Together at The Edge of a Universe

✨Chapter 44 - one light higher than the sun

three chapters left.

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Tree P.O.V:

I sigh, pulling their head into my lap. "Is he asleep?" Jr. asks, poking Black Hole with his finger. I chuckle, nodding.

"Yeah...it's probably the medicine that they took." I explain, ruffling their hair. He giggles, fixing his hair afterwards. "What should we do?"

I shrug, "Well, your dad's sick...so I'm not entirely sure what we should do." They nod, leaning against me. "Could we watch a movie?" He suggests, I smile, nodding. "What movie?" I ask, turning on the TV.

"I don't care." They smile, munching on their popcorn. I nod, flicking through the options. "Coco?" I ask, he beams. "Sure! What's it about? I've never seen it..."

"You'll see," I chuckle, pressing play. The lights shut off as the movie begins, Black Hole wrapping his arms around my waist. I grin, petting their hair softly. "Woahh...pretty colors..." CJ marvels, starring intently at the screen.

I laugh, nodding at their assessment. "Yeah...the animation is very beautiful!" I grin, watching the colorful displays slide across the screen. Black Hole huffs, shifting a bit in their sleep.

I lean back further, letting them crawl further into my arms. It's really surprising on how aware they are when they sleep...weird. The movie continues, both of us watching in silence. Black Hole sighs, cuddling closer into my chest. Smiling, I give them a soft kiss. They shift again, slowly opening their eyes.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?" I ask, petting their hair some more. They groan, falling back onto my chest.

"Still tired..." he mumbles, squeezing me tighter. I chuckle, continuing to watch the movie.

"My head still hurts..." They sniffle, hiding their face on my chest. I nod, continuing to run my hands through their hair. "You'll be better soon...I can make you some tea later."

They nod, holding me closer. Jr, who clearly has no clue what's going on, is still happily watching the movie. Popcorn in hand as they laugh at the visuals. Black Hole winces, "Loud..." they whisper. I nod, turning the volume down.

"Why'd you turn the volume down?" CJ asks, looking over. "They're just a bit sensitive to louder noises." I explain, covering Black Hole's ears slowly. Cherry Jr. nods, turning back to the screen. We continue to watch, laughing occasionally.

Black Hole seems to fall asleep again, but not fully...I beam, kissing their forehead. They grumble, pushing me down further on my back. Chuckling, I continue to pet their hair, "I can't see the screen anymore, love..."

"S-sorry...I just want to cuddle..." He whispers, loosening his grip. I nod, letting them lay on top of me. "Do you want me to turn the TV off?" CJ asks, I nod "Unless you want to keep watching."

They shake their head, "Meh."

I nod, watching them flick off the TV. He walks over, checking in on us. "Is dad okay?" They ask, patting Black Hole's back.

I nod, "He's still sick, so he's probably a bit out of it right now..."

"I'm finnee..." Black Hole quiet says, hiding their face from Jr. I sigh, shaking my head. "You are impossible."

He chuckles, "Yeah...I am..."

"What should we do then?" Cherry Jr asks, I think for a moment. "We could go downstairs and do something...maybe we can get ideas then."

They both make some sort of noise of agreement. I smile, sitting up, Black Hole shifting so that they could still embrace me. "C'mon love...we need to go..."