Get into the van, kiddo.

[captaincatblock]

[Peace is a funny thing. It's been teased and denied for so long that now that it's happening, it's almost weird. He'd missed most of the drama with the princess and her traitorous Terran Knight -- not that he's fully convinced of it, but if it gains them this peace, then he won't question it -- but he had been returned to his kin as Earth's first peace offering.]

[Kuroo hadn't been too happy about that, hadn't even had the time to say good bye to Tsukki after being whisked away by a couple of generals and then thrown into political chaos. But he had endured it, because he knew that eventually, the princess would get to the small issue of Kuroo's kataphrakt and how he intends to spend his time on Earth. He could be a diplomat, he'd offered, or teach his fellow Versians about Terrans, since he's learned a lot. Anything, he had added meaningfully, if he allowed him to keep his landing castle close to Earth if not entirely on its soil.]

[He'd gotten some leeway in the end, after weeks of endless talks, so here he is now striding into the hanger where they kept his mech, in full Count regalia. Oddly enough, he only has Terran escorts with him, and they back away well enough when he reaches his destination.

Tsukki? Oiii, I'm looking for your mechanic, Tsukishima Kei. [first he calls out, and then just outright asks someone to find Tsukki for him]

Comments

[hellacene]

We should probably start putting up the blinds when we go to bed.

[he follows him out. because he sure as hell doesn't want to wake up to a kat on their window. on the other hand, he's sure to inform kuroo that part of his kat's upgrades include safety features like a seat belt, because it's ridiculous that a machine as powerful as the arcadia has nothing of the sort.]

[captaincatblock]

[Wait til you see the Stygis, Tsukki...........]

[It seems that Kuroo's told someone that he intends to take the Arcadia out, because someone's moved it to the proper hangar for take off. All they have to do is climb up and in, and then they can leave. But first, Kuroo finds some space to put everything where they aren't in the way.]

[hellacene]

[it's a lot more cramped now that they're stocking the arcadia to be another nest of sorts for both of them - in addition to being a giant war machine. but it's the thing that makes it a lot more personal for both of them, the touch of blankets here and there, and of course, the small stegosaurus he puts on the dash.]

That one's for you.

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo peers at it even as he starts moving the Arcadia out -- kataphrakts never 'switch off' after all. It's a bit cramped for comfortable piloting, but all they need to do is get out and go in a straight line for a while, so that's no problem.]

Oh, it's one of those dinosaurs you like. I read up a bit about them. They sounded cool.

[hellacene]

Most of the ones I have are from my brother's. He packed too many of them for me.

[he gets out of kuroo's way for a while as he makes his way out. he'd like to sit on his lap again with the blankets as they watched the stars, but for now he has to deal with other rudimentary things to get them there.]

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo at least gets them away from the landing castle's lights relatively fast, since all it takes is a bit of creative meteor shade. He takes them away from any view of the Earth and the moon, because those are too bright and will blot out the stars, and it's only stars he wants to show Tsukki this time.

In no time at all, he gets them to a nice spot, and eases the Kat to just float in space, engines a faint thrum under their body. The screen is just filled with stars and nearby meteors from frame to frame.]

Here we are, love.

[hellacene]

[more nicknames. at this point tsukki just gives up, because they obviously won't stop coming.

at the sight of the stars, however, he's got the same look on his face as he did the first time he saw everything in the observation deck. he sits himself comfortably over kuroo, blanket over them as he watches everything gleam at the arcadia's screens.]

I love it, [he tells him quietly as he leans his head against his neck.]

[captaincatblock]

[His arms go around Tsukki securely and tightly, and he nuzzles at Tsukki's hair. This isn't anything that Kuroo hasn't seen before, but it seems a lot prettier now that he has company.]

I love you. [chuckling]

[hellacene]

I know that.

[slightly flustered. kuroo has always been the more honest one between the two of them, no matter how many people complain to him that he was nothing but manipulative. where the two of them were concerned he had always looked up to him.]

How far away are we from home?

