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He looks up at her, searching for something in her gaze. Some hint of that same sorrow that Hamuko held when he said the same thing to her.

Kuon was right.

People just empathized too much to really see the full picture, hm?

"That's why I do want us to work together once we are out of this...needless prison. You, me and Ancile and...we can get to working right away."

"But come on now...you sure you would want me with a different heart? Or...none at all?"

"How different could you possibly become?" Kuon chuckled softly, resuming her gentle petting of his hair as she smiled down at him. "Not so heavily weighed by your heart... all of your charm and silliness still there... but I can't tell you whether or not to do it. It's yours, after all."

Silly man.

"But I also mean that maybe that is the approach you should have with others - not stressing your aching heart over their lack of trust. Focusing on those who come to you first, who do trust you. Giving them all you can. Let your successes build up... and the others will come, eventually."

Right. That makes sense. That's logical. He's just all over the place right now but that's what he wants to build up on. But to consider everything else...even if he did process his heart away and trusted it to a machine- something tells him he would come out much different.
Kuon isn't heartless after all, regardless of what she tells herself. If they truly became heartless, that's a different ordeal.

"Mhm," he hums- straightening up as he rests his chin on his knuckles. "To gain credibility. To gain actual subjects and then we can continue building off on that with my palace...followed by a new reality to fulfill people's wishes."

"I guess it's just...frustrating with being stuck here. Watching people from worlds where their lives are far worse and I told myself that I am not responsible for them and yet..."

Morning, Zaun, Satyr, the Hasegawas, Hamuko...

'Or they'll abandon me. Or move on, because I am too much trouble.' 'I'll be gone soon anyway.' 'I can't seem to change... I can't seem to not burden those close to me. They'll be better without me'

Hamuko...why do you think that way? Why does your heart ache so much and why can't you stay here at the same time? Why...?

"Yes, yes... you have a very big, very sensitive heart," Kuon cooed softly, leaning down again to give his head another kiss. "It's shown you what you want to do. I'm sorry it hurts you so severely."

Like a ruptured organ...

"Does having a plan laid out keep the frustration at bay? I wouldn't know for sure, but we could try a few things to help."

Big, sensitive heart...
That had too nice of a ring to it.

"We could plan out a little something," he admitted with a weak laugh- trying to reach back for her and reciprocate her attention but the chair proved more to be a hindrance than he had originally anticipated. "With Ancile here, we could probably continue with investigating other cognitive areas and of course, moving in."

"..."

He blushed a little before just getting up from his seat. "...speaking of which, can we change venues to the bed? I feel a bit selfish taking up all your attention like that. Even if I have no complaints."

"You always capture my attention. It's welcome," Kuon assured, running her fingers through his hair and down his head to his shoulders, not actively trying to brush along the back of his neck as she walked over to the bed.

She sat down, kicking off her slippers and curling up against the headboard - relaxed, playful, and available to Takuto. For whatever mood he needed to express through her, tonight.

"I know."

You are the only one who's come to spoil me, he doesn't say.

Takuto followed suit, walking up to the bed with his socks still on- crawling in before burying himself into her embrace- wrapping his arms around her body to hold her close. "My favourite doll," he remarked fondly as he practically clings to her and her warmth. "I would love it when we get to spend more time without a distance. Who knew I would start to think of my palace as a funny hindrance?"

"It's a place for work, and we're doing so much more than just work together, now," Kuon agreed fondly, wrapping her arms around him in a cozy embrace. Let me be your comfort.

"Are you eager to be able to scold me to go to bed at a reasonable hour more often? Maybe you're looking forward to fixing meals for four instead of just two," she lightly teased, giving him some levity to grasp onto.

"I think we violated a dozen lab conduct rules by now." It's a funny little fact that he can't help but cherish, feeling like he's allowed to feel reckless in her space. "But its okay I have connections with the upper management. They can't exactly fire us."

He perked up a little at her teasing. "We should all encourage ourselves to be healthy so...while I wouldn't scold I would subtly like you to adjust."

"Though if we stay up like this and have melonpan..? I can make that an exception."

She chuckled a little, rubbing her hand up and down Takuto's back. Her mind fixated, for a moment, at the texture of the pajamas' fabric under her hand... it felt nice. Made goosebumps rise on her arms, in a pleasant way.

Maybe it's just because it was on her friend, though.

"Regrettably, we don't have a constant stream of energy and power supply... we have to actively make sure to rest so we function at our best. The price to pay for having a body that can regenerate and grow new cells, I suppose."

