🌱 RP - I need you.

It was roughly an hour until midnight. Ari was settling down for the night, brushing his teeth as he sat on the edge of his bed while scrolling aimlessly through his phone. It was still a considerably new device to him since such technology hasn’t existed yet in Silutika— Hell, they used sending stones for long distance communications. The upside is that there’s no such thing as “being out of range” with a sending stone due to the fact that it didn’t need cellular service but calling someone with a rock was just damn primitive.

Anyway— The tiefling ODD gave a sigh as he placed his phone on the night stand besides his bedside before getting up to rinse the toothpaste out of his mouth. There was only so much time he could buy his mind before his mouth was being suffocated by the minty foam. While Ari wasn’t searching for anything in particular on his phone, he was hoping to receive a call or at least a message from a certain cyborg. His thoughts were running as the male spat out the toothpaste and washed his mouth out along with his face.

He already knew V would be busy on a mission. But didn’t they say it’d be a short mission? Short is a vague term when missions can range from a few days to a few weeks for completion.

Ari closed his eyes while patting his face dry with a towel. You’re being needy, Ari. You don’t need to be this hung up over a goodnight text or call. Give the man a break. The idea of that made the tiefling ODD release a small chuckle as he hung the towel back up and make his way to bed while turning off the lights behind him before crawling underneath the covers and flopping against the mattress. Things happen, plans changed, it’s a normal occurrence in life. For now, he should be focusing on getting some sleep so that he could get up on time for work.

With that, the tiefling ODD closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift to sleep for the night.

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That high pitch buzzing in their head was becoming a nuisance, and while they could tough it up and walk through the portal to get to Evergate and eventually back to Mirstone, they knew they were gonna have to deal with it the moment they arrived. Even walking around the pocket dimension to where the portal back to the cafe was, V's steps felt unbalanced, their eyes blinking from being lit up a light red to a dull darker shade as they felt a drop of blood dripping out from their nose. The job itself hadn't been any big heist with a lot of coordination and risks involved, there were risks, as always, dealing with a cyber-psycho wasn't a walk in the park, but nothing V hadn't done before. The problem arose as the fight between the mercenary for hire and the cyber-psycho went on. It was objectively easier and faster to dispose of the target as instructed, but a special request of bringing them back alive was made and it complicated things more than the cyborg cared to admit.
Mission is to take care of the target, eliminating target is the most efficient way.

Taking a step out of the portal and into the cafe, V let out a long tired sigh, eyes closed as they leaned on the wall next to the portal. Short was one way to describe it. Sure, the mission V had gone to was not days long, in fact, since it was in their own world, the familiarity with the job made everything go significantly faster, not smoother, just faster. But now, their head felt hazy, static-y, noisy... They hated it.

Hearing someone approach, V raised their hand and waved it dismissively to be left alone. Words were spoken, but their focus wasn't there. The transition from AI brain to Mirstone wasn't always the smoothest, and this time definitely was not the exception.

Their legs moved, carrying them out of the cafe as the echo of bullets being fired crashing against steel resonated at the back of their head, and the taste of blood lingered in the cyborg's mouth. Part of them was still back in Cipher City, and the much quieter streets of Mirstone didn't felt there, he was walking, the heels of the his boots on the cement reached their ears as part of the background noise, but V didn't feel there.

They walked a familiar route, not directly to their own place, no, one they walked every so often nowadays however, somehow finding themself standing in front of a door before they realize it. Prosthetic fingers pressed against the hardwood of the door as their eyes darted around in an attempt to recognize their surroundings properly, but the haze and lack of focus didn't help. Fingers curled into a fist as they knocked on the door once, then a second and third time before letting their hand fall to their side. Words were mumbled as V grew quiet again, standing outside without moving as the events from the mission they'd just come back from played over in their head again.

