Chapter Text
Mind yawned, and sat up in bed. The migraine was gone, which was nice. He sighed, and rubbed at his eyes, before shuffling over to his vanity. God, he was a mess. His staticky hair jutted out at the bottom like a pom-pom, his eyes were deepened with bags, and the makeup he had forgotten to take off was smudged across his face. Reaching for the makeup wipes he always kept on top of the table, he began to clean himself off.
A knock at the door caused him to jolt. He quickly flicked on his modulator.
“Er- don’t come in. What?” Apollo muttered. Though his modulator was flat, it was still easy to tell he was tired.
“ Hey, um, Mind? ” Juno’s soft voice replied. It was clear they were pressed up against the door. He could tell they were tired as well, by the thickening of their accent.
Fuck. “Yeah?” He rubbed at his face with the wipe feverishly from anxiety. His mechanical heart began to race, thrumming in his chest like the night before.
“ Did-jya move my stuff..? ”
“Yeah? Um, apologies if you didn’t want me to, I just thought..” His voice drifted off, and he quickly patted down his hair, moving to open the door. Heart was only wearing a tank top and sweats, fidgeting with those fingerless gloves he always seemed to be wearing. Why Mind cared so much about his appearance, even in front of the blind man, was something he could not answer.
“ Eh..no, it’s okay, I just like putting my own stuff back. S-so..so I know. Where ‘t is. Yeah. ” He breathed out quickly.
“Oh, my apologies, then, ” Mind repeated, folding his arms. “ I’ll try to remember to ask next time, but..you know how I am, hah.” His dry, deep voice didn’t communicate a laugh very well. However, Resident Heart seemed to get the message, hesitantly, and awkwardly, chuckling as well.
“ Thank you for understanding…I really appreciate it. ”
And then, they smiled.
Mind felt his cheeks burning. Was one of his systems failing? He shouldn’t be overheating like this. His left eye ticked and twitched faster than usual, the clock hands that bloomed from it lightly grazing the bridge of his nose as they passed by. Lightly, unnoticeable to the blind man, he smiled back, before turning to look down the never ending hall. “Of course. Is Soul up?”
“ Oh, yeah, she’s tryna’ figure out how to set up some kind of new…um..I think it was a kitchen appliance? ” Heart tilted his head.
“Fuck..I’d better assist him with that, then. I don’t want another…incident. Do you want to come, as well, Heart?” Mind opened his closed palm, and held it out to the right. The appearance of the living area and kitchen summoned into view.
“ Oh, sure. ” Juno shrugged.
As Mind moved to help Soul out with setting up a new coffee maker (she had…somehow…already broken an outlet), once more his brain focused on Heart. Again, his accent thickened when he was tired, as he slurred his words together when he asked what the two were doing. It was awfully endearing. Apollo could hear them yawn every so often from the couch, too.
[How he wanted to lift them into his arms and—]
He coughed into his fist, hard, scattering his thoughts.
“There. Goodness, Soul, how many damned times have I told you that I’m the one who will set these kinds of devices up?” He breathed harshly, and Soul just smiled innocently, before starting to make some coffee with the new machine. Mind sighed dramatically, and spun on his heels, making his way over to the couch.
Noticing the sinking weight, Heart ‘looked’ over, and pressed his back into the cushions. “ Mind, I assume? ”
“Yeah, yeah.” Apollo muttered.
The two sat quietly at first, but Heart then began to hum a quiet tune.
Mind listened intently.
“Soul?”
Looking up from polishing his guitar, Soul tilted his head, seeing Mind in the doorway. He was almost too tall for the frame, which was kind of terrifying. She sighed, and motioned for the automaton to come in. Hesitantly, he shuffled over. While Soul looked away to continue cleaning his guitar, he felt the mattress sink next to him.
“Yo. What’s up, Apollo?”
She heard Resident Mind breathe in and out harshly, like he often did when they were talking after he and Heart had fought. A sudden pang of anxiety filled Soul’s stomach. Oh no. They had entwined only recently, surely they hadn’t gone back on that…?
