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The small shiver that inadvertently leaves Beck when he steps inside the safehouse has almost become a ritual, the biting cold of the snow giving way to the warmth of the familiar space. Would it be too soon to say he considers it a second home? He watches as the floors light up upon his entrance- he sort of got lost in his thoughts on the drive over, so he wasn’t exactly paying attention to the time, he must be early.
“Tron?” He calls out, not so loud that he’d wake his mentor if he was resting- users above knows he needs it. Beck needs it too, judging by those near-constant bags under his eyes, but he’s certainly not about to admit it.
The sound of something falling to the ground startles him, and he rushes towards the sound, all too terrified he’s going to find Tron collapsed. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. He doesn’t- not this time at least, instead finding a black blob of something and-
He yelps when he realizes the blob has eyes. He instinctively goes for his disk, he knows there’s gridbugs outside, is this something like that-?
“Beck, you’re early,” His thoughts are pulled away by the sound of Tron’s rough voice, who has an amused little look in his eyes at his trainee looking so startled by the form on the floor.
"What is that ?" Beck asks as he tucks his disk away, more alarmed than frightened by the... Creature on the floor, staring up at him with those big, oddly cute eyes of it's.
"That ," Tron starts to explain, an uncharacteristic and incredibly soft smile on his face forming as he scoops up the little ball of fluff that mews in approval at being held, "Is a cat. Users have little creatures they keep as pets, for companionship, mostly. She once belonged to my user, and now she belongs to me. Her name is Dot,"
"Oh... How did she.. get here, then?" He asks, watching how carefully his mentor pets the cat, holding in a desire to ask if he can feel too.
"She was programmed in, in memory of my user's," He explains, and gestures for Beck's hand. His protégé was never very good at hiding what was on his mind.
Beck, maybe just a tad nervously, (in his defense, she's got very sharp teeth), brings his hand close for the cat to sniff at, watching her bump her cold little nose into his palm, practically demanding for pets. He gasps softly at the approval, moving to pet her fur with feather light touches, a smile of his own starting to form. She's soft- she's so incredibly soft, and leans into all of the touches, and a soft rumbling sound leaves her soon enough.
"Oh- is that..?" He starts to ask, looking up at Tron nervously at her little sound and vibrations.
"It's good," Tron reassures with a little nod, "it means she's enjoying your company,"
“Oh...” He says so very softly, and can’t help but grin at how her purring just gets louder as her big ol eyes close in content.
The air is quiet in the safehouse for some moments, aside from the purring and the sounds of the wind outside. The subtle ache in Tron’s voxels pulls his mind away from the sweet little scene, holding Dot out slightly to Beck.
“You can try to hold her,” He says, well aware of the warnings that are soon to pop up and how Beck seems to nervously start to eye the scar he can practically feel start growing already. “If she leaves, it’s not because you did anything,”
“O-oh, yeah-” Beck stammers quickly, carefully taking the cat from Tron’s arms, and she wriggles just a little in his arms to get comfy. He feels the little purrs from her against him, and he watches as his mentor fumbles just a moment for the smaller baton at his waist, which forms out in wireframes into a simple cane for him to lean on. Beck is well aware of his condition- and that some cycles are better than others for him- but it either must be a really good, or a really bad cycle for him to be so willing to use his cane. “Are.. you okay?”
“I’m fine, Beck,” He assures, his voice maybe softer than he intends. He’s... well, he’s not in the best of shape to do much of any physical training with beck today, but that’s what the simulation room is for after all. “It’s you we need to focus on- we can’t let you be slacking off,”
Beck bites back his worry and a soft sigh as he gently sets down Dot, preparing to step into the simulation room.
<><>
Fatigue hits Beck like a lightcycle sooner than he expected, but that’s not too wild, considering between his shift and some scouting as the Renegade, he maybe got a milicycle or two of rest.
Tron, even partially blind as he is, can see how Beck tries to fake his upbeat energy from a mile away. He winces just a little at the sight, shutting down the simulation earlier than Beck seems to realize, leaving him stumbling just a little, glancing quizzically over to Tron as he enters the room, the subtle tapping of his cane echoing.
“Why’d we stop?” Beck asks, certainly hoping Tron wasn’t planning on doing any training with him. He certainly doesn’t see his mentor as anything less than incredibly skilled and tactical of course, and he doesn’t doubt that Tron of all people could somehow find a way to fight even running on zero but- he just worries, sometimes. How could he not?
“You’re tired.” He says bluntly, and gestures for him to step out of the simulation room with him, Dot already waiting patiently on the couch in the main room. “Our training doesn’t help you much if you’re too exhausted to focus,”
Maybe if it was anyone else, Beck would protest a little, but... He flops onto the (too comfy for its own good) couch, a sigh leaving him as Dot scuttles over to him and nuzzles her face under his hand. He chuckles softly, petting the fluffy little thing, still so very fascinated by her. Beck follows her big-eyed gaze to Tron, noticing how heavily he leans on his cane as he works.
“You should rest too... you... seem like you’re tired,” Beck says, the gentle worry obvious in his voice, despite how hard he tries to sound casual. Tron is- he’s a lot of things, a bit strict, incredibly ruthless and incredibly stubborn , but more than all that, Beck has seen he’s just... a program, too. As much as he wants to believe it, Tron is not invincible.
Tron only gives a soft grunt (the one Beck’s learned means ‘give me a milicycle’) in response, needing to finish what he’s doing, but Dot ends up scampering away from Becks lap and up onto the table and directly in Trons way, mewling at him and demanding attention. He looks at her, unimpressed before looking to Beck, who just grins and shrugs, having a feeling that he’s not gonna be able to say no to her.
HIs feeling is right, when the deep, conceded sigh leaves Tron, who carefully scoops up the little cat, and makes his way over to the couch, sitting next to Beck with Dot. She purrs so very loudly at the pets she receives from the both of them, curling up all comfy in Tron’s lap.
“Looks like you’re not going anywhere,” Beck teases, gently nudging Tron’s arm with his elbow, and grinning at the (distinctly playful) glare his mentor gives.
“And neither are you,” Tron hums, nudging him back before the quiet returns- content and gentle. The silence between them didn’t use to be so comforting. It was never stifling per se, just... dead air. But here? Now? It’s warm, and light.
<><><>
At some point, late in the cycle, Tron wakes up. He hadn’t realized he’d drifted off, sitting up on the couch with his hand on Dot, and he still feels the ache of sleep in his head, nearly bringing a hand up to push his messy bangs out of his face, until he processes the weight on his arm.
As it turns out, Beck had fallen asleep too- his head on Tron’s shoulder, the even sounds of his breathing mixing with Dot’s sleepy purrs. It’s... nice. Comforting. He adjusts how he’s sitting ever so slightly, careful not to jostle either of them, and ends up resting his head against Beck’s. He wonders, distantly and hazily as he starts to drift off again, if Yori would be happy that he’s allowed himself to just.. Be. Even after everything.