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Ari’s eyes blinked open as the sound of knocking broke the silence he drifted to sleep to. He laid in bed for a moment, trying to process the noise. Did he dream of it? Knock knock knock. No he didn’t. Mismatched eyes flicked to the closest clock. It wasn’t quite midnight but it was still extremely late. Who’d try to reach them at this hour? The tiefling ODD checked his phone briefly to see if anyone had texted him about their arrival but no notifications were present. With the third knock, Ari dropped his phone back onto the night stand and rubbed his face to get rid of the sleep in his eyes. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” He shouts out as the male slipped out of bed, pulling on a sweater from a nearby couch as he made his way to the front door. He slowed a bit as he heard incomprehensible mumbling, opting to check the peep hole first. His eyes widening before narrowing when it was the cyborg standing at his door. The sight of them brought an enjoyable feeling but something felt… off.

Swiftly unlocking the door and pulling it open, he blinked to try and get his mind going. “V? It’s nice to see you back. But what are you doing here? Are… Are you alright?” The tiefling ODD asked with an expression mixed with curiosity and concern on his face as he reached forward to touch the cyborg’s cheek and wiped the blood off the other’s nose with his thumb. “You didn’t message me. And your nose is bleeding. Did something happen? Actually-“ Ari added as he pulled his hand away from V’s face, using his other hand to hold V’s hand instead to guide them inside to the living room. “You can take a seat. I’ll get a napkin for your nose.” The tiefling ODD added before letting go of V’s hand once they were in the living room, closing the door behind them and heading into the kitchen to grab some napkins before walking back slowly and waiting for a response from the other.

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The sound of the door opening caught their attention and made V lift their head up, eyes searched for the source of the voice, and only then noticing the only figure close enough to focus clearly on. Ari. It took him a few seconds to register the questions as he looked down at the tiefling ODD, head lazily tilting to the side. -"You"- The manage to mumble out, attempting to answer the questions as they had been asked, if perhaps a little delayed.

V closed their eyes to the touch, the warm hand on their face. The cyborg closed their eyes and took a deep breath. It was soothing, it felt alive. But they didn't had as much time to take it in as they would've wanted, because they felt themselves be grabbed and brought inside. The rest of the words registering as they stepped into Ari's apartment, letting the other guide them along. Short as the way between the door and the living room was, V held onto Ari's hand tightly, as if letting go was going to leave them lost again, trying to pull themself back.
-"I don't feel like I'm here"- The cyrbog spoke, words slow and hushed.

The moment Ari let go and walked away, the hand the other male had been holding moved up to rest against V's cheek, welcoming the warmth left from the touch.

-"Ari ?"- V called out, blinking and realizing they couldn't immediately see Aricielo in front of them anymore. They stood in the middle of the living room, taking small steps to turn, eyes darting around, but having to blink away the sight of their own apartment, of the smooth metal like material of the walls and the synthetic lights that illuminated the space.
-"Ari ?"- They called out again, closing their eyes tightly and stumbling back towards the closest seat, letting themself plop down. Their hand moved from their face to feel the fabric of the couch they sat on. V felt the thread of blood drip from their nose but did little to nothing about it, instead lifting up their head and calling out Ari's name again.

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Ari furrowed a brow as he watched the cyborg glance over his height before re-adjusting his head and tilting his head back down to make eye-contact with him. It was a strange behavior, as if the other was expecting someone else to open the door or searching in general. He continued to blink as V simply mumbled "you" in response to his string of questions. Was that in response to when Ari asked what V was doing here? They're here to do him? As the tiefling ODD continued to briefly scan V's demeanor, there was no flirty behavior that accompanied his response. So he was searching..? For him? "...yes. It's me, V. I'm Ari." The smaller of the two responded, giving a slight, odd chuckle. V was not okay.

