Limitations ~ Scaraether

14

Kuni should've been happy; he should've been excited; ecstatic; relieved, and yet, he wasn't. The blonde had placed his hands on both sides of his face as if he was about to kiss him, and he felt guilty. Was Aether just doing this to console his feelings? If so, he didn't like that. If the blonde were interested in him, he would've shown signs, yes? But the puppet couldn't remember him ever doing so. Either he was too oblivious to them, brushed them off as innocent gestures, or his fears were accurate.

Gently removing the delicate hand from his face, he stared at the blonde uncertainly. He'd never dealt with "love" before. He'd only read it from random mangas Miko published in the past— mainly because Tartaglia would forcefully read it to him, claiming that because he acted like an immature child, he needed to get regaled like one. Oh, how he wanted to punch the ginger in his skull. Would he be wrong to do so? Probably.

"Is something wrong, Kuni?" How Aether looked into his indigo eyes made the puppet even more guilty. He opened his mouth but closed it immediately since the next thing to leave it would be a complete self-sabotage.

"Come on, Kuni, you can tell me." Aether smiled gently at the puppet, taking his hands from the others to cup his face again.

"I don't know..." the words came out as a breathy whisper as Kuni looked away awkwardly. How could he confess his love, get accepted, and try to sabotage it like this?
Maybe he isn't meant for the Traveler— after all, he has many issues that he still hasn't fixed. Who would want a broken doll? Heck, even kids, who are known to love even the dirtiest stuffed animals, don't care for broken dolls, so why would anyone else?

"It's just— don't you still hate me?" His chest felt tight as the features on Aether's face turned upset.

"Kuni, you may have done bad things, but you're working to better yourself. Sure, there were times I wanted to punch you across the face, especially— especially when I remember Teppei. But I shouldn't hold onto the past forever." He caressed the other's cheek, "If I did, I would've given up on my sister from the beginning. But I think there's light in everyone— well, almost everyone."

"And how do I classify as a "person" with one?"

"Because you've immediately tried fixing your wrongs once you learned of them. I think that's enough to know someone still has humanity in them."

"Even if they're not human?"

"I'm not human; you're not human, but we look the part, feel the part, act the part, and I think that's all that matters." The puppet froze as he felt soft— but scarred— lips touching his forehead. As much as he wanted it to be his lips, this felt more appropriate.

"If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here. Nahida is also a good person to consult with." Aether hugged, resting his head on his shoulder, "But if you don't want to talk, that's fine; I can't force you. Just don't act out based on emotions."

"...wow,"

"What?"

"That's the most I've heard you talk— without all the breaks or stuttering, of course." he felt the blonde sigh heavily against his shoulder, digging his head into it more.

"And here I thought this would end on a quiet note." Aether softly laughs, moving his right hand to play with the puppet's hair. A minute passed, two minutes, three minutes; a total of eight minutes passed of complete silence.

Removing his head from the puppet's shoulder and staring directly into his eyes, Aether smiled sweetly before kissing the indigo male gently on his mouth. For a moment, Kuni's limbs became stiff— he didn't know how to react— but after a while, he kissed back, holding Aether's face in his hands. While the kiss wasn't long, it certainly was sweet.
The two just stared at each other, a flustered smile plastered on the blonde's face and a flusteredly embarrassed expression on the indigo's.

"You could've just asked if you wanted a kiss so bad."

"I could've, but that doesn't mean I should've. You were upset, and I needed to be certain you were alright."

"I wasn't upset."

"Uh-huh, if that's what you want to believe, Kuni, go ahead." the puppet chuckled before pulling the blonde into his lap so he could embrace him more securely.

"Guys! Paimon is hungry again!" the tired fairy busted inside the room, rubbing her stomach as it growled loudly, "Oh— oh, Paimon's sorry... she should've knocked first—"

"It's okay, Paimon. But please knock next time." Aether nonchalantly waved her off, hugged Kuni one last time, and got up to get Paimon something to eat.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm feeling more energetic today."

"Really?" Paimon looked to where the medicine and cold Shimi Chazuke sat, "you didn't even eat or take your medicine."

"Oh?" Aether looked at what she was staring at, "Oh." Looking back over to Kuni apologetically, "My apologies, Kuni."

"It's fine. I was the one who distracted you while you were trying to eat." The puppet merely waved off the apology.

"I'll pay you back later, promise!" Beaming as he spoke, Aether walked over to the Chazuke dish, grabbed it, walked outside the room with Paimon, and went downstairs. Once the door closed, Kuni's shoulders drooped. He felt happy, but was he meant to be delighted? He could argue "yes," but he could also plead "no."
How ironic is this? The disappointing puppet is happy with someone he cares about, someone who remembers his past crimes and still loves him— yet, the people he's hurt are six feet under or don't remember the terror he's brought them.

Kuni couldn't care less about the terror he brought to the fatui members lower than him, but the innocent people he tormented just because he had the power soured his artificial tastebuds. Remembering how he treated Buer soured his mouth. How could someone like him be so deserving of love?

It didn't take long for Aether to return since he made Paimon a quick snack before sending her back to bed. And like usual, Kuni pretended like nothing bothered him.

"We should get some rest. It's night, and I want to complete some things tomorrow." Aether slid under the already pulled-back duvet and got comfy. Patting next to him, Kuni scoffed.

"I don't need sleep."

"And yet you "power off" your body? Come on, stop being so stubborn." Aether patted the spot next to him even harder.

"You're one to talk." Kuni grinned. Annoyed, Aether rolled over and laid on his side, huffing to himself.

"Well, fine. You stay watching me sleep like a creep instead of resting." Kuni scoffed before contemplating the offer. He could do his usual night routine— ensuring nothing happened while they slept since Aether is aware and has no disagreements. But he could also hold the blonde tightly while he slept. Deciding that the latter was a better option, he carefully got into the bed and under the covers, wrapping an arm securely around the blonde-haired Traveler.

"Goodnight, Kuni."

"...Goodnight, Aether."

But even as he held the blonde in his arms, why did he still feel shell-less?

A/N: I made this vibing to the video above.