sunny

Currently, you're preoccupied with a gaming console that'd been set up in the green room not too long ago, given that you're waiting in between shows to guest-star once more on Null's. Speaking of of the show host, he's also preoccupied with the gaming console – if you can call "watching you play in dead silence" as preoccupied – since he claims he also needs a break now and then. You're not one to question this, so you let yourself get immersed in the old-school style of gameplay, ignorant to the way Null sits beside you with a leg crossed over the other and his arms folded, his height closer to yours for once.

It's a bit awkward, all things considered. He's not exactly super friendly, but at least he doesn't yell at you like you've seen him do with his employees.

Speaking of which... Some of them are gawking at the two of you again, as you've noticed in between levels. They're not subtle about it, openly pointing and talking amongst each other in hushed whispers, and after their chatting distracts you one too many times, you glance over your shoulder during a lapse in the gameplay, before looking over at Null. "Any idea what their deal is?"

You watch the way Null angles his screen toward you slightly, then sighs and turns it away again. "Don't mind them. They're not worth the energy."

"I'd love to, but I can't really focus with all their gossiping."

The top of his frame twitches slightly, and he sighs again. "Fine."

He stands, and you watch confusedly as he proceeds to verbally tear into the nearby employees that'd been distracting you. Initially, you want to tell him to stop, but given that they hardly cower under his yelling and even begin giggling, which only pisses him off more, you're left even more perplexed than before.

This place is so weird...

Later on, following the last show for the night, Null instructs you to come with him to his office. You can't help feeling nervous, even more so when the employees nearby that hear this begin gossiping to each other again, but you decide to keep quiet and go along, lest you upset him too. Hopefully he's not planning to reprimand or scold you too harshly, as you can only assume that's what's going to happen.

Upon arriving, he has you sit at the couch while he grabs something from his desk. Then, you're startled when he sits himself absurdly close to you, causing you to instinctively scoot away some, laughing nervously. "Woah, uh, sorry, I didn't think you would—"

Null's sigh cuts you off, and when you look up at him, he's faintly shaking his head. "Forget it," He murmurs, before turning his focus to the papers he hands over to you.

While you do take them when prompted, you're confused again. "No, what is it?"

"It's none of your concern. Now, look here at this chart."

Null points to a certain graph on the paper and starts explaining the latest ratings to you, completely disregarding what had happened a moment ago. You decide to brush it off, assuming that it likely was an accident that he sat himself so close to you.

You try your best to disregard the way your heart fluttered in response to the initial proximity, however.

As he explains the various numbers to you, you suddenly jolt at the sensation of something slipping across your backside. Your head whips back, and just as Null questions what the hell you're doing, you reach back and grab at what you're feeling. You grip hard onto what feels like some kind of cord, and when you pull it out, you're briefly whacked against the arm by the end of the cord, which resembles the usual plug-in for an electronic.

"What is—"

"Don't mind that." Null stops you. The cord swiftly yanks itself from your hold, and it then occurs to you that it's...moving around on its own? Your eyes trail down the length of the cord, though you pause when it looks to slip behind Null too.

"...Is that yours?"

Another sigh. "...Technically, yes."

"Ooh, really?" You perk up at this admission. Carefully, you reach back out to touch it again, however the cord jerks away from you this time, slipping itself over Null's lap. You relent, chuckling, "Sorry, sorry. But— I mean, how come I'm only just now seeing it if this is yours? It's been attached to you this whole time?"

"You try having what's essentially a tail out around these guys. They'll grab and pull it, just like you did."

The emphasis followed by Null turning his head to you in what feels like a sharp glare causes you to swiftly tilt your head down to the papers in your hands. Guiltily, you murmur, "...Sorry..."

...Another sigh. "Just don't do it again."

Honestly, you were fully expecting him to lash out at you for that one, but you're not about to complain that he's being weirdly lax with you. Not only that, but as he goes back to going over the papers with you, his cord inexplicably slips off from his lap and around your backside again. While you do visibly take notice of this again, enough to make Null pause, you don't try to grab for it again.

Still, you can't help wondering what brought this on. You've been in his office before, and as far as you know, there's no special occasion going on...

