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EXIOS, part 4

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Sebastian hung around in the hall just long enough to make sure that Exios was settling in before he entered into his temporary room across the way. It took some time for him to get it into a habitable condition, moving boxes and rearranging the furniture so that he'd have access to the bed. As a solo freelancer he didn't often entertain on his ship and the quarters not used as his room were little more than storage. His one takeaway during the clean-up was that he needed to get more organized.

After over an hour his work work hardly succeeded in cleaning the room but at least he'd cleared up enough space to sleep for the night; checking his PCD he saw that it wast almost 01:00 on a 24 hour cycle, meaning he would probably get less than six hours of sleep but Sebastian just shrugged it off. Although the course plotted out by the autopilot still had about 48 hours left on it, Sebastian had no intention of messing up his sleep cycle any further than it was. He didn't much care for going through a day with sleep deprivation but he'd certainly had worse in past situations so he'd weather it.

Smoothing out the linens on the bed, Sebastian lamented that they were really there as an afterthought; they were nowhere near as nice as the ones he normally used but the Human eventually shrugged with a sign, flopping down onto them without bothering to pull back the blankets. He rolled onto his back, still fully clothed as he stared at the ceiling; the setup wasn't perfect but he'd have time later to address his needs and fine-tune the sleeping arrangements with Exios. Considering what the experiment had been through, Sebastian didn't mind the idea of a less-ideal bed and, as his mind continued to run over the events of the prior day he ultimately drifted off to sleep... but not for long.

His sleep was disrupted by the sound of claws on the floor outside his door and he was pushed further from dreams and closer to the waking world by loud, very audible snuffling at the base of his door. It took a moment for Sebastian to realize that Exios was awake and lingering in the hallway. "Hey, Exios?"

The snuffling stopped abruptly, silence punctuated by a quizzical, animalistic sound. A moment later Exios' voice spoke up from through the door. "Bastian?"

Sitting up, the Human fought back a yawn. "You alright, buddy?"

The response came back in a smooth, low rumble. "Exios fine. Can't see Bastian. Can smell Bastion, but can't see Bastian."

Covering his mouth as he lost the battle to resist a wide yawn, Sebastian slipped his legs off the mattress, standing up once his feet touched the floor. "Just a minute, Exios... I'm coming."

The freelancers pressed the button to release the lock on the door and he blinked away the blurriness in his eyes, looking at Exios, who was nearly his own height, but only because he was seated in the hallway on his rump, not unlike a gigantic Dog. The experiment's wail began wriggling immediately. "Hi Bastian."

Letting out a sigh, Sebastian raised his PCD and narrowed his eyes as the screen lit up, displaying the time. "Hey Bud... it's still pretty early. Are you going back to sleep or you plan on staying up?"

Exios' head rotated slightly, ears raising as his tail thrummed. When he spoke his voice took on a slightly quieter tone as if mimicking the Human's. "Early? Exios only sleeps little. Is okay for Exios to not sleep more?"

Sebastian nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "Yeah... that's fine, big guy. I think I'm gonna try to get some more rest though."

The Experiment's neon-blue eyes blinked in the darkened hallway, tail's movement slowly dying down. When he responded his voice sounded almost dejected. "Good sleep for Bastion."

The Human took a step back and reached up to press the close button on the door; Exios held his gaze until the portal shut between them, breaking the view of the creature-- Sebastian couldn't help but think that Exios looked almost... dejected? Sighing yet again, the freelancer returned to the bed and collapsed forward onto it, face hitting the pillow as he attempted to sink into it... and back to sleep. He'd almost achieved it until a growl from the hallway pulled him back to wakefulness.

Rolling over, Sebastian sat up, calling toward the door. "Ex? Is everything okay?

There was a pause before Exios responded. "Bastian angry?"

The Human didn't realize that his voice may have been a little strained when he called out. Swallowing first, Sebastian licked his lips and tried again after taking a steadying breath. "No, Exios... I'm just tired... and not really used to having someone else on my ship walking around while I'm trying to sleep."

Another long pause passed before the experiment called back. "Oh! Exios sorry, Bastian. Not meaning to make noise."

Sebastian challenged that. "I thought I heard you growling."

The pause was not present as Exios immediately responded. "Sorry Bastian. Exios was thinking... and not liking what brain thought."

Pushing his own lack of sleep aside, the Human realized that Exios had been through a lot and was suddenly on a strange ship; it only made sense for the experiment to be disquieted. Moving his feet to the floor once again, he regarded the door and his companion beyond it. "And you're SURE you're alright?"

"Exios fine."

Returning to the door, Sebastian opened it, only to find Exios in exactly the same position as the Human had left him; the experiment's tail began moving again. Taking a moment to assess the situation, Sebastian fought back a fresh yawn. "You know.. I'm starting to think that everything ISN'T fine, Exios..."

