Ari is laying face down on her bed, groaning quietly as she shoves her face into her damp pillow.
Blossom is in your house. She's wearing pajamas and hugs Ari, curling up with her. "It'll be okay..."
Ari flinches but doesn't protest, just letting out a soft, choked sob. "It will be now... I just- need to stay here. I didn't hurt things when I was here."
"No... no shush.... you don't hurt anyone...." Blossom pets his head gently.
Ari lets out a low, involuntary purr. "But I do- I just cause problems for people... I should just stay here and stick to what I know."
"No you don't.... it'll be okay..."
He shivered and curled up tighter. "I don't deserve that."
"Yes you do... do you think I deserve happiness?"
It nods shakily. "Y-yeah of course..."
"I've killed people Ari... I’m... I've done worse things than you have. So why don't you grant yourself that kindness?"
"I- I- I dunno it's because I know that you're not a bad person... I can't say the same..."
"You aren't. I promise."
"But- but then why do I- I keep hurting things- good people don't hurt things." Vey started shaking in her arms.
"...Ari I hurt things but you think I'm a good person.."
"But- but that doesn't count you are- I just. I don't-" Xey choked up, xeir next words coming out as a rattled whisper. "I don't- feel like I'm good... even if you've done the same and you're good... I don't. feel the same about myself."
Blossom holds them tight. "I... I understand... but the fact that you're so torn up about it means that you're good. Bad people don't care they're bad... good people want to be better..."
Ari sobs into Blossom's shoulder. "What if people don't ever see me as better..."
"They will... they will..." Blossom pets and holds them comfortingly.
It stays silent for a long while, verbally, at least. Its purring has slowly grown louder before it looks up at Blossom. "Am I... important?" It seems scared to even ask.
"Yes." Blossom says without a moment's hesitation.
Ari tightens his grip on her. "Promise?"
"I promise. You and Lucy are the only people I care about."
Ari wraps her tail around Blossom, pulling her closer. "Thank you... you're my best friend... I love you."
"Of course, I love you too..." Blossom hugs him tight, petting him
Ari is quiet, before their stomach rumbles. "I hunger..."
"Whaddaya want?"
Ari shrugs. "Hot men... or women... or like... fast food."
"McDonalds?"
Ari shakes her head. "Panda Express...."
"Okay.” Blossom snaps and Ari's favorite meal from Panda Express appears on the floor.
Ari takes it and just, slowly begins to eat, thinking of Apollo. "I love him..."
"Apollo?"
Ari nods. "I didn't like relationships.... but then I met him and I- I dunno..."
"That's understandable..." Blossom says. "How about I take you back to him tomorrow?"
Ari nods. "I'd like that..."
"Good..." Blossom pets him and eats a tiny bit of veys food.
Vey hiss at her but let her take some anyways. "I haven't taken him yet... it's his favorite."
"You will,"
"What if I surprised him tomorrow night?"
"That sounds good!"
Ari gave a weak smile. "Thank you..." Ari slowly drifts to sleep, holding onto Blossom.
Blossom soon followed, the two sleeping peacefully.
----------
The next morning, Ari slowly shifts awake.
Blossom is still asleep.
Ari plops their head onto Blossom's, purring loudly.
Blossom pets them in her sleep.
Ari's tongue flicks, starting to purr louder and get more comfortable.
Pet pet pet.
Ari tightens to a more comfortable tightness around Blossom and continues to purr.
Blossom is so comfy.
Ari notices that he accidentally tipped her wig to the side a little bit and straightens it before going back to her prime position.
Ari starts poking Blossom.
Blossom snores.
Ari begins to shake Blossom.
Blossom just snores louder.
Ari groans, moving Blossom to the edge of the bed and unfurling her from his tail, dropping her on the floor.
She wakes up, groaning. "Bitch..."
“Wake up whore, it's happy hour I want to see my boyfriend.”
"Oughhhhhhhhh okayyyy just. gimmie. a sec." Blossom groans, standing up and stretching.
Ari slides off the bed and begins to do some seemingly set stretches, it looks like a routine.
Blossom snaps and she’s wearing her normal clothes with a breath mint. "Kk I'm ready when you are.”
Ari grabby hands. “Mint please.”
Blossom hands one to him.
Ari takes it, and fucking CHEWS on it. “Thanks.”
"What the fuck.”
He tilts his head. “Hm?”
"You ate it like candy.”
“Is it… not candy?”
"N-no?"
“But it tastes good.. and is candy shaped…”
"I... nevermind."
Ari sighs and holds out her hand. “Whateverrrr, let's go now.”