As the two of you continue talking, you can't help noticing just how much Null sighs. When there's a lapse in the conversation or you say something that seems to give him pause again, there's another sigh. You can't help asking after losing count, "...Is something wrong?"

"No." He answers too quickly.

"You seem upset."

"I'm not."

You don't really believe that, especially since when you look to Null, he's pointedly angling his screen away. "Is it about the ratings? I-I mean, from what I understand, they seem fine... Are you trying to tell me something with this?"

Null finally turns his head to you, and after what feels like another stern glare, he sighs again, seemingly agitated now, as he turns away again. "You're really not getting it, huh..."

Your heart starts to race in your chest, a cold sweat developing in your palms. "...Apparently not. Tenna, just tell me if I'm ruining your show or something, you don't have to be subtle about it like what you're doing right—"

"Doll, I'm going to list off a few things to you, and it's your job to figure it out from there." Null leans back into the couch, lifting one of his legs to rest the ankle on his lower leg's knee. "First off, you're not ruining the show – I would've kicked you off ages ago if that were the case."

While the fear of your initial suspicions dissipates, you're still left with uncomfortable jitters in both your stomach and your hands. He continues, "Second off, I didn't keep any entertainment in my green room until you showed up."

"...Because I asked for something to pass the time?"

Null clicks his tongue with a short chuckle, turning his head away further but unable to suppress the way he murmurs, "Good fucking god..." Then, he quickly clears his throat and turns back to you. "Alright then. Third off, I consider breaks a waste of my time."

"...But I thought you said you needed them?"

"Have you ever heard of lying?"

"Wh— Oh shut up!" You swiftly smack Null in the chest with the papers in your hand. Instead of catching an attitude with you like you expected, he actually snorts a little in response, snatching the papers from you just as you try to pull back. It's your turn to sigh now. "Yes, I've heard of lying. But— I just— Why?"

"Why do you think?" Using his arm furthest from you, Null leans his elbow against the arm of the couch. Judging by the smirk he gives you, he's really getting a kick out of...whatever's happening now. Teasing? Belittling? Mocking?

"Here's another hint: I could've been all kinds of livid with you for what you did to my cord earlier, but I wasn't. Why is that?"

...You're confused again. Apparently, the furrow of your brow gives this away, as he begins to chuckle again. "Yea, of course you don't get it."

"Well— Yea, because I don't know what you're talking about, Tenna. I—"

"Did I mention I don't have this thing out around my employees? Or anyone else, for that matter?" As he says this, you instantly tense up at the feeling of the cord in question nudging against your side furthest from Null. You glance down at it, startling when you suddenly feel it practically pulling you closer to his side. Your head whips back up to him, your heart beginning to race again, yet he doesn't seem to acknowledge this and continues, "Don't make me feel like I took it out of its tie for once for no reason now, doll."

Even as your face burns, you still don't really understand what he's getting at here, aside from taking amusement in your confusion. Timidly, you shake your head. "I— I don't—"

"C'mon, _____, I know you're smarter than this." Null sits up, only to lean closer to you specifically, huffing with another smirk when you quickly lean back to try and keep a bit of space between the two of you. "What would you think is happening if you saw me treating anyone else like this?"

Your brows furrow again, followed by a strange twisting in your stomach. Before you can think of what that means though, Null seems to catch your shift regardless and huffs, "It's just a hypothetical. Don't get jealous now."

"Jealous?"

"Keep thinking. If you saw me treating anyone else the way I do with you, including now, what would you think is happening?"

"...That you care about them?"

"More. Try again."

"More?"

"Correct." Using the papers in his hold now, Null grips one end of them whilst using the other end to nudge your chin up and angle your head to come face-to-face with his screen now. You quietly swallow when he leans close again. "I don't treat anyone else with the amount of patience that I apparently have to give you. But I've been getting real tired of this game of cat and mouse we're playing, doll, unintentional or not. So either figure it out now, or I'm making you figure it out."

...