The creature lowered his head a little, tail stilling. "All is... not fine?"

Stepping out into the hall with Exios, Sebastian leaned against the wall as he regarded the experiment. "Are you having trouble getting used to having the freedom to do whatever you want to do? Why are you sitting in the hallway?"

Exios blinked, tail starting up anew. "Exios waiting for Bastian."

The Human blinked, not quite understanding. "Waiting for me? Waiting for me to do what, Exios?"

Exios' tail twitched slightly, and he glanced down at his paws, flexing his claws. The experiment's breath was slow and deliberate, almost as if trying to calm himself. "Exios waiting for Bastian to be with Exios."

Sebastian took a moment to process what it sounded like Exios was saying. "To be with you? It's a little early to hang out."

The creature bobbed his head up and down. "Yes. Exios wait."

If nothing else, Sebastian realized, Exios had quite the strong will. "Buddy... I... I want you to be comfortable here. I gave you the master bed room and your own space so you could be comfortable.. I--"

The experiment's ears perked up and his tail twitched, swaying back and forth. Sebastian saw the tenseness in Exios' muscles begin to drain away and the creature's expression softened slight; the difference in his bearing was so distinct that the Human trailed off his explanation about wanting Exios to feel welcomed. "Okay, Bastian."

Sebastian honestly didn't know what it was his companion was agreeing with or two, but he couldn't argue with the results of Exios' apparent willingness to relax. "Well... that looks better. You don't seem quite so tense now." To accentuate the statement he reached up and gave the experiment a gentle pat on his head between his ears; Exios had said he liked it so it seemed a reasonable action to take.

As with before, Exios moved his head closer to make the action easier for the Human. The creature let out a soft, growling, contented hum accentuated by a gentle thump from his tail as he moved his muzzle closer to nuzzle gainst Sebastian's shoulder. "Exios likes Bastian being close."

Seeing the way the experiment's nose was working the air, things finally started falling into place for Sebastian and he gave Exios' large muzzle a gentle push back so as to keep it from invading his personal space. "Ah... that's got to be the H Gene... Humans have used it often enough to make Genticons more receptive to Humans."

Exios didn't relent, ultimately stuffing his muzzle straight into Sebastian's chest. "Exios like Bastion's scent."

Rolling his eyes, the Human went back to patting Exios' head, letting out a sigh as he would be pinned between the experiment and the wall until either the creature grew tired or could be convinced to move. He used that time to finish considering his thought aloud. "To be honest, I'd have thought that the researchers wouldn't have used it if you were being made for war but, then again, I can't imagine knowing what those monsters were thinking anyway."

That thought managed to get Exios to pull back, expression darkening. The creature's eyes flashed a mix of hatred and anger as a low growl rose up in his throat, muscles tensing again. "Exios not like men from Rho IX... Exios like Bastian."

Sebastian didn't specifically try to restrain Exios as the Human wrapped his arms around the experiment's neck and, thankfully, the creature didn't perceive it that way either. The hug began as a way to help bring calm to Exios and it worked in a split second; the growl stopped and the creature's muscle strain slackened. The experiment's claws clenched then loosened and, ultimately, one of his forelegs wrapped around the Human, mimicking the embrace. "Yes. Exios like Bastian."

His gaze lingered on Sebastian's face as they disengaged, his eyes softening visibly. Exios' massive chest rose and fell with each breath so, as the seconds passed it was easy for Sebastian to watch them visibly slow. A gentle, contented rumble emerged from the experiment and, at length, the freelancer pulled back, looking the experiment in his glowing blue eyes. "You know... you still haven't told me why you're wandering around the corridor, Exios... especially during sleep cycle."

Exios' glimmering eyes gazed at him, a lazy, soft, almost serene smile on his muzzle. "Exios was looking for Bastian." He lowered his head and bumped it against the Human's shoulder. "Exios found Bastian."

Sebastian laughed at that. "You sure did. I'm staying there." He thumbed over his shoulder toward the door leading to the sleeping quarters he'd been using. "Then again, you already figured that out, didn't you?"

The creature offered a wider smile, eyes gleaming in the muted light of the lowest setting of the hall illumination, declaring proudly "Exios could smell Bastian."

Nodding, the freelancer managed to stifle another yawn. "So now you know where I am. There's still a few hours left of the sleep cycle, so I should probably--"

His statement was interrupted. "Why Bastian go away?"

The question caught Sebastian as odd. "What do you mean, Exios? I'm just going to get some more sleep."

Exios glanced back over his own shoulder. "Bastian smell this way. Why Bastian sleep over there?"