Ari's expression softened as he watched V melt into his hand, visibly soothed by the touch. "...You're so cold." The tiefling ODD quietly commented which just urged his instinct to pull the cyborg out of the hallway. Ari felt V's tight grip on his hand as he led them inside, giving a small squeeze in response. He glanced up at V when he heard the cyborg mumble in a hushed tone. Ari breathed quietly with a continuously growing concern as he turned around to face V after the door closed. Gently, he guided V's hands to hold his face. The feeling of the prosthetic hand pressed against his skin caused a light shiver to escape through Ari's body, but he maintained his eye-contact with the other. "...You are here, V." The tiefling ODD responded in the same hushed tone, moving his face to kiss the palm of V's human hand before leaning his head into it. "You're in my apartment... and I'm here with you." Taking V by the waist, Ari slowly guided V into the living room so that the couch was behind them. "I'll be right back," he assured before leaving for the napkin, lifting his face out of V's hands.

"I'm here, V." Ari said out loud as he searched his kitchen for the napkins, picking a wad up before turning around and freezing. He watched V turn around in place, scanning his apartment and calling out for him. "...I'm here, V!" He called out a little louder for the cyborg as he continued slowly walking towards the living room but the other ended up sitting down, nose bleeding and calling out for Ari. Seeing the stream of blood, Ari's pace quickened so that he kneeled on the floor before V, a hand gently taking V's chin and tilting their head downwards while Ari used his other hand to hold the napkins to V's nose and pinch the other's nose bridge to stop the bleeding. "I'm here, V. I'm here. Do you see me?" The tiefling ODD asked as he let go of V's chin to find their non-prosthetic hand and bring it to the side of his face, allowing the cyborg to tangle their fingers into his loose hair and press their hand against his warm neck. "Do you feel me?"

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V let the words sink in, took in the warmth of Ari's hands and face when he guided their own up to hold it, but the moment the tiefling ODD left, the cyborg just craved for more. For a moment, there was something to hold on to, to focus on, a voice and a face to it. At least, they felt a little less lost with Ari constantly talking back to them.

The cyborg flinched feeling the napkin, vision soon starting to focus on Ari, the napkin by their nose making V aware of the nosebleed and they moved their hand to pinch the bridge of their nose, only to meet with the smaller male's own.
-"I, uh..."- They hesitated for a second. -"I can, Ari, I can"-

They let their hand be moved once more, fingers playing with the off white hair of the other, the back of their hand brushing against Ari's cheek, then pressing their palm on it and letting it slide down to Ari's neck and rest there.
-"I do"- V whispered back, dark red pair of eyes taking in every detail of the other's face, for a moment, both, Ari's tiefling appearance and his current one overlapped. The cyborg forced themself to close their eyes briefly, trying to take a breath but were met by the napkin and pair of fingers on their nose.

Right.
Every little thing slowly helping ground the mercenary for hire.
The hand that was on Ari's neck moved up, a thumb pressed on his lower lip as V opened their mouth to speak, taking a few seconds to speak again.
-"You're beautiful"- They leaned forward slightly and spoke again. -"You're warm, and alive, and...here..."- And they were there with them too.

Eyes looked down, glancing at their hands made V stop. Those were their own, weren't they ? Once more, they let their palm press against Ari's cheek to feel the soft skin. They could feel that.
Feel. -"I need you"- V whispered. That was it, yes, but there was more, and the cyborg knew that. -"I want you"- V corrected. -"I want to feel you, I want to feel I'm here"-

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Ari watched V as they slowly began responding to him, taking a small breath as he leaned his head further into V's hand and turning to give a kiss on their palm. "You wouldn't be able to feel me if you weren't here." He noted for the other, his lips curling into a small smile. Ari allowed his free hand to rest on V's lap as he felt the cyborg's hand wandered across his skin, playing with his hair and caressing his cheek and neck.

The tiefling ODD fell still as V's hand trailed to press against his lower lip, wondering what the other was going to do next. His cheeks then heated up with a red hue as V leaned in closer, complimenting him with a low voice. "Thank you, handsome." Ari chuckled, his lips curling into a smile. The corner of his lips twitched as he continued listening to V's words. What happened..? It was a specific train of thought. He opened his mouth to speak again but the cyborg's whispers stopped him and he sat there, feeling V touch his cheek again.