Whether the realization dawns on you or not, you can't help asking in a near whisper, "...What do you plan to do to make me—"

The cord around your waist pulls you closer again, enough for your thigh to press into his now, and just as you faintly gasp at this, Null closes what little space is left between you and his screen. His lips are warm and tingly against yours, and the kiss is so firm yet prolonged that you inhale sharply through your nose when the situation completely dawns on you.

You quickly pull away, your hand flying up to partially cover your still tingling mouth. Your heart's threatening to implode at this point. "W-Wait, what?! You just—!"

Something in Null's expression makes you pause. Gone is the cheeky smirk he's been giving you this whole time, replaced with something closer to his usual frown, but less...angry? He slowly leans back into the couch again, settling the papers back on his lap.

Thankfully, it's easy for you to sense this time around that he feels rejected after that kiss. You scramble to grab for his hands, latching onto the fact that he's not shoving you off. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean— I liked it— The kiss, I mean. I like you, Tenna, I-I just wasn't sure if you—"

During your rambling, you notice how Null's frown relaxes, until he cuts you off with a click of his tongue. He chuckles almost warmly as the end of his cord thumps against your leg, commenting, "Yea, no shit you weren't sure."

You pout. "Well you're a little too subtle about liking me, if that's the case."

"If? If?" Despite still laughing, Null furrows the top of his frame, seemingly unamused to a degree. "You're still not sure? Doll, what else do you need to make sure? You're running me ragged here."

Thoroughly embarrassed, but emboldened by his gesture, you swallow before asking, "...Well... How about another kiss?"

That gets him to tilt his head back against the backside of the couch, murmuring between chuckles, "Fucking hell..." After a long moment, he straightens up again and looks to you, a strange dusting of what looks like faint colored bars across his screen now. "You want another one, huh? In that case, you come and get it this time. Maybe I need some convincing too."

Without another word, you shift from where you sit to settle yourself on your knees beside him. The cord around your waist tightens slightly, and Null's hand closest to you plants itself on your back to tug you closer as you lean up to kiss him this time, your own hands resting on his shoulders. His screen is much warmer now, or perhaps that's your own face...or even both. The idea that you've elicited as much from Null makes you subconsciously grip onto him a little tighter, prompting his cord to squeeze you in response. You gasp into his mouth, which only makes him chuckle against yours, before the hand at your back slides up to hold the back of your head.

You're sure he's going to hold this over your head for ages, considering all the guiding it took to get here, but if this is what you get as a result, then...you think you can handle the inevitable endless teasing.

It's nearly impossible to recall how you ended up here. Well, you can at least remember why – that clicking of a certain show host's dial still echoes in the back of your mind – but everything after that is more or less a blur. Besides, you don't really want to put effort into trying to recall what you can't remember anyway, as it feels as though your head is threatening to explode if you think any harder than simply acknowledging your current situation.

And right now, the show host in question that's the root cause of your problems has his practically inoperable screen pressed into your chest, his arms wound tightly around your waist as you lay facing the ceiling. The circular rings between his antennae nudge against the underside of your chin, prompting you to further lean back into the pillows of your shared bed.

Everything hurts so much, so you're at least a little grateful that he's basically holding you captive here. Still, you can't exactly say you're pleased with him right now.

Null seems to notice when you finally stir to consciousness, judging by his arms just barely squeezing you for a moment. There's faint static that emits from his speakers, followed by a quiet, strained murmur, "...Sorry..."

If you were stuck under better circumstances, you might've been shocked by how easily he was willing to apologize in the first place, given how much he'll double down when opposed at all or completely ignore the problem facing him. But right now, all you can do is unwillingly lay in his hold and try not to let your jaw subconsciously clench too tightly, lest it just make your situation even worse.

The static fades, then returns when he lets out a quiet grumble against your chest. "...Are you choosing not to talk to me, or—"

"My head's killing me. Be quiet." You grumble out as best as you can.

In any other situation, you're sure Null would've definitely snapped at you for not only interrupting him, but for being so curt and rude with him. Instead, the sound of his voice and the static accompanying it quickly go silent; whether he muted himself or not, you can't bring yourself to ponder on right now. If he's not going to leave you alone for what he did to you, then the least he can do is do as you say for once.

