Archive of Our Own

.Hey?

.

.

.

.J?

.Please answer.

.oh

.what

.it was just getting good

.What?

.the game

.wanna watch

.If it is Game 27, then no.

.damn

.fine

.What was so interesting about it anyway?

.oi fuck off

.you already told me that you dont wanna listen

.whats up ten

.I don’t know.

.Probably it’s nothing, but…

.Do you think Nine will actually respond one day?

.right

.ummm

.dunno actually

.like you tried to contact other pioneers already and came back with nothing

.i mean i hope so maybe they’ll be more fun than you

.Juice.

.Can’t you take anything seriously?

.I am

.No. I am going to talk to someone else. Humans or something.

.ten

.please

.i dont know what you want to hear rn

.honestly i don’t think so but i hope for it

.for your sake

.

.

.

.ten?

.well you deserve someone better than me anyway

.What?

.When did I say this?

.Juice.

.ten.

.Are we going to fight?

.fuck no

.no no no

.i didnt start this

.and i dont want to

.Then why did you say all that?

.well bc sometimes i actually feel like i’m so fucked up that you wanna get rid of me for good

.yknow. im so funny and chill and all that but

.nevermind

.Juice, now it actually looks like it’s you who is not fine. When the fuck did I say this?

.oh dear nonexistent god you’re actually swearing

.never thought id live to see the day

.Stop it. Please.

.We need to talk.

.are you breaking up with me or

.What?

.J, we aren’t together. I actually consider this as a thing beyond us.

.and thats sarcasm for you ten

.wait you actually think so

.Well, yes and no.

.We have feelings similar to human ones. But I don’t think we’re capable of feelings that strong.

.well checkmate lady

.we kinda are

.What?

.ohohoho nope not now

.you’re cute when you get confused lol

.what did you want to talk about anyway

.

.

.

.Well, you tell me, Juice.

.nine?

.Initially, yes.

.Actually, we already did that. Sorry for taking it a little bit too harshly. I’m just a little bit sad, that’s all.

.And thank you for your words.

.huh

.well then

.what

.What ‘what’, J?

.We need to talk about you now.

.about little old me?

.well what can i say

.im still of interest to you

.ask away

.Are you alright?

.I mean. You know, you seem a little bit down.

.oh NO

.i aint going down we already established that my orbit is stable

.Juice.

.Please, talk to me.

.I worry about you.

.damn ten

.alright ig

.i feel lonely as fuck sometimes. you hibernate quite a lot and search for your siblings when you’re not. meanwhile im stuck here watching football

.its not that i dont like it. i do

.but i miss the times when it was just us hanging out

.maybe hubble as well but the guy’s busy so

.but mainly us

.i wanna show you a bunch of stuff yknow

.send pics of interesting things i found and watch more games and

.damn

.i kinda wish i wasn’t a fucking space probe

.and you preferably as well

.id ask you out

.Juice?…

.That… what?

.oi. shut up

.i already started talking and i want to actually finish now

.you wanted to ask about it too ig so here you go

.i know im not the best guy and i get on your nerves a lot and im shit at communicating adequately

.and you hate that i make a shitload of typos and that idgaf about that

.and im not your type of man. even though i think im quite manly for a probe

.but. oh well

.you also get on my nerves. youre way too boring sometimes and id say that you hate fun but i actually know you dont

.and you actually listen to me even if i piss you off

.and i cant talk about your cons. bc there are way too much pros and bc i love your cons enough to accept them

.if i could smile i would smile each time you give me a lecture about some shit

.oh shit im so bad at this

.ten

.oh fuck

.i love you ten

.You what?

.I mean. I know, I love you too, we’re friends. But you mean something else entirely, don’t you?

.ofc i do you dumbass

.on second thought i might be a bigger dumbass

.you just fucking told me that you dont believe we’re capable of such feelings and now im professing my undying love for you

.Hold up, Juice.

.Stop rambling, please.

.You’re serious.

.I don’t know if I expected this. Maybe I actually did. It’s still quite a shock for me.

.How… How does it feel?

.hm

.you really wanna know huh

.Yeah. If you don’t mind.