I need you. I want you. Ari didn't need to hear anything further. As V continued speaking, Ari pulled the napkin away from the cyborg's nose to check if the other was still bleeding, shifting the napkin to expose a clean portion to wipe away the remaining blood before placing the wad of napkin on the floor besides him. Standing up, Ari placed a hand on V's chest to softly push them backwards against the backrest of the couch while climbing onto the seat to straddle the cyborg.

Without a second thought, the smaller male pressed his lips against V's, closing his eyes as his hands trailed upwards to hold the cyborg's face and tilting their head backwards to deepen the angle. He pulled away momentarily, their lips barely brushing as he opened his eyes again to look at V's. "...Like this?" Ari asked, a hand slipping down V's neck and trailing down his shoulder and arm to take V's non-prosthetic hand. "Go ahead. Touch me, then." He said as he guided their hand beneath his sweater and pressed V's palm against his warm stomach. The tiefling ODD's breath hitched as he felt the other's cold hand against his skin, a shiver running down his body. His lips found V's skin again, peppering the edge of their lips and then trailing down the cyborg's jawline until he found the other's neck, focusing on it as he teased various areas of V's skin, kisses and soft bites being left here and there as Ari played with V's skin between his lips and teeth.

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'You wouldn't be able to feel me if you weren't here'.
V repeated those words in their head, feeling a little more there, a bit more present and more grounded after that short exchange.

The cyborg exhaled, letting themself be pushed back and sinking into the back of the couch, eyes still fixed on Aricielo, head leaning back and allow them to look up to where the other found himself now. And the moment the tiefling's lips pressed against their own, V melted into the kiss, giving in where they'd usually be taking the lead. If Ari wanted them to tilt their head, they'd let him have his way, as long as they could feel the warmth of his touch on their skin.
-"Please"- V's words almost sounded like a plea, wanting more, yearning for more.

They continued to breath in and out slowly, feeling the smaller male's hands slide all over their neck, shoulders and arms. They were Ari's to move at that moment.
Eyes closed the moment the smaller male's lips touched theirs, slightly opening when they felt the warm touch of the other's hands and breathing out the moment their lips parted. V's focus remained on Aricielo, taking in every detail of his face, how his hair fell around it, almost covering one side of his face, and just, the warmth coming from having him so close. There was no response to the questions asked, no words said, instead, the cyborg leaned their head forward to press their lips on Ari's again.

The cyborg's fingers twitched, feeling their hand be grabbed and guided, pressing the palm on Ari's stomach, their prosthetic one soon joining in, holding the other in place as the cold and colder touches pulled a reaction out of him. V's hands found its way up to rest on Aricielo's chest, feeling the rhythmic beat of his heart. Their other hand pulling them in a little closer as the cyborg hummed at every time the other's lips pressed against their skin.

V waited for a pause, a moment in between a bite or a kiss to pull Ari even closer, chest right by their head and rest their head against it to hear the other's heartbeat. Slowly but surely, they were reminded of their own, they too had a pulse, they could feel the smaller male's touch because they were alive and present. V took a deep breath, closing their eyes to focus on the sound.
-"I like the sound of it"- They admitted. -"It's soothing"- And just the reminder they needed.

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A soft chuckle escaped Ari's lips as he felt V melt beneath him to his touch, letting him do whatever he wanted to them. "You're so cute." He commented briefly as he squished V's cheeks slightly, as if trying to bring back some shape to the cyborg's face. Hearing V's plea, the tiefling ODD gave a small nod before pressing his lips against V's again, licking their bottom lip. Ari gave a small hum as he felt V press their lips into his, his hands moving from V's cheeks to holding the back of their head to hold them closer and tangle his fingers in their slicked back hair to mess it up as he traced his nails through V's scalp.