Frankly, you wish he's hurting as much as you are, too. It'd serve him right.

For a moment, you swear you feel a soft tingling where his arms are wrapped around you. In your blurred vision, you can just barely see faint green shimmers that escape from between his arms and your waist. Just as Null abruptly stops, hissing out in somewhat glitched pain as the light glimmers fade away, it almost feels as though you're in slightly less pain than a moment ago. Your vision clears up as the stabbing pulses between your temples dulls to more of a throbbing ache, more reminiscent of a severe headache now than a completely debilitating migraine.

You're not sure how much you appreciate this. Even if you're upset with him, you don't really want him to make himself worse for your sake. Still...

"I'm still pissed at you."

"I know." Still reeling a little from exerting himself to heal you some, Null chokes out his words through what almost sounds like gritted teeth, despite his display being off. Now that you can properly see, you look down to him, noticing how his cord trails off the side of the bed, presumably plugged into a nearby outlet to help in his recovery. "Can't— Gh— Can't blame you."

"And yet you brainwashed me anyway."

Null doesn't have a rebuttal for that, but you're not looking for an argument right now anyway – you've had enough of those for a long while. You simply sigh out, carefully shifting your aching arms closer so you can rest your hands at his tense shoulders. Slowly, they relax just a little under your touch.

Now that your mind's somewhat clearer, you have some time to try and recall what happened. Null was in another one of his moods, bad enough that he was lashing out at you when you entered his office, when usually he's able to keep his mouth shut around your presence and suppress his anger for your sake. You were having none of it, and when you tried leaving to grab a drink from the green room bar to cool off...

Your eyelid involuntarily twitches when you hear that click in the back of your mind again. It'd been a while since Null used his hypnosis against you, even more so when you were so opposed to it instead of accepting or even asking for it, so it's no surprise that you're exhausted in every sense imaginable. Even though you don't remember doing so, you can tell by the pain you're in that you instinctively fought back against the hypnosis as much as you could, which usually results in the aches you're dealing with now. And presumably, because he used his special hypnosis channel so aggressively, Null's now suffering similar ailments, given how much power that channel can drain from him if he's not careful.

At least this way, he's not able to give you grief for fighting against his hypnosis. You'd gladly smack him upside the head right now if he did.

You're not sure if he's willing to talk, especially now that he seems to be worse off than you, but you ask anyway, "...Why'd you even brainwash me this time?"

There's a long stretch of silence that follows your inquiry. Just as you're about to save the minor interrogation for a better time, Null's voice finally comes to, albeit filtered with even more static than before, "...You were leaving."

The despondence in his tone almost guts you.

You sigh again, allowing one of your hands to trail slowly up to the side of his frame. He twitches at first, almost flinches, then shudders after a moment and relaxes again when you trace your fingers along his ridges. His arms tighten more around you, though he pauses when you involuntarily tense up a little in response to the minute shift; your body still aches completely, after all.

You're not sure what to tell him. Every thought that flits through your mind only upsets you more – you're mad at him for immediately assuming you were leaving him, but you're also mad for him because of what's led him to make such a wild assumption – so for the sake of the worsening pulses between your temples, you relent for now. You try not to focus too hard on that admission, simply muttering, "The arguing was going nowhere, so I just wanted a drink. Some kind of break from the yelling."

"...I see."

"Uh huh." You huff out, still trying to rein in your reinvigorated irritation. However, you can't help adding, "That was stupid of you."

Null doesn't respond, the faint static from his speakers having faded by now. You take that as a small victory.

Unfortunately, what little strength you had in your arm to keep it up as you were gently petting his frame finally gives out, and you let your arm fall gracelessly back onto the mattress. There's a faint ringing in your ears, the dull ache in your skull slowly warping back to the stabbing pain from before – seems like his healing magic could only hold back your ailments for a short period this time. In small pants, you manage to murmur out, somewhat strained, "'M going back to sleep."

Whether Null has a response or not, you don't really give him the chance as you fall unconscious much faster than you expected.

