The corridors echoed with the clanking of shoes and mechanical feet on the cold metal. Ahead of her companions, well, considering V now companions after the events of the night, Uzi sulked. Being witness to the powerful and horrifying reality of what she could do with absoluteSolver was weighing heavily on her mind. Doll disappearing before elaborating more on what she knew also wasn't helping things. At the very least, she'd recovered her hoodie, which she held in her hand.
N's gaze drifted around the corridors in wonder. It felt good to just ... exist where the Workers lived and not have to think about killing. Such fascinating details of their lives he'd otherwise miss, such as the posters and the repurposed rooms from their former overlords. His gaze drifted to V, noting her bored expression. The other drone clearly was not amused with the walk nor the companionship. Well, he decided Uzi had spent enough time brewing in her angst.
He walked ahead to match her, giving her a slight pat on the upper arm. "Hey Uzi", he chirped, "you hanging in good?".
Uzi jumped at the contact, her gaze breaking from her open palm. She nodded slowly, "y-yeah, as good as I can get after seeing Doll do all that and stopping a bullet with my freaking mind".
His touch on her drifted to her back, giving her a gentle rub. "It'll be alright. We'll figure it out".
Behind them, V grimaced, "ugh, I can't watch you play with your food like this, N". The two stopped and looked behind them. "What?", V shrugged, "I can't even make jokes around you now?".
"That didn't sound like a joke", N stated.
"Whatever", V directed her attention elsewhere.
N shifted focus to Uzi, "should we head back to the pod? Or, uh, you live here again? Should we take you back to your place?".
Uzi blanked. Where did she want to stay? Her room was familiarity, but the pod was freedom. N answered for her, "it's been a long night, maybe your place would be better".
She nodded, "yeah". Yeah, that sounded fine. She'd been back living there for a few days now.
N perked up, "let's see it! Show us the way, Uzi!".
"Alright, uh, this way", she nudged him down a corridor. V followed without question, only giving them squicked looks.
After a short while, they ended up in the residential quarters. At the sight of the trio, what few Workers were around stopped to look at them. Some of them ran off, which depressed N while V found amusement in it. Uzi shrugged it off, this wasn't something all that unusual for her. She'd faced worse.
The three ended up at her and her dad's place finally, Uzi gently shooing N off her. She regarded them, "thanks for uh ... all that earlier".
N gave her a soft smile and a thumbs-up. V showed off her teeth, "guess you owe me a favor now, hmm?".
"Anything that doesn't involve murder, V", Uzi shot back with no warmth to it.
V huffed, "you're no fun. Little murder never hurt no one". Uzi gave her a look and dropped the topic.
"Wait here a moment, let me talk to my dad", she told them, more regarding N. N found himself nervous about this.
She opened the door carefully, peeking her head in. "Dad?", she asked and immediately spotted him.
"Uzi?", he blurted out, "we've you been? I've been worried about you ever since-".
"Yeah, uh, I'm fine ... I think. We took a look at Doll's place and some stuff happened".
He approached her, concern writing itself on his face, "what kind of stuff? As your father, you can tell me anything".
"Uh, quick thing - can they stay over for a bit?".
"Uzi, you didn't bring the-".
Uzi opened the rest of the door to show the rest of her and N and V. Khan took a step back on instinct. "Y-You brought-".
"Woah, woah! Take it easy Mr. Uzi!", N interrupted, "are you alright?".
Khan looked at him like he entered some different plane of existence. On some level, he had. He folded his arms loosely around himself for comfort, "uh, yeah? Never expected you bunch to be ... like that?".
"Dad", Uzi cut in, "be nice. If it wasn't for them, we would have no idea what Doll could do. They didn't kill anybody, she did".
Khan looked nervous, "a-about Doll ...".
"Oh come on", V groaned, "you gonna let us in or what?".
Khan immediately obeyed and got out of the way. Uzi led them in while N looked around in wonder. V trotted in last, folding her arms in boredom. Uzi closed the door.
N approached Khan, who was once again put into a flight response, "I like your home. It's very homely! ...Not that I know what that means, but I really like it!".
Coming back to his senses, Khan noted and shook the Disassembler's outstretched hand. "T-Thank you?".
Something clicked as N immediately shot back over to Uzi to whisper to her, "you two are good with each other again, right?".
"Mostly, don't be weird".
He gave her a thumbs-up and walked past Khan to take in the sights of the living space. V did the same just to flop on a couch nearby.
"Uzi", Khan's fingers fidgeted, "are you sure about this?".
Uzi groaned, "they're my friends , dad! Well N is, V we're working on". V threw her a bird from the couch. "Thanks, V", Uzi sulked.
"And ... how long are they over for?".
"I dunno", she did another shrug, "they can stay the night I guess".