Ari watched V stare at him, knowing that their garnet-colored eyes were scanning every inch of his features. Giving a smile, he pulled one hand away from V's head to brush his bangs back, allowing the other to see his mismatched eyes. "Got a good look?" He asked, chuckling some more when V leaned forward to kiss him on the lips again, letting his hair fall back in place as he let his hand return to the back of V's head with his thumb brushing against the hair behind the back of V's head.

Ari continued giving V's skin attention, his hand letting go of V's human hand on his waist as his hands moved to unbutton V's shirt so that he could kiss lower on the other's chest. However, when the cyborg's prosthetic hand pressed firmly against his belly though, Ari broke the kiss to release a squeak of a noise, reactively jerking his body away from the other's cold touch. "V! Your hand! The metal!" He laughed as his body twisted and squirmed to escape from V's prosthetic hand but was unable to since he was being held in place. Originally standing on his knees, Ari sat down on V's lap to stop squirming, his hands moving away from V's shirt to clutch onto the hand on his waist to try and heat it up with his hands as he was pulled closer to V. The tiefling ODD was caught off-guard, not realizing how close he was pulled to V until he felt the other's head pressed against his chest, looking down to se the cyborg listening to his heart beat.

The tiefling ODD stopped focusing on the prosthetic hand on his waist, his expression softening to a smile as the other spoke. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came to mind except "You're such a dork." as Ari wrapped his arms around V's head, holding them close and kissing them on the top of their head. "When was the last time you felt yours?" Ari asked as his hand traced V's jawline, a finger running across V's skin to look for the main artery in his neck until he felt a visible pulse. "Remind yourself that you have one too." The tiefling ODD said as his other arm moved away from V's head to find their human hand to touch the pulse so that V could feel their own pulse while listening to Ari's heart rate.

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V couldn't help the hums escape them every time Ari ran his fingers through their hair, leaning back into it as their lips were still pressed against each other, letting out a small sigh when they no longer were. But soon finding themself so lost admiring, staring, at Aricielo's every feature, that the other's words pulled them out of their thoughts with a delayed reaction. -"I could keep lookin' "- The cyborg added after a few more seconds had passed, followed by more hums at the familiar sensation of Ari's hands on their head.

They could, and did, got lost for a moment, feeling Ari's soft lips pressed against their skin, as more and more was left uncovered with every button that came undone. Their breathing slow. They could feel that, every bit of it. Lips curled up into a smile, one that slowly wavered as the cyborg reacted a little late to the other's reaction. That was when V realize exactly where their prosthetic hand was pressed and the smile from moments before turned into a small grin.
-"Warm it up, warm me up then"- The cyborg whispered in response. -"Because I don't..."- There was a small pause in between their words. -"I don't wanna let go off you"-

-"I guess"- Was V's response to Ari's words, closing their eyes, still focused on the rhythmic sound of the other's heart, of their hand pressed against their warm skin, and the slight vibrations in his chest when he spoke. The words, as it had been a recurrence throughout the night, took V a little to fully take them in. They looked up at Ari, pressing their lips together into a thin line.

The answer was 'yes'. Yes, they had heard their heartbeat before, that very night, loudly echoing in their ears before the pump inside their chest activated, as it did in a dire circumstance. That sound, the cyborg didn't particularly enjoy, not as much as the one they were listening to right now. -"Not like this"- V replied, feeling Ari's fingers pressed against their neck.

Dark red eyes looked away and down, tho followed their hand as they felt the smaller male grab it and move it to the cyborg's neck. V took a deep breath, hesitant to press their own fingers onto their skin, but after a few seconds, they gave in.

