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It was unusual for his Pet to miss their regular meeting time. Normally they were quite punctual unless they mentioned other commitments. Vega glanced at the clock hanging on his wall. They were fifteen minutes late. He frowned and clicked his tongue. If they did end up joining him, he’d have to punish them. Not like they’d hate that, all things considered. The demon lazily stretched out onto his back and stared at the constellations in his ceiling. They twinkled in the dimly lit room and he took to rearranging them into different patterns. He didn’t care much for the authenticity of the stars like how that brainy inchoate did, Vega just fixed them into the places that looked pleasing to his eye.
He heard faint footsteps from the hallway growing louder. The door beeped and clicked open, and his Pet finally stepped into the room.
I was beginning to think that you’d forgotten about our meeting today, Pet. He said as he sat up. What made you think that you could… The sadism demon trailed off as he felt the suffocating weight of his Pet’s emotions. His brows furrowed and he stood up. Pet?
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be late today but something happened and I couldn’t get here earlier.” Their voice trembled and Vega scanned their face. They were visibly shaken up and they kept turning their head to one side. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting, if you want to we can still-” In an instant, Vega was by their side and took their chin to angle their face towards him. Their eyes widened, and he could see a fresh bruise forming on the side of their cheek. His eyes narrowed to slits.
What happened to you? He asked, barely containing his anger. He could feel his Pet shaking underneath his grasp, now a hint of fear mixed into the already growing knots within them. Vega softened his gaze and his grip. He gently cupped their face in both of his hands and asked again. What happened to you?
His Pet grabbed onto his wrists and they took a deep breath to steady themself.
“I left my class a little late because the professor kept us after time, so I was rushing to drop off my bag before coming here. I-I wasn’t watching where I was going and I tripped and fell onto another student, and they got really upset at me. I think I ruined something of theirs, o-or maybe they got hurt or something, I don’t know. They… they kept yelling at me and I tried to apologize but they were just so angry , and before I knew it th-they were hitting me and I was on the ground again.” Tears started falling down their cheeks and Vega carefully wiped them away, along with the bruise with a rush of healing magic.
“They left me alone after that but I-I just sat there for a while, and before I knew it I was late so I had to run to my dorm to drop off my bag and I-” Vega pulled them to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. They stopped for a moment, but then desperately clung to the back of his shirt, squeezing him as close to them as they could, and sobbed into his shoulder.
Shhh, it’s alright Pet. Vega murmured, rubbing their back. He walked them over to the bed and sat them both at the edge, allowing them to cry onto him until they had no more tears left to shed. He unwound the knots that he could find tightly packed inside them, taking all of the bad feelings for himself and leaving them with only the good. As he did so, he could feel his Pet gradually calming down.
“I’m sorry, Vega,” They said after a few moments. They let go of him and wiped their eyes. “I didn’t mean to come here like this, but I didn’t want you to wonder where I was and I still wanted to see you.” They looked up at him. “Do you still want to…?”
Vega shook his head. No. We can always continue our usual endeavors at our next meeting. You don’t need that right now, Pet. And for once, you’ve lightly fed me, so I’m willing to waive it off just for today.
They let out a soft chuckle. “Well then, what do you want to do for the rest of the hour?”
Whatever you wish, my darling.
“Whatever I…” They furrowed their brows. “You want to do whatever I want to?”
Vega raised an eyebrow. Is that so surprising?
Pet blinked. “I... I guess it is.” They were quiet for a moment, and Vega could see their eyes darting around the bare room as they thought of what they could do. They finally landed on the stars of his ceiling.
"Could you tell me about the constellations up there?" They asked, and he chuckled.
You… wish to talk about my stars?
"Well, yeah. I remember that you said those weren't the real stars in the sky, and that you kinda just sprinkled them around for light. But there are patterns up there. Do they mean anything?"
Hmm. That's a good question.
Vega explained what he could about how he created the sparkling canopy above them, and as he did so, they positioned themselves further back into the bed. Vega's back pressed against the wall, and his Pet sat between his legs with their back against his chest. They absentmindedly played with his hands as they stared up at the vast constellations of his ceiling, clinging on to every word.
A long while later, Vega could feel his Pet trying to fight off sleep, and they rested their head back against his shoulder.
“Thank you,” They whispered, and he smiled.
Of course, darling. He said as they drifted off. Anything for you.