Work Text:
It's been a while since you've revisited this adventure. Since then, you've made quite a few updates to the Circus and developed a new found friendship with the humans, but you decided to keep this adventure relatively the same in its simplistic nature. The humans are currently asleep, which means you finally have some time to yourself. Of course, you'd never completely be alone because of the NPCs, but you feel it isn't the same as witnessing an actual human suddenly appear in this realm.
Instead of being an omnipresent figure floating in the sky like the last time you visited this world, you lie on the ground, your gloved hands resting on your stomach. You'd like to think that makes you seem more human. Even though the Circus is your home and you could never accurately recreate the sheer vastness of space from the human world, you still tried your best, laboring over the different hues of certain stars, making some brighter and some dimmer than others, while still adding your own personal touch to it. Overall, you're proud of your work. You never knew that—
"I'd say the stars are rather dazzling tonight, wouldn't you?"
Forcefully yanked out of your thoughts, you glance over to your left. Kinger is lying next to you on the soft grass, regarding the small, natural lights that make up the night sky.
"Yeah..." You finally start, turning your attention to the stars, "I guess I would."
Silence, then. You lie there, slightly stiff. In what feels like a once-in-a-lifetime moment, you're unsure of what to say next. It certainly doesn't help that Kinger is lying there next to you. How did you not notice him before? You swore he was in his pillow fort, asleep back at the Circus. Did he actually want to... spend time with you? Does he trust you? Even after all that you've done?
Admittedly, you haven't gotten much sleep after you came back from the Void. Most of the time, when you felt restless, which seemed like all of the time lately, you'd sit there in your office, your artificial thoughts drifting to the things you regret, to new adventure ideas. You suppose you've been trapped in your mind lately.
After realizing this, you pull yourself back into the present. You should go make sure that the other humans are doing alright! You are their ringmaster, after all. You sit up slightly, leaning your arms on the grass to better stabilize yourself. Before you can leave to confirm that they're doing okay, Kinger places a light, warm hand on your shoulder. You freeze; your eyes widen.
"Lie back down, Caine." Kinger's voice dropped to an almost whisper. "You already take care of us. You've gotta learn to take care of yourself, too."
Flustered and slightly suspicious, you follow his instruction and hesitantly lie back down on the grass. Kinger removes his hand from your shoulder, and you subconsciously wish for that warmth again. You don't say anything to him, though.
After a bit, little flickery sparks of light start to appear. More stars, possibly? Your upper jaw forms a pinched, confused brow. These stars are a lot closer than you imagined. One of them floats lazily toward you. You slowly raise your hand up and it lands on your pointer finger.
Kinger notices the furrow in your brow. "Those are fireflies, or lightning bugs, as some call them. They're cute, aren't they?"
You chuckle and take a glimpse at Kinger's smiling face from the side of your eye. "Did you conjure these?" You ask.
"Why, yes I did," Kinger confirms. "I thought it would be a nice addition."
"Impressive," You remark.
You gently let the firefly float away off your finger.
Silence. You're stiff again. Occasional conversation is not your strong suit, apparently.
Before you're able to say anything, though, Kinger places his hand on your shoulder once more. You freeze again, but subtly lean into the warmth this time, just in case he removes it before you're ready. To make matters worse, however, Kinger slowly pulls you in close, rubbing his thumb on your shoulder, applying a little pressure as he does so. At this point, you almost blue-screen, but you manage to remain composed.
Kinger glances down at you. "You alright, there?"
You exhale quickly. "Never better!"
Kinger chuckles. He watches the fireflies hover around you both, imagining them performing silly dances, like fox-trots or sock-hops.
"Why don't you relax for a bit, Caine," Kinger suggests. "It can't be good for you to be so uptight all the time."
So, you do. You follow his instruction and lean into Kinger's touch. This calms you down, but only somewhat. Is this what being appreciated is like? Is this what feeling... loved is like? Time should tell eventually, right? Kinger's hand moves from your shoulder down to your lower back and caresses light circles. It's... rather pleasant. You feel your processes slowing down and your eyes growing heavy. You haven't felt this way since you witnessed the cast play softball. You were so unbelievably bored then, but this is a different kind of feeling. You feel content, resting next to Kinger, stars and fireflies in the sky, lying on the soft grass.
Eventually, your teeth cover your eyes as you close them, and you fall into a dreamless sleep. Your subconscious mind now knows what it is like to be appreciated and perhaps, finally loved. But your conscious mind still needs time to figure that out.
Only time will tell.