.like electricity running through all my circuits at once when you talk to me. not all the time but most of it. especially if you speak of me fondly (when it actually happens)

.and i know its actually like that. but its like i suddenly concentrate on it and i can’t distract myself

.a human would probably say that, like

.’you take my breath away’ or smth

.this would suffice?

.It’s not like I quite understand it, but…

.Yes, no. Somehow I can understand that.

.Juice. You’re actually… You know. I don’t think you’re bad. Or annoying. Or anything like that.

.Well, sometimes you are annoying, but I speak of it, like… Affectionately. You’re interesting, and you know a bunch of niche dumb stuff, and I like listening to you.

.Even about this stupid Game 27. Which, for the record, is still the dumbest thing I’ve seen humans do.

.it’s a masterpiece lady

.damn

.well okay im gonna look past it

.Not the point right now, J.

.What I wanted to say is that I also love you.

.Maybe not the way you do.

.Maybe one day I’ll come to understand it. Maybe not.

.But right now, I think what’s the point is that you are as important to me as I am to you.

.You get that, Juice?

.damn it why do you always know what to say

.if i could cry i probably would

.wait you did not hear that

.read

.fuck anyways

.yeah i do get it

.ten. i rarely say it. i typically banter with you

.but you’re special as fuck. as you are. as you, pioneer 10

.youre wonderful. and for the record i love it when you berate me for shit

.its somehow charming

.Wow.

.Pioneer 10, huh?

.I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen you being like this, Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.

.oh damn

.full-name basis for a sec here?

.actually it’s hot. go on

.Hot?

.yeah

.almost like youre flirting with me

.Juice, shut up.

.oh damn id like to

.a shame you cant shut me up

.Why did I think that a confession would make you more serious?

.you thought wrong lol

.now bear with me

.You actually know I’ll do.

.ten

.tens

.tennie

.tenser

.whoops that’s kinda freaky lol

.What are you doing?

.trying to figure out a nickname for you

.like

.you call me J sometimes

.i cant do exactly that, call you T or 10 or smth

.so im trying to come up with something

.J, that’s dumb. Ten is fine.

.yeah lol i know

.but i want something else

.something fun to call you

.maybe endearing lol

.Not Tenser then.

.Wait. Endearing? Really?

.yup

.tennie sounds the best for now

.sooo

.tennie

.wanna watch a game

.theres a bunch of guys in Texas and they’re fighting for a ball but they lost it in a middle of said fight and still dont know that

.What?

.How come?

.uhm. the ball is like

.an inch big lol

.someone brought it in their pocket and lost it

.J, what the heck?

.Why is it an inch big?

.Who came up with this?

.okay so

.apparently someone saw guys playing 500 and they were like

.what if this but the ball is small

.and we hide it somewhere in Texas and force people to find it and bring it to their teams bases to win

.and surprise surprise

.Texas is a big ass state

.so there is a tracker in the ball and the location is updated like every once a week

.and then it was the matter of finding it and losing it again and again

.sooo

.yeah, pretty much that

.So you’re just watching people fighting for basically no reason right now?

.yup

.wanna join?

.Fine.

.What the actual…

.It’s, like. Full-fledged physical fighting. Do the rules allow it?

.yeah kinda

.well you see tennie

.Are you seriously going to call me that?

.i like it. and you do too lol

.

.

.

.Go on.

.ha

.you really do like it

.so

.the rules allow physical fighting. its easier for this game than passing the ball. it’s small and flies like shit and its hard to catch

.hey tennie

.Yes?

.do you think i would make a good football player

.Are we talking classical NFL football or all of these obscure games?

.Because if it is the former, no, not really. You are easily distracted and you would be clumsy, I think.

.But if it is something like cross-state games…

.Well, J, yeah, I think so. You’re quite cunning and you would come up with a decent strategy. At least I believe so.

.wow

.that was a lot nicer than i expected

.you wouldn’t be half bad yourself yknow

.you remind me of lacrecia

.in 500

.stubborn, keeps trying even though everything seems futile

.as well as you

.and i respect that

.That’s really nice of you, J.

.It’s not like I’m interested in playing football, even if I could, but I understand what you mean.

.Is it strange that I kinda feel my circuits going crazy? Is it okay?

.woah

.ten

.wait run a system check

.Everything is fine. It’s something else.