V closed their eyes, head resting back on Aricielo's chest. There was a moment of silence before the realization sank in. Both sounded similar, perhaps their own a little slower, but it was the pretty much the same, right ? Their head turned up, looking for the mismatched eyes they knew well. -"It sounds similar"- The cyborg pointed out, repeating their own words right after with wide eyes, before looking down. -"Back there, I uh... there is a pump, an enhancement, it gets going when I'm injured, but it's..."- V lightly shook their head. -"Is not like yours, is not the same"- They stated, taking a deep breath and quickly moving their hand away from their neck to wrap it back around Aricielo. -"Am I still cold ? Do I feel alive ?"-

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Ari's voice shivered as he laughed, keeping V's prosthetic arm close to his body in an attempt to transfer his body heat. "I-I'm trying-! You're so c-cold." Seeing V grin at him, he couldn't help but lean forward, lightly nipping the corner of their smiling lips with his teeth. "Absolute bastard." The tiefling ODD whispered in a joking manner, his expression softening as he rested his head against V's while closing his eyes. "You're lucky I love being held by you."

The tiefling ODD breathed quietly as he watched V beneath him, his hand holding the back of V's head and stroking the back of their head with his thumb as they listened to both of their heart beats. He gave a small chuckle when V finally spoke, noting the similarities. "...Yeah. Of course they are, V." Ari said as if confirming the other's findings. "Because you and I both have a heart. You're alive too, V. And you're here." The tiefling ODD's smile faltered as he listened to more of V's words, piecing things together. "Oh... Something happened, didn't it..?" He asked as V moved to continue holding him. "I was wondering why it took you a little longer than usual." Ari said out loud, his voice fading to a soft tone as he moved his hands to hold V's face as the other looked at him before murmuring "I'm happy that you made it back, though."  and kissing them on the lips again.

Ari continued kissing V, realizing what could have and did happen before ultimately stopping to just rest his head on V's shoulder and hug them tightly. As the cyborg asked him questions, he shook his head and nodded to the questions respectively. "Only your arm's cold. The rest of you is warm. And you are alive. You feel alive." The tiefling ODD chuckled as he turned his head to kiss V's jawline. "I can feel your heart beating against your chest." Another kiss on V's neck. "I can hear your breath." Another kiss on V's shoulder. "I can feel the warmth of your skin." And there was a pause. A moment of thought before Ari pulled away to hold V's face again, to look directly into their eyes.

"But don't let these things define you as alive." Ari noted, holding their faces close. "Coming from Silutika, I've seen plenty of creatures exist without a heart. But they're certainly alive. Like automatons, hollowed ones, or reborns. I'm not sure if you've seen all of them but reborns are known to roam with no blood running through their veins and hollowed ones feel like walking corpses. But I consider them alive." There was another pause as Ari's eyes wandered briefly, as if thinking about what to say next. "I guess... What I'm trying to say is... If there ever comes a time where you lose the things that make you feel alive, it doesn't mean you're... not alive. Don't let it haunt you if there ever comes a day." He spoke, finally making eye-contact with V again before giving a warm smile. "You said you're wish is to leave a mark on the world, right? To have a lasting effect on others and your surroundings. That's what I consider makes someone alive. Because anyone can do that, regardless of whether or not they had a heart beat. And the feelings they leave behind is the evidence that they were alive... You're never truly dead until the moment you can no longer leave an effect." The tiefling ODD explained, giving the cyborg another kiss on the lips.

"So you're alive, V. I promise. And if you need someone to remind you, I'm here." Ari murmured, giving V another kiss, smiling against the other's skin. "You make my heart beat a little faster. You..." He paused, giggling a little. "You give me butterflies in my stomach thinking about you... seeing you. I could keep going. But that's only me. Imagine the other people you leave an impression on." The tiefling ODD added on, sitting up.

"But save it for another day." He chuckled as he leaned backwards a bit to try and glance into the kitchen, checking on the clock. "It's late and I don't know about you but I need to sleep." The tiefling ODD said as he slipped off of V's lap and held out a hand for the other to take, pulling them up and off the couch. "Come on."

