Regretevator Pirates AU

Getting settled

"What are these for?"

"oh, these? um, it's like your little bed!" Kasper responded as he draped the thick blanket over one of the cellar's not too damp corners. "The mattresses were too heavy to bring down so.. i hope this is okay? I didn't want you sleeping on the floor if you're gonna be living here!"

"Sleeping?" 

"Yeah, Like when you close your eyes.. and you dream" So there is a name for that. Lampert doesn't acknowledge it though, already set on asking his next new bundle of questions. "What's a bed?" he adds, making Kasper straighten his shoulders a bit and glance down at the blanket on the floor.

"It's where you lay down, when you sleep" he replies, turning to Lampert whos gaze was fixated on his new.. bed, "What's a mattress?" he finally looks away, making Kasper's shoulders slump as he struggled to answer his questions. He still tried to the best of his abilities though.

"A mattress is a kind of bed"

"Oh.." the small robot nodded his head, then wordlessly walked to one of the pillows on the floor, pointing "What is that?"

"Well that's a pillow, it's what you rest your head on.. in bed" he pursed his lips, hoping that made enough sense to his curious new friend, and apparently it did, because he goes quiet afterwards, seemingly satisfied.

Kasper smiles, and returns to his task, straightening the soft blanket at the ears, then placing the two pillows near the top, he takes a step back, and admires his handiwork. The new bed tucked behind crates and barrels in the back of the dark cellar, it wasn't much, but it was honest work.

"There! now you have your own bed, Lampy, wanna try it?" he asked, grin etched across his face and expression proud. Lampert hesitates for a moment, but ultimately agrees, he takes small careful steps towards his new bed, and.. stands on it? as he stands, he slowly glances back at Kasper for approval.

"What are you doing? Ó_Ò" he asked, hand lifting to his chin as he looked over the robot standing over the bed, he feels a pang of guilt the second he asks though, realising his friend probably didn't know any better. "You're supposed to lay down in a bed, Lampy" he opted for gently explaining instead.

Dropping to his knees beside the curious robot, and slowly laying in the bed next to his feet "Like this!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out to his friend, Lampert tilts his head to the side.

"Come on. Lay with me" Kasper beckons him closer with his hands, throwing his legs up in the air. Amused, Lampert complies, he drops into the blanket besides Kasper, and the two boys stare up at the damp ceiling in silence for a moment.

"Do you like it?" Kasper finally speaks up, his voice a little shy "Like what?"

"Your new bed.." Kasper mumbles, playing with his hands clasped over his chest, Lampert only nods his head eagerly in response, and the boy feels his heart swell in his chest and his cheeks flush, so much for desiring his new best friend's approval.. and they've only known each other for how long? Three weeks, it certainly didn't feel like it.

Now that he thinks about it though.. "I'm sorry for not getting you a bed sooner.." he mutters apologetically.

"It's okay"

"It's probably not fun having to sleep on the floor.. it's so cold, and hard" he's speaking from experience, so he'd know, really.

"I don't sleep on the floor" Lampert replied bluntly, turning his head to face the boy laying next to him "I sleep up" he explained, but didn't make much sense to Kasper, who frowned in confusion.

"Like.. um, on the crates?" 

"No, up! on my feet" he smiled, and Kasper blinked in disbelief. "You sleep standing up? but don't you get tired?" 

"What's tired?"

Kasper was taken aback, how could he even begin to explain something like this to Lampert? they were so different from one another.. "It's.. when you do.. too much, at the same time? and you get tired? it's when your body needs rest— when your feet start hurting, and you need to sit down" he stumbled over his words as he tried to make sense of his words, but the whole time he was met with only a blank expression.

As if his words were going through one "ear" and coming out the other.

Of course, until.. "Hurting?" Lampert muttered, he knew what that meant, It's when people threaten to take him apart, isn't it? that's what Kasper's father always says when he comes down there. Loud and threatening.

"Blasted rats! I swear, I'll catch each one of you little thieves, and when I do, you're gonna hurt, do you hear me?"

"Think you're clever, do ye? Scuttling about while I sleep! I'll not be outwitted by a pack of rodent rogues. No, I'll have my cellar clean if it's the last thing I do!"

Lampert doesn't want to think about it, as the words echo in his fragile little mind, he finds himself curling onto his side, away from Kasper, and hiding his face in his arms. "I don't want to hurt, I'm sorry, I will lay in bed" he whimpers.

"No— nonono, Lampy, that's not.. what i meant It's okay, I'm sorry" Kasper panicked, sitting up besides his frightened friend and reaching over to wrap his arms around his curled up frame "That's not what i meant at all, Not like that.." he apologised, voice sincere.

"No?" Lampert perked up, voice small, he turned his body around to face Kasper, and they ended up chest to chest in the process, cuddled against one another, Kasper's breath gets caught in his throat, and he shakes his head "N— No.. I told you, remember? I'm not going go let you get hurt.. not like that"

He wanted to add something else, but just as he opens his mouth, the both of them jolt in surprise.

"Kasper, Kasper! where in blazes are you, boy?"

Kasper stumbles up to his feet, turning towards the voice with a frightened expression, he clears his throat before responding, his voice small and weary: "A—aye, I'm here, Pa! Just finishing up with the barrels, like you asked—"

"Finishing up, are you? You've been down there near half the day! Now stop dawdling and get yourself up here. There's work waiting!"

"Sorry, Pa! I'm comin' up, i swear!" he patted himself down anxiously, glancing over towards an equally frightened Lampert with an apologetic expression "I'm sorry, Lampy, I'll see you tomorrow okay?" he whispers, Lampert nods, and just like that he dissapears behind barrels and crates.

Leaving Lampert to admire his new bed in silence, It's okay, though, he knows he'll see Kasper the next day, He never breaks a promise.