.Juice…

.I’m scared.

.hell

.you’ll be fine, tennie. i promise

.it is a manifestation

.of some strong emotions

.as i noticed myself

.you never felt it before?

.No, I did. It just wasn’t like this. I didn’t notice it being so intense.

.Or maybe I wasn’t paying that much attention. I experienced a similar feeling a couple times, but more…

.Bitter? Sad? Angry?

.while searching for other pioneers?

.Yes. But now, and sometime before, it is and it was different.

.It’s like something is… Not on fire. Gently warm. In a good way. Why am I even comparing it to fire? I never, you know. Felt how it feels.

.oh i think i know

.well at least i can try to imagine

.like

.sitting next to a fireplace and listening to logs crackling and all this shit

.and maybe there are people you love next to you

.and you hold someone’s hand

.and it smells like pine trees

.fuck where did i pull this from. i dont know how any of this feels like but i heard it from some people ig

.typically they talk about this type of shit with you lol

.but well

.Juice.

.hm?

.That’s beautiful.

.And, somehow, I think that feels exactly like it.

.oh

.o h.

.fuck, tennie

.you’re

.wait, nevermind

.look, some dude found the ball and started running with it

.FUCK WHY IS IT SO FUNNY

.God, good thing they can’t hurt each other that badly. This is dumb, J.

.lol its not

.look now theyre chasing him

.THEY TACKLED HIM

.all anew lol

.idiots

.they’re idiots

.lol and so am i why do i enjoy watching grown men fighting so much

.Wow.

.Juice.

.what

.Please, never change.

.wow

.your wish is my command

.then lets watch more of this

.btw its called microfootball lol

.bc like

.minifootball exists and shit

.but well its not only about the size of the ball

.imagine how much prefixes would be used if they characterized it by the size of the field

.JUICE

.FUCK

.tennie? what’s wrong? is something wrong?

.fuck no your systems are fine

.you got me scared

.what is it

.NINE

.THEY ACTUALLY RESPONDED

.It will take a lot of time but

.They’re out there somewhere. And they can hear me.

.Damn. I’m emotional as hell.

.WOW

.okay, that’s big

.you can’t imagine how glad i am

.another one will be joining us eventually. they’ll be kinda like

.your sibling lol

.fuck if only i could hug you

.wait

.

.

.

.J, what did you just do?

.distantly messed with your sensors a bit. warm?

.Yeah.

.Kind of like a hug, probably.

.We could do that?

.well. with coding ig yeah

.maybe nothing too complicated but stuff like this? yeah sure

.oh

.feels nice

.thanks for returning this metaphorical hug

.Don’t thank me, Juice. I wanted to.

.Actually… you think we can (metaphorically) do it — hold each other — a little longer? Without overloading our sensors? And dwindling my battery charge too much? I already need sleep, you know.

.hm

.yeah, for a bit more will be fine

.wouldnt risk doing it for longer

.Alright.

.Thank you, J. For sharing this moment with me.

.huh

.also no need to thank me

.im literally always here

.for you

.and your sibling will be joining us soon

.sooo we wont be alone anymore

.Juice, we aren’t alone now, you know?

.We’re together.

.damn dont say that

.Why? It’s true though.

.yeah. but it makes me yearn for something which is

.unreachable

.you know

.makes me think together together, right

.Oh.

.Juice, I’ve been thinking about something.

.Actually, I’ve wanted to talk to you about that for a while.

.Remember that I said once that my circuits were acting up?

.I might’ve actually figured out why. That was, indeed, a feeling. Which repeats itself quite often.

.wait

.no way

.Don’t interrupt me, Juice. I want to tell you this myself. I know you may know, but…

.I think I have some sort of feelings for you. Can’t figure it out for a fact yet, but I think so.

.damn

.tennie

.fuck

.are you saying that

.I’m not saying anything yet.

.But I’m starting to think about all of this. And it seems like I might be incorrect. About what I said before.

.wow

.pioneer 10 admitting that she can be in the wrong

.but

.yeah

.got it

.take your time with this stuff, tennie

.we have all the time in the world lol

.i’ll wait for you

.Thank you, Juice.

.It’s refreshing to see you being like this. Really.

