Chapter Text
“What do you think about staying here tonight?”
Gangle was sitting at the end of Zooble’s bed, tightening the lines of her latest sketch when they suddenly asked the question. The two of them had become very close ever since the Stupid Sauce (™) incident and opted to spend most of their downtime between adventures in each other's company, talking about whatever insane shit they just went through, or just doodling and bouncing ideas off each other. They would do this in common areas, but more often than not they would take refuge in each other's rooms and when they did it almost always ended the same way; with the two of them in bed and their hands all over each other until one of them would inevitably retreat back to their room when everyone else was asleep and they were safe from any prying eyes.
“Do you want me to?” Gangle lowered her sketchbook to look at Zooble who sat at the head of the bed, their arms folded behind their head and their legs stretched out.
“I do,” Zooble replied, giving Gangle a playful poke with the toes of the duck foot they had equipped earlier that day because the vibes just felt right at the time. “I thought it would be nice to wake up next to you for once.”
Gangle resumed her drawing, adding all the perfect little details to the big anime eyes she was working on. “I think I'd like that too. Is there uhm…” Her pencil stopped moving and she smiled shyly over the top of her sketchpad. “...is there anything else you had in mind?” Past experience told her what she already knew but she still wanted to hear Zooble say it. Zooble of course understood this and was more than happy to oblige.
“Ohh, I don't know…” Zooble sat upright and scooted closer. “I was thinking maybe we’d get in bed together.” They put a hand on Gangle's leg and rubbed the ribbon with their thumb. “Then I could touch you in all the ways you like.” They pinched the ribbon between their fingers as if to demonstrate. “Make you gasp my name.”
And just like that, Gangle had lost all interest in drawing for the rest of the night and casually tossed her sketchbook aside. By the time it hit the floor she was already in Zooble’s lap, pulling them in for what they had decided to call a kiss despite the lack of appropriate anatomy.
The human mind can be a dreadful thing, it was a constant reminder of how much they lost in the transition from the physical world to this digital prison and on nights like this, when the both of them yearned for physical intimacy, it felt especially cruel.
The human mind can also be a beautiful thing, it has a way of tricking itself into believing different realities. Zooble imagined what it would feel like to give Gangle a proper kiss, and when she pressed harder into their face they swore they could taste her. As long as they didn't think about it too much they could put the rational side of their brain aside and truly enjoy the moment.
It didn't take long for Gangle to find herself on her back while an enthusiastic Zooble traced their hands all over her ribbons, pinching here and there as they went, much to Gangle's delight. Soon those hands would venture inward, slipping between the loops of ribbons to touch the empty space within. Gangle's breaths grew heavy, her human brain momentarily forgetting that there was no need for such things in the digital space, and she wrapped her arms around Zooble’s shoulders, holding them tightly. “Y-you’re really good at this,” she breathed into Zooble’s neck.
“I try,” Zooble replied coolly, belying how absolutely giddy they were to hear such an affirmation. They loved the way Gangle wiggled and squirmed under their fingertips. It made them feel good to know that despite their bizarre disjointed body, and the sexless hell that body resided in, they could make their partner feel good. They couldn’t kiss her, but they could do this and they absolutely loved to do this.
Zooble's hands moved further, slowly but surely until they were elbow deep inside Gangle's ribbons and able to touch her mask from the inside of her velvet loops. Those loops quivered and tightened around their arms, enough to squeeze but not enough to impede their movement. “A-ah, Zooble!” Gangle gasped out loud, fulfilling Zooble's earlier promise.
Zooble was shaking now, their head heavy with… something. Could it really be called arousal in these PG-rated bodies? Can someone even be aroused if there was nowhere for that arousal to go? The feeling was similar but also different in a way they weren't sure how to describe. Is this even a thing? Would this even be programmed into the circus, or is this just their human brain playing tricks on them? How would that even work? They stared at Gangle who looked back with half-lidded eyes and they wondered if perhaps they were thinking about it too much.
“Want to see something really hot?” Zooble held Gangle's mask with both hands and turned it to the side. The walls of Zooble's room were covered in mirrors of various shapes and sizes, placed there by Caine as if to mock them, and impossible to remove. Normally Zooble did their best to avoid looking into these mirrors, a nearly impossible task, but they readily looked when they turned Gangle's attention to the closest one. Reflected in the glass was an image of the two of them, their bodies entwined in ways neither of them could imagine when Zooble first arrived here. “Look at yourself.”
Gangle's eyes widened and her mask flushed red but she didn't look away. Instead she hooked her legs around Zooble's waist, pressed herself against their pelvis and began to rock gently, her gaze still locked on the mirror. She wanted to know how it would look if they could do more, if they weren't so goddamn limited in function. She wanted to see what it would look like to be fucked by Zooble.
No words had to be exchanged, Zooble picked up what Gangle was putting down because they were feeling the exact same way. They removed their hands from inside her ribbons and instead gripped her at the taper of her body on either side, holding her firmly as they moved their hips and started thrusting against her. Later they will separately reflect on how pathetic the two of them looked, dry humping each other like two toys being played with, but right now they could ignore their reality and appreciate the moment for what it was: two people falling in love who were desperate to demonstrate it physically.
This would go on until the two of them grew tired and accepted that no matter how much they hoped, no matter how much they tried, nothing was ever going to happen and that they should probably get some sleep before the night was over and they found themselves pushed into another one of Caine’s wacky-ass adventures.
“Hey, Gangle,” Zooble started once they were both cozy under the blanket and snuggled close together. “I think I, uh…” Their antennae twitched and they reconsidered. “I mean, I really enjoy doing… this, with you.” They furrowed a brow and huffed. “Not just this, I like doing other things too! Like, hanging out with you and stuff.”
Gangle smiled and leaned against Zooble's chest, the tears of her mask glinting ever so slightly in the now low light of the room. “I know, I feel the same way.” She thinks she feels the same way about a lot of things, things that would continue to go unsaid tonight. “....Your bed is really nice.”
“I used to think it was too big.” Zooble wrapped Gangle up in their arms and held her close. “But now I think it's the perfect size.”
It wasn't long before the two of them fell asleep, holding each other tight the whole night through. Whatever Caine had in store for them tomorrow, they would face it together.