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Laevatain lays in bed, staring up at the shadowy ceiling and thinking over the day’s events. Since boarding the Dijang, she’s had so many new experiences; the Endministrator hadn’t been lying about Laevatain never getting bored. Today, she ate just about six ice creams in an hour. Supervisor Perlica, a woman in charge of overseeing that the Endmin didn’t work themself too hard, had politely requested she slow down on the ice creams. The Dijang was still recovering from a crisis and had yet to fully replenish stocks. This was far from the only thing Laevatain did, but it stood out most notably because, shortly after Perlica had whisked off to busy herself with company matters, the Endministrator herself snuck in with two large sundaes.
“For you,” She said, tilting her head and smiling softly as she held out both sundaes for Laevatain to take. It had escalated to the two have a teasing back-and-forth, ending with them sharing a sundae each.
In short, Laevatain remembered this event because the Endministrator had been there. Everything felt just a little clearer with her around.
Her reverie was broken by a knock at the door. It was soft, unassuming; it could only be the Endmin.
“Enter.” Laevatain sighed, lifting her right arm from where it had been laying at her side to instead drape it across her face. The automatic door shuttered and hissed as it opened, letting the familiar footfalls make their way into the darkened cabin and stopping just before Laevatain’s bed.
“Can’t sleep either?” Laevatain sighed, as if this was hassle. The Endministrator responsed by climbing onto the bed beside her, careful not to knock their limbs together in the process, and laying their head on her chest.
Laevatain stayed there, waiting. Sometimes, she found silence worked best when the Endmin needed to collect her thoughts before voicing them.
“The Protocol Singularity,” The Endmin began, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve slept there before, the nights I returned to Dijang, but tonight I feel..”
She trailed off, her fingertip drawing imperfect circles over the top of Laevatain’s shirt, just barely above her breasts. Laevatain allowed herself a moment to think.
Due to her and the Endministrator’s adventures in the protocol spaces whilst Laevatain had been searching for her memories, the two had become undeniably closer. The worries the Endmin couldn’t even trust with the likes of Perlica, a supposed close companion to the Endmin prior to their decade of slumber, she entrusted to Laevatain. This was one of them; a recurring fear that the Endministrator would go to sleep.. and stay that way for tens, if not thousands of years.
It was a legitimate concern. Laevatain could understand the pressure to perform well when they undoubtedly felt as if they needed a personality before making bigger decisions.
“Stay here, then.” Laevatain said, letting her right arm lift off of her face and instead move down, lazily draping over the Endmin. Around them, the Dijang hummed steadily, a white noise of automatic systems blinking through their coding and clicking through commands. The Endministrator only melted further against Laevatain’s fiery warmth. She didn’t nod, but Laevatain felt the smile the Endmin hid against the top of her breast. Belatedly, Laevatain pried the covers from beneath the Endmin to cover them both, cradling her closer.
Tomorrow, the Endministrator would claim to have taken an ‘early start’ and that was why she was in Laevatain’s room. Laevatain would agree if asked, and everything would be normal.
That was for tomorrow. Tonight, Laevatain had the Endmin in her arms, and her mind had gone quiet. Among the stars, she slept, cradling her other half to her chest and knowing the Endmin had found home in her, too.