—☆—

When you come to again, it's unwillingly, due to what feels like a warm and gentle pressure on both sides of your face. The arms around your waist are gone, and as you blearily try to open your eyes to figure out what's happening, all you catch sight of is a black screen just a breath away from your face and green flickers of magic at your cheeks. You quietly grumble, mostly incoherent, only for Null to hush you.

"Stay still." His voice is much more composed now, the static nowhere to be heard. There's something else in his tone as well, something unfamiliar to come from him, but it causes you to fall lax again in his hold nonetheless – well, as best as you can with your perpetually taut muscles.

You're not really paying attention to how long he works on healing you for, letting your eyelids fall shut again in a vain attempt at dozing off once more. He leans in closer at one point, nudging his screen against your forehead. Despite the display still being off, it's almost unbearably warm, the layer of fuzzy static over the glass tingling your skin for a brief moment. You let out a small content sound through your parted lips, earning a small brush of his thumb just under your eye in response.

Slowly but surely, the aches throughout your body fade into nothingness. You're still exhausted beyond belief, more than willing to pass out again at a moment's notice, however you try to cling to consciousness through the feeling of Null's touch on you. As usual, he's strangely quiet while he cares for you, but you're not about to complain, given your lingering resentment.

It's still his fault you're like this in the first place.

With how difficult it's becoming to stay awake, you try talking to him anyway, softly murmuring, "Seems like you're feeling better."

"Not quite. But I have more energy than before."

"Mm. How long was I out for?"

There's a pause. "...I don't know. I eventually decided to rest as well, after you passed out again. I haven't bothered to check the time yet."

"You think the studio will be—"

"They'll be fine – they better be, actually. But don't focus on that right now."

You concede and let him continue working on healing you in relative silence. It feels nice, far better than how you've been feeling since you first heard that damned clicking, and coupled with Null's warmth, you're seconds away from falling asleep again.

However, you mentally scramble to stay conscious when you faintly hear him murmur something. It just barely crackles in his speakers, but it's enough to capture your attention and make you open your eyes, trying to focus on your vague reflection in his screen to stay awake. "What was that?"

Null doesn't respond right away. Just out of the corner of your peripheral, you can see the glimmers begin to dissipate in the air, now that you're as healed as you can get with his help. Once they're fully gone, Null's shoulders slump down, presumably having tired himself again from healing you. Then, almost carefully, his voice plays quietly from his speakers, "...I said I'm sorry. I was...irrational."

"No kidding."

That gets a short sigh out of him, as if your words alone just exhausted him even further. "Clearly you're starting to feel better if you're giving me attitude."

"You're getting attitude regardless, after all that. You could've just held onto me when you grabbed my arm on my way out, but you went the extra mile of brainwashing me against my will and restraining me when I fought back. You're already crazy stronger than me, so that was unnecessary."

With not much to argue against that, Null quietly runs a thumb under your eye again for a moment. "...I know. But, again, I was irrational."

"At least you admit it."

Despite the tension in your words, you gently tilt your head to lean into one of his palms. While you can't really tell what Null's feeling due to his screen remaining off, you're able to get an idea when you feel his fingers lightly twitch in response to your gesture.

You're still mad at him, but knowing his reasoning now... It's hard to be that mad at him.

"You have a lot of making up to do."

He sighs again, though more so as an exhale of a breath he was seemingly holding than anything else. "I'm aware. Until you're willing, you're free from guest-starring for now. I'd...rather you not collapse on camera."

Recalling how he used to treat you when you were still new to the studio, that's quite a lot of progress. You faintly smile, "Not gonna brainwash me to keep me going this time?"

"Shut up." His tone is suddenly lower and sharper. His screen almost feels like it quickly grows a few degrees warmer, despite the display remaining off. "Now's not the time for your stupid jokes."

"Sorry." You don't really mean it; you think he deserves a bit of a verbal jab right now, especially since it amuses you enough to get a soft chuckle out of you.

Whether he relents because of this or not, you aren't sure, only that your amusement fades when Null shifts to press the lower section of his screen to your forehead now, as if giving an attempt at a kiss. You hum quietly, smiling still, but your attempt at angling your head up is thwarted when his hands tighten their hold on your face to keep you from moving.

He instructs again, "Stay still."