“I…I..I don’t know. I don’t know how to start this conversation.”
“Wassituhfight?” Soul rushed out almost too quickly. Mind looked at her like she had three heads. “Ahem- was it a fight?” He clarified.
“No, no, the closest we’ve gotten to arguing— and hardly that— was when I accidentally upset him a little by moving his stuff when he didn’t want it to be moved, ” Mind shook his head, quickly looking away. “ I—..I’m here because I’m not exactly a feelings guy, and, erh…ugh, I don’t want to go to Juno about this. Because the feelings. Ahem. Concern them.”
“Oh, alright,” Soul laid the guitar across his lap. “Shoot, then. Are they bad feelings?”
“Not necessarily. God, it’s coming back now… ” He shut his eyes, fidgeting with his sleeves. “ I get rather anxious, and sweaty, as much as my mechanical body can, anyways…it’s like I am going into a panic, but I feel so relaxed at the same time. It’s awfully perplexing, and I hate being perplexed without my own doing, such as with a puzzle...not to mention the thoughts, which are horribly unorthodox at times..”
Soul thought to herself as Mind kept awkwardly rambling. He never did things like that, usually he kept things succinct and exact. But here he was, stumbling over his words as his modulator occasionally popped from rapid use, sentences fuzzing together into hardly comprehensible static. Eventually, she pressed a finger to Mind’s lips, and he jolted, before stopping.
“Sorry, I—.. ” Soul pulled away, letting him talk. “ I don’t know what got into me.”
“So…do these feelings and thoughts make you want to stay away from Heart, or be closer to him..?” Soul sighed, and squeezed his eyes shut. She already knew all she needed to know, she just needed to figure out a way to navigate this. He might be emotionally unintelligent, but he still knew more than Apollo.
“I don’t know…I want to be closer, I guess, I am just worried about making him uncomfortable.”
“Wow,” Soul’s mouth made a perfect O shape as he enunciated the word. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you consider his feelings without me badgering you first.”
“Don’t test my patience, Soul.” Apollo warned.
She just smiled, before sighing. “Continue.”
“..but maybe, I just want to see what it’s like to be next to him…God, I sound like a crazy person..”
“Ey, we’re all crazy people..anyway, I don’t know if I can help you much..” Soul lied. He knew what this was, exactly what this was, but he wanted Mind to figure out for himself. It was better for him to learn. Also, she would rather crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment than tell Mind he has feelings for Heart. “Maybe try being kinder to him. Give him gifts. He likes food, and help with things he can’t do himself, like brushing his wings. Maybe you should brush his wings?”
“I suppose I could…try…that,” Mind shrugged, before pausing. “..but..how would I go about asking him..? I might just make things worse..”
“Worry not, I have an idea! I’ve been meaning to go out and explore anyways. I’ll be right back.” Soul stood, leaving his guitar on the bed, and Mind sighed, peeking out of the doorway to watch.
She knocked on Heart’s door, and began telling him something. Mind listened closely.
“..so, since I’ll be gone, you’re gonna have to ask Mind if you want any help with anything. I promise he won’t be short with you or hold it against you or anything like that. He’s past that.” Soul smiled gently, before glancing over at Mind and giving a thumbs up. Apollo nodded in reply, as Juno tapped his chin for a moment.
“ ..okay. Thank you for letting me know, Soul. ” They mumbled.
“‘Course, man.”
Then, Soul returned, and Apollo let him in, shutting the door once he had sat back down.
“Shoot your shot, man.”
“Shoot my what?” Mind furrowed his brows in genuine confusion.
“Ah- um, that just means go ahead with it,” Soul shrugged and smiled. “Once you’re ready.”
“..ah. Alright. Have a nice trip, Soul.” Apollo nodded, and got up once more, making his way back to his room.
God, this was embarrassing…but it also wasn’t the worst, either.