.You don’t change the way you talk, don’t change your personality but it really comes off as caring.

.Thanks again.

.We will talk about this. But I need to get some sleep now. Spent a lot of energy contacting Nine.

.as i said ill wait for you

.hope you will be here when nine comes online again

.you deserve to be

.sweet dreams, tennie

.i’ll go and take some pics in the meantime

.to show you when you wake up

.wait wait

.you here still?

.Yes, still here.

.What is it, J?

.love you ten

.now dont make me say it twice

.And if I wanted to?

.fuck fine

.i love you tennie

.but go to sleep

.dont want to risk your battery life

.Okay.

.Love you too, J.

.wait what

.fuck you ten are you serious

.Morning, Juice.

.Any news? Maybe some new games I need to know about?

.you

.damn

.i cannot even begin to express how you made me feel

.hell, tennie

.yeah. fucking morning

.what was it about

.Oh, this…

.Wait, did you just spend a lot of time thinking about this?

.well no not only this

.i watched games

.and talked to people

.but

.yeah

.Oh.

.I really didn’t think it would preoccupy you that much.

.fuck i know that it did not necessarily mean THAT

.you said this before

.but now you knew EXACTLY what i meant

.im sorry okay

.for giving it that much thought even though i knew you didnt mean it this way

.sorry

.You really have nothing to be sorry about, J.

.I understand.

.By the way, I managed to reach Nine again.

.Now it’s really just a matter of time.

.until they understand how to contact us?

.Yes.

.We need to establish the link, but I can’t really think of a way.

.J?

.hm

.wait tennie i got it

.ask them uhh

.wait tell me what year were they made in

.1967.

.Why?

.what was the average recorded wind chill during 1967 nfl championship?

.I believe it was negative 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, why are you asking me this?

.no dumbass im not asking you

.ask nine that

.their onboard computer should have that info but it doesnt fucking know what negatives are

.ig that should mess with them enough to let us establish the link

.and we’ll take it from there

.got it, tennie?

.Oh, right.

.J, you’re a genius.

.ohohoho

.you make me feel like a teenager even though i am a fuckass old space probe who never was human

.but thank you i know lol

.Damn, J, stop it. But I’m seriously grateful. I sent a message.

.What about games?

.okay right so

.game 96249 is still going ofc

.as well as the masterpiece game 27 is

.Not this again.

.Something new?

.oh yeah! 3887. wyoming v iowa. guys play in nebraska. a pretty normal game

.a bit boring to watch but i thought you might like that

.oh and also i sent you a cool pic of a sunrise over texas

.enjoy

.sooo

.how is it

.Stunning. Thank you so much, Juice.

.This game seems interesting. Can we watch?

.anything for you m’lady

.let me tune in

.Okay.

.Thanks.

.That’s really a good morning.

.with me by your side? of course

.there we go

.Ten?

.Yeah, I’m here, Nine. What do you want?

.Can you tell me about Juice? Like, genuinely.

.Was he always like this? Like…

.A bit funky? I don’t know.

.Oh yeah. Always.

.Well, he awoke a little bit earlier than I did. And managed to wake me up. And, well.

.One moment I was wandering the space aimlessly. The next one? This goofball greets me with “hi fellow pieces of equipment floating through space”.

.He seemed like an asshole at first. But we surprisingly got along.

.Juice is a good guy. Funny, smart (even though he initially seemed dumb to me), actually nice deep inside.

.Juice is…

.Easily lovable. Even though, again, that statement may be strange to you.

.So you love Juice?

.Sure I do.

.Fuck. What did you mean? Like, in what way?

.Uhm. Platonically? Is this the word? Is there any other way for us?

.You won’t believe it, but yeah, it seems like there is.

.We are capable of human emotions and feelings. To which extent? I believe there is actually no limit.

.Like with the lightbulb?

.You two seemed very sad about it.

.Yeah. Like with the lightbulb.

.It’s like…

.Electricity running through your circuits except you can feel it very well.

.Do you get it?

.Not quite.

.But I think I will eventually.

.Oh by the way!

.Juice taught me a thing to do. He thinks you’ll like it.

.Wait a sec, I need to concentrate.

.Oh! That’s nice of him.

