our facilities are regularly upgraded

[So there's an upgrade out to the agony beam, the Origin Jokers came up with it,] Bella informs Sherlock, [and I know I never actually use my agony beam, but I went ahead and got the new version anyway.] There is a suggestive lilt to her tone, not that she'd have to deliberately put one there for him to notice it.

[Do go on,] says Sherlock.

[New version is called a 'sensory synth'. All kinds of fun features. I am pretty sure it is sophisticated enough that if you wanted you could try a convincing facsimile of my favorite thing.]

[Now that would be interesting.]

[I thought so! And there are other pleasing un-agony-beam-like applications - Pattern recommends using it like a sustain pedal on a piano - but that was the first thing that came to mind when I heard it.]

[Fascinating. I want one.]

[Then you should have one!]

[Excellent.] Pause. [I have two hours before I have to go to school for Charlie-placation.] (It is currently five in the morning. Sleep? What sleep?)

[That sounds like a decent amount of time for experiments.]

"Hello, love."

Kisses? Kisses. Definitely kisses.

Kisses!

And she takes aim with her synth, though that is all she does without explicit invitation.

[Interesting,] says Sherlock. [Go on.]

[With the biting, or do you want to start somewhere else?]

[Ooh, let's try the biting first.]

"Mmmkay." She tucks her face in against his neck, and plants a kiss there, watching sensations shift on her map.

And then she touches her teeth to his skin, and carries on by magic, from memory.

[That is nice,] says Sherlock, snuggling her.

[Isn't it?] She carries on, hugging him tight, nibbling gently with her real teeth while she duplicates Her Favorite Thing with synth ones. [It feels like it doesn't make sense for it to feel good but it does it anyway. Emphatically.]

[It makes plenty of sense to me.]

[Ha.]

Nibble nibble snuggle snuggle. This can go on a while; she has some rather lengthy biting memories to pass along since she stopped having to worry about blood loss.

Snuggle snuggle squiiiiiiiiiiiirm.

Good squirming, yes? She would like to induce good squirming.

Yay!

Bite-bite-snuggle-bite.

[I love you,] says Sherlock.

He laughs and snuggles her.

Bite bite bite. Nice-bite.

[Nice biting,] says Sherlock, [is nice.]

[Isn't it? I love it, it's the best. It is good that you get to try it.]

[—yes,] says Sherlock, abruptly distracted. [But I think I've had enough of it for now.]

Juliet stops. She sits up with Slayer speed, eyes wide, and disentangles her synth from her boyfriend.

He hugs her.

"I'm fine, love. Just - thought of the wrong thing and rapidly exited the mood."

Yes. Hugs. Hugs are good.

"Sorry. I didn't think it all the way through."

"Neither did I, until just now. It's really not a strong association."

"I love you too," he says, snuggling her.

Snuggles. "This a not-ever, not-till-further-notice, not-this-week...?" She does not consider it a desperately problematic gap in their sex life, but it's useful to know these things.

"Further notice. I'm not sure yet when that is."

"Okay." She sighs, she snuggles up.

Snuggling: also good. Something would be seriously missing if there were not that.

Snuggling is good. Snuggling is lovely. Juliet is lovely.

Sherlock is lovely. She loves him.

That is good. It has carried them through a lot of crap.

Yes, yes it has. But now there are snuggles, and snuggles are good.

Snuggles are definitely good.