You open the door to Kronii’s room. She’s in a staring contest with her monitor, as usual, eye strain be damned.
”Hey babe.” She absentmindedly responds to the sound of the door. “What’s up?”
”Oh, nothing,” you reply. “Just checking in on you.”
She gives a “hmm” of acknowledgement, her eyes never leaving the screen.
”Whatcha doing?”
”Oh, just, uh, expanding the Bunkeronii.”
You breathe a sigh of relief. If she’s doing that it’s a safe bet she’s not streaming, so you haven’t just unintentionally brought about the final yab.
You walk up behind her, wrapping your arms around her and resting your chin on her head.
”Looks nice,” you comment. She shrinks into her chair a bit. A little more heat enters the room, though whether it’s her blushing or the extra effort from her PC processing the Enderman making his five hundredth futile attempt to escape is anyone’s guess.
A terrifyingly long moment passes.
You give the quietest sigh possible, then plant a soft kiss in between her hair vents and walk away.
”Is dinner ready?” she asks on your way out.
”Not yet.”
You pause in the doorway.
”Kronii. I need to say something.”
Kronii takes a while to register your statement, only turning away from her computer screen to give a look of confusion and concern to your concise formality.
”Sorry. I would’ve said we need to talk but I don’t wanna force a response out of you.”
She’s actually maintaining eye contact. You don’t even notice any twitching of those cerulean eyes trying to look back at the monitor. A good sign.
”Time flies when I’m having fun. Time slows down when I’m suffering. The good days end quickly, the bad days last forever. This is a sentiment expressed by people all around the world.”
”Does time fly when you’re having fun? Does that little rotor on your head spin a little faster? Can you just slow it all down? Can you drag out your joys and speed past your pain?”
”How long does it feel like you spend each night, staring at that screen? Days? Weeks?”
”How long does it feel like when you’re with me?”
”Do you just fast forward through everything I say, eager to get back to your solitary confinement?”
”Maybe even right now?”
”Maybe you can. Maybe you do.”
”But I’m not you. I’m just human.”
”And though it may feel otherwise sometimes, I know that every day is just another 24 hours.”
”I wish I could do what you do. Wake up, talk to a few friends, stream for a couple hours, then just play games to my heart’s content, only sleeping when I decide I’m done for the night, all without having to move an inch. No deadlines. A self-set schedule. It all sounds really nice.”
”But I’m not you.”
”Time doesn’t bend to my will. Nor do people. Nor do you. I’m a broken cog in a screaming, dying machine.”
”If I were you, if I had that much time and power, maybe I could fix that machine. At the very least I could help polish the rust off a few of my fellow cogs.”
”But I’m not you.”
You wrap your right hand around your left wrist and slowly begin to twist. To her, it may seem like a nervous tic.
To you, the world shifts into reverse. The tightness of your grip starts to burn your skin. Kronii unhears your rambling and turns her head back to the screen.
”Not yet.”
You close the door to Kronii’s room.

Edit Report
Pub: 07 Oct 2021 01:19 UTC
Views: 57