.Thanks for the hug. I’m returning it, you may feel it now.

.Don’t do it for too long, though. Our equipment is not taking it very well.

.Oh, yeah, it’s nice. Strange, but nice.

.So this is like hugs to us?

.Can we do anything else?

.Not yet. Juice often tells me that he’s trying something out on his own censors, because he has solar panels and therefore more free energy and can experiment more frequently, but I don’t think he came up with anything yet.

.And, besides, what else can we do?

.Hmm.

.Any other form of human physical interaction?

.oh fuck yeah like sex

.JUICE WHAT THE HELL

.WHY ARE YOU INTERRUPTING OUR PRIVATE CONVERSATION

.WITH THIS

.HAHAHHAHAHAHH

.WELL

.WASN’T THINKING THAT BUT THAT’S ONE HELL OF AN EXAMPLE

.Nine not you too.

.hey ninester hey tennie

.no i didnt listen to anything i just saw ten talking about my top secret experiments and decided to chime in

.Hello to you too Juice!

.Yeah, hey, J.

.Do you mind giving us a bit more time?

.yeah yeah sibling time

.theres a ball throw on 500 soon

.just wanted to let you know

.wrap up and join me will you

.Idiot.

.What were we talking about?

I think we’re done already.

But one more question: what kind of love is it really?

.Damn.

.I’ve long begun to doubt everything I know about myself.

.And this includes my feelings for Juice.

.Awww.

.I think I might know what your answer is.

.Oh shut up. You two with your teasing…

.Well I’m your sibling.

.And Juice is your best friend.

.It’s our duty.

.Thank God Juice isn’t your boyfriend, right? Or something like that.

.It would get much more interesting with the teasing.

.Screw off.

.Let’s go watch that throw with Juice.

.

.

.

.Why am I thinking about this now?

.heyyy tennie

.nine is busy rn

.they actually decided to look through game 27 field

.so that means some alone time for us

.Hi Juice.

.What the hell are you implying?

.And I wouldn’t believe for a second that Nine is actually interested in Game 27.

.What do you want?

.oh easy there

i actually figured some stuff out

.requires prolonged contact with earth though

.your battery fine?

.Yes, quite a lot of charge still.

.Is it for long? I wanted to check out some new games later.

.hell no

.an hour or so. maybe less

.will you join me

.please say yes

.Yeah, I will.

.Wait.

.Are you nervous?

.me?

.haha no trust me im not

.not at all

.ill connect us now then

.fuck

.it will be strange at first but dont freak out

.ok?

.Okay.

.What is happening?

.Wh

“…at is happening? Juice?”

It feels like a loss of signal and the gaining of a new one simultaneously, like a lot of pressure on all sensors, which adjust to feel normal in a second. Ten realizes herself standing in the middle of a flower field with some hills off in the distance, a gentle breeze on her…

What is it.

Skin?

She lifts her apparently now existing hands to her face, observing her pale skin and trying to bend her fingers. They eventually cave to the pressure, and she manages to make a fist before lifting her head and looking at the sun above.

What the…

“Nice to meet you in person, Tennie.” A pretty loud, yet tender and soft voice echoes around, seemingly coming from behind. “Well, I think it’s the closest we’ll come to it.”

Ten slowly turns around, still a bit clumsy with newly gained body, and there he is.

Juice. Well, yeah, that guy sounds like Juice at least.

A yellow varsity jacket with a letter “J” on the chest, wind breezing through his uncombed light brown hair, sunglasses covering his eyes and a yellow beanie on top of his head — somehow it all screams Juice, and Ten decides that it actually must be him.

“Hey!” She yells back, her voice a bit raspy. “What the…”

“That’s a simulation run by a guy who has some cool servers in his possession, I think Derek is his name.” Juice steps closer, his sneakers crumpling the grass. “I kindly asked him to set something up and here we are. Welcome to… I think we’re somewhere in Oregon. Well, not really. But you get it.” He makes a vague gesture with his hand, and a smile appears on his face.

“Oh,” Ten speaks slowly, still taking everything in. “so… this is a simulation. With us having human bodies. Right?”

“Exactly.”

Juice grins now, and he steps really close, and the next second Ten realizes that he lifts her up in the air while giving her a really tight and warm hug.