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo laughs at the reaction, he wasn't really expecting anything else. He reaches for the controls and brings up the distance from Miyagi to the Arcadia.]

That's how far you are. As for me, the Arcadia is home enough. [But he does bring up the distance they are at from the landing castle.]

[hellacene]

[he's more interested in the distance from the landing castle to where they are, and it's considerable enough that there's almost nothing here but them. it's like being in the middle of the sea on a boat and it's a nice feeling.]

Do you go here often by yourself?

[captaincatblock]

After Heaven's Fall and before the second war on Earth. [He seems to be fiddling with the controls, and the lights in the cockpit dim more than it already was.]

When the war started again, it got pretty chaotic, and it wasn't very safe to go and space out in the middle of nowhere. And then, of course, Arcadia was grounded on Earth for a while. [He's trying to figure out the music controls for this thing now.]

[hellacene]

[he reaches over so he can load up the playlist for him, picking an album that would do quite well given the scene. music starts playing through the speakers after a while, a soft melody playing that's unobtrusive enough to be heard at the background.]

Now you can have background music when you fight. Or when we're here.

[captaincatblock]

[He laughs.] I hope there won't be too many fights, so we can always just stargaze like this.

[And then he laughs again.] Do you remember the first time I let you in here? You were half-drunk.

[hellacene]

Hmm. And whose fault was that?

[smiles against his collar bone, fingers tracing the line of bone and throat as he peers at the stars from the side. with the light dimmed in the arcadia, all the stars seem to burn brightly on the screen. he opens one of the snacks that they have - a bowl of strawberries - and starts eating the small segments as he revels in his warmth.

the dinosaur is floating overhead, and tsukki pushes it with a finger to go to the side.]

[captaincatblock]

I can't be held responsible for your attractiveness. [He leans down to eat that off Tsukki's fingers when he's distracted, licking the juice off the blond's fingertips.]

You know, strawberries are only delicious when they're with you. I wonder why. [And he actually sounds serious about this question, as he looks up towards the sky and thinks about it.]

[hellacene]

[indignantly,] I can't believe you don't like them. They taste so good, especially when they're in season.

[he picks up another segment for him to eat, since kuroo ate the other one, but also gives kuroo another one to eat from his fingers.]

[captaincatblock]

Of course, of course. [laughs, but he takes the opportunity and takes the offered fruit as well, anyway.] I suppose my tongue's just not so big on strong flavors. Got too used to bland food.

[He reaches for the thermos they were given. It's not very big, and when he opens it the smell of hot chocolate permeates the space.] Oh, they managed to get some after all.

[hellacene]

[if you can learn to love tortillas you can love strawberries too.

but that protest dies down when he smells the hot chocolate and he eagerly sits up so he can drink as well. that'll warm them up nicely.] The kitchen is going to fatten me up.

[captaincatblock]

I believe that's their plan, ever since I mentioned that you were quite slender. [amused. The entire castle's just generally been prepared to accept Tsukki there, as if there was nothing wrong with it at all. Kuroo supposes it's because there isn't.] You really like sweet things, don't you?

[hellacene]

I like them well enough.

[blows on the rim of the cup as he gently pours the chocolate, and then he takes a sip. it smells, and tastes, like the most amazing hot chocolate in the world.]

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo leans over, tilts Tsukki's chin to face him, and he gives the blond a quick kiss.]

Hmm, you're right, that is nice. [licking his lips to taste the chocolate there.]

[hellacene]

[oh my god. shoves him off for that extremely sappy gesture as he drinks the rest of the hot chocolate.]

Why do I even like you. You are too embarrassing to live most days.

[captaincatblock]

[He's laughing at that. In truth, he does it also because the reactions are the best.]

Someone has to be between us and spoil you rotten.

[hellacene]

You do it too much.

[it's not that he's complaining, it's that he feels like he's doing it at a rate where he doesn't feel like he's enough for the attention given.

either way, he just munches on his strawberries as he watches the stars again, and occasionally, a meteor streak past their view far away.]