it was too early/late for anyone else to be down here. Whatever the case, they had the room to themselves for the moment, and she was going to make sure they enjoyed it while they could. It was only a matter of time before someone woke up and found this place, after all. She smiled slightly, and canted her head toward the television, hand still outstretched toward him, and she shifted in place to untwist the fabric of her skirt as best she could.

"What do you want to try playing first?"

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"Thoudth nithe," Sollux said, settling a little more against her as he picked up the controller in both hands. He glanced at her hesitantly. He now believed what Psiioniic had told him about slavery, and it was sort of hard to take. If that were true, didn't it mean that Aradia was in danger, too?

"Weird to think of kk who'th quiet. Doeth that mean he'll calm down ath he get'th older, or ith there thome reathon?"

"It was really nice. You should come with us next time, if you want."

She didn't miss that glance, and wondered just what was going through his head just then- the question he'd asked was at such odds with the momentary expression that she was sure that wasn't all he was curious about.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," she said, pressing a finger to her lips thoughtfully and finally just shrugging helplessly. "It might have just been that he grew up differently than Karkat did, or just the time that he grew up in- any of those things could be a factor, really. Why? Worried Karkat will quiet down eventually?" She said it teasingly, absently picking out a weapon on the screen that cropped up after selecting her character, and brushed her fingers over his shoulder in reassurance before dropping her hand to her controller.

"I really don't think he will- it just doesn't seem like Karkat if there's no yelling."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Sollux said. Watching worlds die didn't seem like much fun - sounded like deliberately sitting down to watch his visions, but without the accompanying headache - but sitting around talking and eating ice cream would be nice.

"I'm not worried, jutht curiouth." He flicked through his own start-up screen, picking out equipment and such. "I think you're right. No way will kk calm down and thtop yelling at everyone."

"It'll be nice- and maybe you can pick up some stuff about your powers from him, huh?"

Aradia enjoyed it more for the company than the starscape- though the latter was pretty when it wasn't dying- but she was glad to have an opportunity to sit and talk with the both of them. It would be nice to be surrounded by two of her favorite trolls as well. She tapped her heels against the floor as she watched the screens load, and shifted to lean forward a little- she was always prone to getting really into videogames when she did play them.

"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I wath kinda focuthhing on the whole thlave thing when I met him," Sollux admitted, and also shifted on the chair, leaning forward in preparation as he started the game.

"Let'th do thith."

"Yeah, so was I to be honest- though I think it's probably better if we focus on everything but," she said, shaking her head a little. She chanced a sideways look at him before turning her attention to the screen and gripping her controller a little tighter.

"Okay, let's- um. What is it that we're trying to do?"

"Yeah, I get you," Sollux agreed wryly, his smile faltering a bit. "But it'th thort of hard when you find out like that that apparently the highbloodth all want to turn you into their pet when you get older."

He swallowed and turned his attention to her question, starting the view on the screen moving forward, panning back and forth in search of targets. "Shoot the bad guyth. And don't shoot me."

"...well, at least we know that won't happen to you now, huh?" She asked, flashing a comforting look at him out of the corner of her eye even as she moved to back him up in the game, carefully getting a feel for the controls.

Not that she'd had let anything happen to him otherwise- he might have been more powerful than she was, but Aradia was nothing if not a determined girl. Especially when it came to protecting those she cared about.

"Shoot the bad guys and not you, huh?" She asked quietly, eyes narrowing a bit as she refocused entirely on the game. Her character raised its weapon, gunning down a couple of enemies in his path. "I can do that."

"I hope not," Sollux said. He reached up and tugged at his collar, glancing at her sidelong. "Not athhuming anything yet, though."

Still, he was ready to be distracted by the video game, and he leaned forward eagerly, strafing a few enemies and then picking up a box of ammo. "There'th a good thniping thpot there above you. Thee if you can get in there."

"It won't," she said quietly, resolutely- not only because she knew what would happen to him, but because she wouldn't let anyone hurt him like that.

She mimicked his movement, leaning forward a little and bracing her elbows on her knees.

"Okay. Um- I'll try not to shoot you by accident- I'm not really that great at this aiming thing."

He smiled and leaned over, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. He wasn't about to let anyone hurt her, either.

"Aim at the bad guyth and pull the trigger," he said, grinning, his view racing through the level and taking guys out left and right. "It'th not that hard! And in that thpot you should be pretty thafe."

She jolted a little at the contact, accidentally pressing the button to shoot and giving one of the enemies a glancing shot in the shoulder. She scrambled to help Sollux deal with them, and when an opportunity arose to break her attention away from the screen, she leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek in return. She turned her attention back to the screen to see someone had just barely missed a shot at her and jerked sideways as she angled her character out of the way of more incoming fire before leaning forward again to try and return it.

Now no embrace can quite replace

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