It took a second for the Human to figure out what he was being asked. Once he did, he went back over his decision. "You seemed to like my room, and it's the largest one on the ship so I figured you could take that one and I'd sleep in the--"

The experiment made a sour face. "Is Bastian's room? Why Bastian not stay there too?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to speak up, but he paused as his mind started to review the inquiry. Exios seemed to like his room but didn't seem inclined to use it-- why not? The creature was inviting him to take it back or-- the answer came to mind. "You want me to stay in the room with you?"

Exios wagged his muzzle up and down, an enormous forepaw resting on the Human's shoulder (and nearly making him lose his balance). "Is Bastian's room. Exios like Bastian's room, but not like having Bastian stay in other room. Bastian's room is big. Bastian stay with Exios in Bastian's room."

It was a fairly straight forward explanation, even in the creature's stunted, disjointed dialogue. Sebastian usually preferred his autonomy and solitude but he also realized denying Exios companionship would probably result in the experiment getting into all sorts of trouble, or, at the very least, cause enough noise that sleep would be impossible. "If you'd feel better with company, I can join you... just so long as you don't mind me sleeping. Usually I try to get at least twice as much as--"

Sebastian lost track of exactly what happened when the hallway turned upside down and, in a moment of dizzying spin, he felt weightless as he was hefted into the air and with surreal ease was flung upward long enough for Exios to settle into a four-legged stance beneath him, at which point the Human landed with his legs splayed, coming to a landing on the experiment's back as if he were riding a horse. "Good. Exios take Bastian to bed."

Exios trotted across the hall and through the open door. Without so much as a pause, the creature clamored up onto the bed and flopped down, sending Sebastian sprawling beside him onto the mattress; it was times like that which the freelancer was glad he had such a large mattress. The Human was about to say something but, before he could, Exios reached out and pulled Sebastian closer to him, hugging the freelancer's back to his chest as if he were a teddy bear. "Exios make sure Bastian get more sleep."

Once again Sebastian was unable to raise an objection as the experiment let out a deep, contented breath accompanied by a soft, deep rumbling, not unlike a purr. Rolling his eyes, the Human simply relented and settled into the grasp, looking forward to sleep finding him again. Exios' fur, he decided, was surprisingly comfortable, and the large creature's warmth was comforting in a way that was the antithesis to the enormous claws ever so gently stroking his head, or the lethal-looking fangs less than a hand's width from his neck.

Planet time, Sebastian knew had little meaning in space, but he'd trained his body to a schedule based on his own time piece. As such, it was early morning... early enough to know that he'd be able to get more sleep before the full day ahead of him, and he just hoped that Exios would give him the freedom to gain a few extra hours of rest. For the most part, the creature was compliant and even encouraging-- surprisingly tender despite all of his sharp body parts. Exios was significantly larger than him, but did an amazing job of not squishing him, or clawing him, or biting him-- he seemed content to bury his nose into the Human's fur and snuffle happily.

Sebastian didn't even notice he was starting to nod off until he snapped to, body jumping as he had the momentary feeling of flying then falling that sometimes caught him during a half-asleep state. Exios snorted. "Bastian good?"

Slowly rotating around so he could look up at his companion's face, the Human nodded. "I'm fine, Exios..." he yawned, then smirked in mirth. "A little surprised that you're be such a cuddle slut."

Exios cocked his head to the side, quizzically staring. "What is 'cuddle slut'?"

Barely restraining a laugh, Sebastian just pressed his head into the creature's furry chest. "I'm just joking. You're fine, Exios."

The experiment responded with a gentle squeeze and a non-committal "Mmm." before snuffling at Sebastian's head again.

After a few moments of silence, Sebastian yawned again. "You okay, buddy?"

Exios arched his neck so he could lower his head and meet Sebastian's gaze. Offering up a goofy-looking smile, the creature touched his nose to the Human's. "Exios good. Room good. Bastian here. Exios ready to sleep more if Bastian is."

Offering up another yawn, Sebastian nodded his head, closing his eyes as he leaned into his furred companion, smiling as he felt Exios' gentle claws continuing to softly stroke his hair. "Mmm... yeah.... I think I am."

Sebastian ultimately began to drift off again, cradled against the huge experiment's body, lulled to sleep by the steady breathing of the furry form and the vibrations of Exios' purring. It had been a long time since the freelancer had shared a bed with anyone, and even longer since it was for 'just sleeping'-- he had to admit it was nice.

His mind began to wander as he returned to slumber, replaying the events of the day that led them there, and the realization dawned on him that, strangely, he felt just a little down at the thought that Exios would eventually be dropped off somewhere safe. Would Sebastian lose the feeling of companionship that he was surprisingly enjoying? Oddly, he considered the feeling-- a sense of company in a positive way. Exios' muzzle came to rest atop Sebastian's head, large body finally settling into sleep and, as they both drifted off to sleep, Exios gave him one more gentle squeeze. Sebastian was almost sure he heard the experiment whisper softly. "Mine."