Guiding the cyborg to the bedroom, Ari turned around to give V another kiss on the lips, slipping off V's shirt and pulling away to fold it and place it on his desk. "Take off your pants and everything else too. I'm not letting you wear those into my bed."

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-"Mhm..."- V replied with a cheeky smile. -"I know"- They added, gently pressing their prosthetic fingers onto the other's skin, wishing at least one thing was still just like back in their home dimension and they could feel through the metal. It was a realization they'd made much earlier, but moments like this made the cyborg all too aware of the trade off the cybernetic enhancements meant.

V leaned back slightly into Aricielo's hand on the back of their head, still focused on the rhythmic beat of the other's heart, their own, and the touch now as well. -"I am..."- There was a second or two of pause in between. -"We are alive..."- They echoed, and went quiet once more, humming softly with their forehead pressed against Ari's chest. -"I'm glad to be here"- The cyborg added. V wanted to explain what had happened, but a lot of details from the job they took were a blur, a series of gunshots, flashes, the loud beating of their heart in their ears, yelling... Tho they could recall the objective clearly, the contrast between clear instructions and the execution made it hard to put words together. That'd be a thing for later.
Later.

The word echoed in his head, taking his focus for a moment until Ari's words brought him back once more. They tilted their head, blinking and focusing again on the ODD's face. They listened to the words, their brain struggling a to keep up a little as their eyes threatened to close, but the cyborg force them open, made them focus on the mismatched pair now looking back at them.

At the words that came after, V let them sink in, having to look down and away for a moment. For some reason, they hit them. No. They knew why. The cyborg closed their eyes tightly for a moment, feeling their eyes water a little before pressing their face against Aricielo's chest.
If only wishes could rewrite the past. Because right now, V wished they've heard those words years ago.

V nodded, agreeing to them, but still hiding their face from the other's view.

They've been too busy trying to hold back the sudden rush of emotion that they hadn't reacted to the kiss just now, but they felt the hint of warmth on their lips still.

-"That's cheesy"- V sniffled, moving their head back up after brushing away a tear or two on the other's sweater. There was a brief silence that followed as V looked for the words, or perhaps, looked for the will to say the words. -"You make me feel alive"- The cyborg finally spoke, feeling a slight weight off their shoulders, with a touch of apprehension, but it was late, very late, to regret opening themselves up.

V nodded, now aware of how tired and heavy their eyes felt. They nodded.

The moment Aricielo moved, the cyborg's hand was already reaching out to for him again as that lingering lost feeling threatened to return without the other's body pressed against theirs. They held his hand and pushed themselves to their feet. He was tired and aching, and all too aware of it the moment they got up.

Each step felt heavy, but once they stood in Ari's room, and their shirt was coming off, they could start feeling the relief that rest offered.
-"Everything, hm ?"- V wondered, already undoing the button of the black pants they wore. -"You just have to say you want me naked on your bed then"- The cyborg teased, already feeling more present, and a tad better knowing rest was so close.

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Ari exhaled softly through his nose, smiling as he felt V beneath him as the other was trying to press their head against his hand but also remain close to his chest. The tiefling ODD allowed himself to lean forward, pressing the cyborg against the backrest of the couch so that the other could get what they wanted, lightly kissing them on the forehead again. “We are, V.” He gently assured as he rubbing his thumb against the back of V’s head. “And I’m glad that you were able to make it back here.”

Ari sat there in silence after he finished speaking, either waiting for V to respond or just giving them time to let the words sink in.  His eyes scanned V’s expression, watching the emotions that came about. His breath hitched when he watched V close their eyes tightly and immediately hid their face into his chest. Previously holding V’s face, Ari moved his arms so that he could hug V around their neck tightly, holding them close to give them comfort. He could tell the other was crying, confirmed by the sniffle once V was ready to speak again.