Confused but unopposed, you relax in his hold again, letting him do...whatever it is he's doing. He's not using healing magic on you anymore, so you're admittedly a bit lost as to what he has in mind.

...But you still trust him. Mostly. Enough that you haven't even considered pushing him away now that he's done the bare minimum of healing you after what he did.

Null shifts his head to the side slightly, to then press his screen closer to your temple this time. Your eye on that side reflexively shuts in response, prompting him to slide down to nudge his screen against your cheekbone. Your stomach flutters with what feels like butterflies, your heart starting to race in your chest. It's not often he's affectionate with you in the first place, but even this is a whole other level with him.

Your hands shake with exertion as you raise them to grab at his wrists – not forcefully, but just to have your touch on him again. You swear you hear something akin to his breath catching in his throat in response to your gesture, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, his shifts lower, but when he pauses, you lift your head as much as he allows you to to angle it properly and press your lips to his screen. It's warm and fuzzy with electricity that tingles your lips, and when you helplessly let out a small noise from the back of your throat, he seems quick to latch onto that, his hold on your face squeezing just slightly as he tries to return the kiss as best as he can in his current condition.

The two of you can barely separate long enough for Null to turn his screen back on, the light dimmed severely and his facial features barely materializing before he's on you again. You're taken entirely by surprise by how desperate his lips slot against yours, almost as if he's begging for forgiveness with this. You inhale sharply through your nose when you feel a sudden sting in your back, releasing it in a strained whimper that causes him to pause again. Null seems to compose himself in the midst of your kisses, before slowly pulling away enough for you to blearily open your eyes again to finally take in the sight of his functional screen.

There's a visible edge of concern in his frown, and you can't help chuckling breathlessly. "Easy, Tenna, I'm still worn out."

Not one to openly fret about you much, Null simply watches you for a long moment before the strain in his expression relaxes, seemingly assured that he isn't hurting you again. "...Right."

"Does your head still hurt?"

"To a degree. But— Don't bother healing right now, you're not in a state to be using any magic."

You chuckle again – seems he has you figured out already. "Alright. Let's stay like this then."

With the little energy you have left right now, you strain your arms to reach up and hold the sides of Null's frame. He almost looks surprised by this, but doesn't comment on it. Not that he needs to, since it's so easy for you to read him nowadays. "Not sure if I forgive you just yet, but I still love you. Promise. 'M not going anywhere." You murmur.

That only takes him further by surprise, apparently. Despite how he doesn't force the act of breathing to appear more "alive," you hear him take a small gasp of air, eventually releasing it in an almost shuddered exhale as he tries to compose himself again. His lips are just barely parted, until he purses them as he swallows. The fingers holding the sides of your face briefly tighten their hold again, as he almost carefully mutters out, "...Thank you. And... I love you too."

You can't help smiling. Expressing himself in regards to his feelings for you has always been a struggle of his, and while you're perhaps unfairly patient with him about it, you consider it all worth it for moments like this.

Unfortunately, your body ruins the moment some, as you're struck with another pang deep in your spine, as well as an involuntary yawn that you try to turn your head into one of Null's palms to cover as best as you can. You notice green flickers of light emitting from his hands again as he tells you, "Rest, if you must. Next time you wake up though, I'm making you eat something."

"What if I still can't move on my own?" You ask quietly against the edge of his hand.

Null tilts his head slightly, raising one side of the top of his frame for a moment before faintly smiling. "What, you want me to carry you? Feed you myself?"

"Only if you carry me properly this time. Stop letting my legs dangle in the air, they keep falling asleep."

He clicks his tongue, "Noted. I suppose you deserve as much, after tonight."

"I better. You're gonna have to spoil me for a bit before I can forgive you."

Null chuckles a little at your snarkiness, leaning down to press his lips against your forehead for a moment. "In due time. For now, go to sleep, doll. You can give me all the attitude you can muster later."

With his assurance and your exhaustion coming back to you in heavy waves, it's easy for you to doze off once more, comforted by his touch and the feeling of his screen gently nuzzling against your skin as he murmurs something you don't quite register. Hopefully you can pester him into telling you what he was saying next time you're awake.