"Well~ we can always have Azathoth help us out in that," he admits- even if his brow subtly twitches at that. "Maybe its the mark that's growing on me but I feel...less exhausted nowadays."

"I hypothesize that once I go back...he and I would mould a lot easier. You always mentioned cybernetics too, didn't you?"

"It's a fun thought, isn't it, not needing to do nearly so much work keeping a body going!" Kuon laughed a bit. Her fingers traced down Takuto's spine, feeling each vertebrae under the thin fabric of the pajama shirt. "I still think you'd wear the look spectacularly. You make everything else look good, after all."

Takuto pleasantly hummed under her touch- imagining her working through integrating the metal into his skin and vice versa. If only so that they didn't get held back by their human skin...

"Again, while I am very flattered- I think I will look more closely to an old man who's learning how to run again," he chuckles weakly. "If anything you...looking like a pure tech goddess. Creator of EMMA. Sharp, bright and beautiful. It would be delightful."

"Ohh... do you think I'd pull off the cyberpunk look? Limbs and organs replaced, plugged directly into my computers... heh heh. I'd make sure I had soft parts, though - it'd be no good if you couldn't enjoy cuddling against me, would it?"

Softly, she laughed a bit.

"Getting to integrate and explore in a system empowered by Azathoth... that would be pretty fun."

"Maybe it would be more like...hugging a sturdy plush. I don’t know," he continues with a little giggle of his own. "Still won't keep me away from the softness that resides here~"

He presses his cheek against her chest- close to her heart. "I really do your love your warmth."

Really, Takuto would never admit any of this out in public. Such talk is only reserved for Kuon to savour.

A heart that beats just a little faster with him snuggling like this. A heartbeat that is subtly muted over a low, soft chuckle from her as her fingers found their way back into his hair like they were drawn magnetically.

"I'm glad it serves you well. Finally it serves someone at all."

His brows furrow a little at her sentence, the ease in his gaze shifting to a swift melancholy that barely holds any place when they are in each other's company.

"You have served people before," he says. "Your programs. Your codes. Your work to improve people's lives...and they appreciate it. Don't sell yourself like that."

Edited 2025-09-23 18:13 (UTC)

"Yes, I suppose that's true enough," Kuon replied, though there was absolutely no indication that she actually conceded. Finding the fruits of her labor useful and helpful was nice, but she knew what a poison pill she was to so many - they all otherwise preferred taking her work without indulging in her presence. Not unless they wanted something, that is - her money or her body.

At least with Takuto, she didn't revolt him. It was much, much nicer giving him the fruits of her labor, compared to those that spoke so harshly when they thought she couldn't hear.

She didn't concede, huh?

Takuto raises his head and pulls her close- tucking her into his embrace this time. "The code's taking time to compile, hm?" He grins teasingly. "Don't worry. It's as you say- we will figure it out."

Mercifully, Takuto continues on after just a short pause, letting her know she didn't have to answer right away but- "What was your first project? Like...it could be college or when you were young...what was the first thing you coded for yourself?"

"Coding mods and hacks for some of my favorite video games," Kuon chuckled, happy to snuggle into him. Her cutie... he could keep her as his forever.

"Nerd," he teased back, grinning while allowing himself this very moment of quiet. "Tell me more. What did you mod?"

"All kinds, but especially Dokemon and other Nontendo games. Glitch fixes, glitch exploits, custom dokemon, romhacks... then I got older and started coding for websites for fun, before burying my head in programming textbooks and lessons online."

"You did all that without the lessons?!" His eyes widened, shocked at well- her list of experience. He, himself, was simply stuck in tutorial hell...and he liked to think of himself as proficient in studies.

He reaches out and cups her head. Like someone holding two pieces of bread to a sandwich. "My smart sandwich."

And then he giggled, brightening up like he didn't just do the most immature thing ever.

"Or planktonic smart sandwich? Either way, that's miles ahead of what I could have done. I was more into studying the usual curriculum of a school in a small town."

Kuon laughed, cheeks warming at the heaped praise and teasing combo. This man...

"Sure! I'm all yours, Takuto," she laughed, a little pleasantly bewildered, crossing her arms around the small of his back in a loose hug. "There was a trade-off... I was awful at my grammar and lit analysis papers. Those were probably easy for everyone except me."

She just never knew what answer the teachers were looking for...

"Lit analysis papers can have their twist and turns," he shrugged lightly. "Everyone has different interpretations of the same story after all."

"If it helps, I wasn't that good either until Rumi helped me picked up my literature grades."

His expression sombers a little even as he mentions her, thinking of the days when she used to sit by his side.

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