"Okie.” Blossom takes it and they disappear!
---------
Apollo is gone. All that's left of his presence is an open laptop with binary code running through it in his room.
---------
Ari and Blossom appear in Apollo’s house. Ari immediately starts looking around for Apollo in the room. “BAAABE?”
Blossom looks around with him.
Ari looks around in most of the rooms, knocking on the door to his room before opening it. “Huh… he's usually here- lemme ask the others.”
"Alright.”
Ari begins to tear up as she looks at her phone. “No, nononono, please. Please.”
"What is it?" Blossom looks concerned.
Ari backs himself up into a wall and leans against it. “He’s gone- he. He was taken oh my god no…”
"W-what??? Taken??"
“S-some simulation thing.. I-I promised him.” Ari starts to collapse against the wall.
"We'll get him out. I promise."
Vey hold veir head in veir hands. “I- It's my fault if I was okay if I’d have been here I would've-“
"No. No, it's not your fault." Blossom goes to the computer and uses her Dromen powers to scan it.
There is an established connection to a set of private servers. With an IP address
Ari begins to shake. “If I had been here… I could've- I would've- it's my fault I promised.”
"Ari, Ari calm down, please. I found something. Are you down for some investigation?"
Ari looks up, eyes flickering. “U-uhm… okay… I’m sorry-“
"No, it's okay, it's okay...." Blossom hugs her, petting her head. She snaps and some sunglasses appear in her hands. "Wear these for now. I found an IP address. You ready to head over there?" Blossom looks determined, petting Ari's head.
Ari puts them on, the flashing glow from behind them visible but having no effect, a small purr from him as well. “Yeah.. okay…”
"Okay,,, good. You got this, okay?" She pats them and they disappear, reappearing at the IP address.
In the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin, there lies a small brick building. Inside is a small control panel and LOTS of servers.
Blossom starts looking around, trying to figure out what was going on here.
Nothing is really noticeable.
Ari is moving slowly, flicking and wires she sees gently as she passes. “Computer shit…”
“Maybe we could bother that Doctor Cooper…” Blossom thinks out loud.
“W-who??”
"One of the Bridge scientists. Maybe she knows something."
“Where has this all been… happening?”
One of the screens comes to life. "TWITTER, YOU INGRATE." A robotic male voice replies to Ari's question.
"Wow. Don't call him an ingrate!"
"APOLOGIES. DEACTIVATING SARCASM."
"Nice. Get de yassified"
Ari flinches and steps back. “Really pulled out the thesaurus for that one huh bot boy?”
"Anyways! Ari are you stable enough to use your hypnosis?"
Ari shrugs. “Doesn't really matter if it's going off on its own.”
"Sweet. Let's go see if she knows anything. You ready?"
Ari nods.
Blossom snaps and they're sent to Alex Cooper's location.
Alex is just laying in bed at home reading a book.
Blossom and a fucking snake person appear. "Hi.”
Alex jumps onto her feet, standing crouched on her bed and holding her iPad close to her chest while making Hobbit noises.
"So hi. Do you happen to know where Apollo is? I'm Blossom by the way and we're not gonna hurt you or anything."
"Who? I haven't heard that name in EEEEEOONSSSS..." Alex says in a bad narrator voice, doing a little crab dance while crouched on her bed.
Blossom giggles. "You know what I'm talking about! Your little virus. Did you take him back into The Bridge?"
She laid back down. "No, I didn't. None of us did. Did something happen?"
"He's disappeared. We're trying to find his whereabouts."
"Damn. Tough luck finding him, then." Alex pulls out her vape pen, taking a puff from it. "We don't know where he is."
Ari’s watching them closely, not saying anything, it's clear that they look like shit.
"Alright. Thank you for talking with me. Anything I can get you before we leave?" Blossom asks, taking Ari's hand gently.
"A strawberry margarita."
Blossom snaps and one appears. She hands it to Alex. "What's your favorite vape flavor? I was thinking about trying one sometime."
Alex sips the margarita. "Mango. You can try mine if you want to."
"Bet.” Blossom makes grabby hands for the vape.
"That's a damn good margarita," Alex said before handing Blossom the vape.
Ari took Blossom's hand and slunk behind her, looking for a wall to sit against.
"Why thank you." Blossom took the vape and puffed it. "That's good, me likey."
Blossom hands the vape back. "Welp, thanks! We'll have to hang out sometime. See ya!" She snaps and Blossom and Ari are sent back to Apollos.
They appear back at Apollos and Blossom grabs Ari up in her vines, cradling him as she hugs him.
Ari lets itself cry a little as it hugs back.