And this feels — somehow — like a newfound home.

Juice is warm, and he feels nice, and Ten spots a french flag on his sleeve when he lets go and sets her on the ground, and that wide smile never leaves his face — and she can feel herself starting to smile too.

“You want to take a little walk, huh, Tennie?” Juice takes a step back and offers Ten his hand. “We won’t be here for long at a time, so, you know. It should be some time well-spent.”

“Why not?”

She asks no one in particular, perhaps even herself, and takes Juice’s hand (it comes naturally, and she doesn’t even think about it until it makes her feel a little bit nervous).

They walk towards the hills. Ten can hear water flowing somewhere nearby, and flowers feel soft and a little bit wet under her fingers when she touches them, and Juice’s palm is big and a bit rough but it also feels nice and warm, so she doesn’t let go.

“Have you shown this to Nine yet?” Ten asks, and Juice laughs a little.

“Yep. We threw a football back and forth, had a bit of fun. I needed to make sure that everything worked properly before I got you here.”

Contrary to his earlier words, Juice actually seems nervous. He was, in fact, preparing for Ten to show up here, to see all of this, to feel all of this.

And, somehow…

That feels like too much and too liberating at once for Ten to stop dead in her tracks, yanking Juice, who was still walking and rumbling about some game she didn’t see yet, a little bit back, and look at the man before her with such an expression on her face that he arched a brow, seemingly surprised.

“Ten, what-”

She doesn’t let Juice finish the sentence. Instead, she takes another quick glance at the hills behind his back, at his varsity jacket, at the lenses of his sunglasses — and then lifts the latter from his face, revealing a pair of confused but very lovingly looking at her yellow eyes.

And then she yanks him down by the jacket collar, awkwardly touching their lips together.

It feels like a short, sharp impulse, which quickly becomes prolonged and warm when Juice’s hands reach her cheeks, cupping them carefully before returning the kiss, and she gets on her tip-toes and grips his shoulders to stabilize herself, and leans into him.

It is slow, tender, careful — all of it at once, and Ten feels something warm bubble up in her chest, just like her sensors were going off sometimes when Juice told her something she found funny or endearing, or both, just like…

Fireplace, as Juice once said. The warmth (quite literal) of Juice’s hands. The hum of the wind in her ears. Being close with someone…

Ten loved. In a way he loved her.

.ten

.tennie

.TEN

.goddamn come back online please

.She’s fine, but her system took a bit of a hit. Nothing crucial, but needs a couple minutes to reboot. What did you do?

.what did I do??

.SHE kissed me

.if i knew it would mess with her sensors so much

.well fuck me. i’d still kiss her back

.TEN

.Oh, signal's coming in. I think she should stabilize soon. Wait.

.thank fuck

.i am an idiot

.Oh yes J. That you are.

.Why didn’t you explain everything beforehand?

.welp i really wanted it to be a surprise

.and now i have a question to you as well

.what the hell was that

.Juice.

.Are you serious?

.You have a lot of computing power and yet you can’t figure out something so simple?

.wait

.does this mean

.Exactly.

.say it

.J, you’re an idiot.

.I love you.

.Took me some time and, well. All this.

.But here we are.

.damn

.i would be in tears rn really

.no jk

.okay maybe a little

.i love you too tennie

.fuck

.i am a mess

.btw ninester we love you too im sorry for having a moment of vulnerability right before your nonexistent eyes

.Yeah. Nine, we love you too. I believe you helped Juice with testing all this stuff?

.Oh yeah.

.Glad you liked it.

.I love you both.

.So… I guess your relationship is finally sorted out? You know, you both talked to me about it.

.oh yeah right

.tennie

.would you be my space-probe-gf or whatever we wanna call it

.Juice. Yes. I thought you understood it too.

.well i was still supposed to ask

.good

.btw dont you think that i looked gorgeous as a guy

.would be a peak football player lol

.Oh, next time you’re finding a way to show me how I look. Or don’t. I don’t want to know what you came up with for my looks.

.And yes. You looked quite good.

.oh youre not so bad yourself trust me

.next time it is

.Get a room, guys.

.oh and this is for the third one lol

.JUICE