“I know it is.” Ari chuckled when he felt V move again so the tiefling ODD leaned backwards. He pulled his sleeve over his fingers to help the cyborg wipe their tears away. “I just felt… like you needed to hear it. Since you’re always seem to be searching for evidence in yourself that you’re alive. So cheesy as it is,” Ari added, grinning to V. “I want my words echoing in your mind whenever you start feeling like you’re losing yourself and aren’t a part of whatever world you’re existing in at the time.” His cheesy smile turned into a warmer one with a softened expression as V spoke again with maybe a hint of a red dusting of blush on his cheeks. It was faintly noticeable in the ambient lighting of the moon in the dark living room. “…Good. Because you are alive.” The tiefling ODD wanted to sneak one lass kiss from the cyborg before standing up, leaning in and pressing his lips against the other’s. He guided V’s non-prosthetic hand beneath his sweater and pressed it against his chest where his heart is so that the other could feel a heart rate that was faster than the calm rhythmic pattern V was listening to before. Ari wordlessly pulled away, giving another smile before standing up and leading the other to the bedroom.

Ari clicked his tongue, hearing V tease him as he turned back around to look at V. “Please, V. You know what I meant.” He laughed as he walked over to hook a finger onto the cyborg’s belt loop and pulled on it while lightly kicking the other’s shoe with a bare foot. He added in a quieter voice, eyes not meeting V’s gaze but rather watching his other hand as he lightly dragged a fingernail across the cyborg’s freckled chest. “And you also know that I have shit restraint. Don’t jump onto my bed naked unless you have the energy for what comes next because I might just change my mind about being tired.”  Ari’s eyes glanced back up at V’s as his finger traced upward and made contact with their collar, undoing it while using only one hand with ease. He moved away, tossing the collar so that it landed on V’s folded shirt. Afterwards, Ari flopped onto the bed, giving a big stretch before relaxing comfortably on the side he usually slept on whenever V crashed his apartment.

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-"I'll try to remember them then"- V nodded, knowing they'd need to hear them from Ari's mouth again at some other point, no matter how good or bad their memory was. The cyborg took a deep breath, eyes closing briefly as the other ODD leaned closer for another kiss, opening them when their hand was taken, fingers pressed onto the warm skin of the tiefling's chest, eyes looking up at Aricielo as he moved away.

V returned the smile, tired as their own was.

The cyborg shook their head lightly, chuckling at the other's comments. -"I do, I do know what you meant"- They admitted.
Their attention, however, was taken away from the comfort of a bed by Aricielo, feeling the other's finger slide across their chest gave the cyborg goosebumps, followed by a light shiver of pleasure, but their head said no.
-"It'll have to be some other time"- V promised, non-prosthetic hand moving up to hold Ari's own briefly before letting it keep moving up their chest to the collar around their neck. The pressure it offered on his skin taken away the moment the metal clinked against Ari's fingers and soon fell on top of the shirt that had already been taken off.

One of the cyborg's hands moved to the empty space around their neck, feeling the colder touch of their own prosthetic fingers against their skin as they took a deep breath. It was that point of the night where their brain could focus on every touch, every sensation, but it chugged to do more with them. It even took V a moment for their eyes to glance over to the bed and Aricielo on it already.

Right.

V sat at the edge of the bed, falling into the monotony and taking their shoes off, then unbuttoning their pants, so on and so forth until they were in nothing but their underwear. Tired as they were, they definitely felt a lot more present, a lot better than when they had first arrived. The corner of their lip curled up slightly as they let their pants fall on the floor being evidence that the cyborg was slightly back to their usual self. They looked over at the other with the slightest hint of a grin on their face.
-"Hopefully this isn't too little either"- They spoke, lifting the blankets up to slide under them.
Laying down, the cyborg moved closer to the smaller male, placing a quick kiss on their shoulder, followed by a whisper... -"Thank you, Ari, good night"-

Their non-prosthetic hand gently pulled him into V as they closed their eyes, mumbling another good night before giving in to sleep.