N bounced over, "really! A sleepover sounds so fun!".
Another groan could be heard from V, "do I have to listen to this all night? I think I'd rather be chained up in the pod again".
Khan gave Uzi a questioning look, which she quickly answered with, "don't ask".
The irritated drone got up and made for the door, "whatever, I'm heading back". She opened the door but did not move. The rest of them looked at her in confusion until another voice spoke from beyond the door.
"Well, well, guess Doll didn't kill you guys". Uzi could recognize Lizzy's voice anywhere.
" What are you doing here? Have you been following me?", V accused.
Lizzy huffed, "hey, someone's gotta make sure you losers are alright".
"What kind of an excuse is that?", V fumed, "you hung out with me, that make you a loser too?".
Lizzy playfully shuffled from foot to foot, "maybe if you beg forgiveness, I'll reconsider and we can hang out again. With Doll all freaky, I could use a good girlfriend in chaos again".
V grimaced, "ugh, you're weird".
"Oh please", Lizzy taunted, "I have stupid photos of us hanging out. That's both of us being weird and we took those together . But guess what? I'm popular, and I'm saying right now that it makes those photos totally cool. Everyone thought they were cool! You'll be cool again if you hang out with me~!".
"Are you harassing me into being friends with you again?".
Uzi and N exchanged a look. "Since when were they friends?", Uzi asked. N couldn't find an answer and just shrugged.
"Are you gonna apologize for using me?", Lizzy countered, "I knew what you were doing, but Doll was using me too, and she's way more freaky than you! I pitied what she was going to do to you, and I still tried to save you from it!".
V ground her teeth together. "Ughhh", she moaned, "ok, I'm sorry and all that. Whatever". She stepped out of the doorway, allowing it to shut behind her. Her arms folded, she regarded her again, "you really wanna be friends again, huh?".
Lizzy chuckled, "can't let the freak one-up me. And besides, you are one hell of a girl to hang with".
"Likewise", V shot her an amused look, "you know, you've got a lot in common with her in how dumb it is that you want to hang with a Disassembly Drone. Your own kind not good enough?".
Lizzy stuck her tongue out, "gross! Don't compare me to her!". She faced a direction down the corridor, "anyway, let's go chat someplace with some better vibes".
"Well", V mused, "I've got nothing better to do".
The three remaining inside looked at the door awkwardly after V shut it. Uzi and N shared another look. "Uh", Uzi asked, "should we let her go off on her own?".
"I think it'll be fine", N said, "I don't think she'll do anything after tonight. Doll's still around, probably".
"Doesn't that concern you?".
N shrugged, "I think everyone's tired after that fight earlier".
Uzi nodded, "eh, fair point".
A few moments passed until Khan cleared his throat, "well, is he, uh, spending the night?".
The other two looked at Khan with wide eyes. "Can I?", N chimed.
Khan exchanged a nervous look with Uzi, Uzi giving him a nod. "Alright!", Khan announced, "I ... guess it's a sleepover then!".
Uzi huffed, "dad, I'm not a child, you don't gotta call it tha-".
"A sleepover!", N cut her off, "I've never done one before!". In his excitement, he bobbed from foot-to-foot, then made a grab at Uzi's arm, "you gotta show me how it works!".
She made an attempt to swat him off, but decided against it, instead leaving her hand on his, "I guess? I've never done it before either".
"What! Really?", N asked, "never?". Khan fidgeted with his hands.
"Uhhh, yeah. Let's just get on the tour already", Uzi deflected. She and Khan took him around the quarters of their living space, starting with the common living area and working inwards.
"So what's the sign for?", N asked, referring to one of the closed doors.
Uzi looked at the door in question, "that's my mom's-".
Khan interrupted her, "we don't talk about Nori".
"Why not?", N asked, "come to think of it, where is she?". A moment passed as Uzi and Khan's distressed looks settled in and N had his answer, "s-sorry! I should've figured it out back on the stage ...". His gaze drifted around before trying to settle back on them, "uh, do you know who did it?".
"Don't", Uzi put a hand on him, "don't bring it up. I don't want to know". N noticed Khan giving him an odd look but decided not to ask.
N pointed over at another door, "so, that room?".
"I dunno, it's some weird human thing", Uzi said, "there's a thing you can sit down on in there, but we never go in there".
His finger moved a bit over, "and that one".
"My room".
N squealed, "can I see?".
Fluster quickly arose on Uzi, "uh, yeah". She took the lead and let him in. "So uh, my room", she gestured around and flung her hoodie onto her desk. She wasn't sure about changing clothes at the moment.
"Wow", N breathed, "I like it". His attention quickly caught on the lights strung around her room, "the lights suit you. Purple's kind-of your thing, huh?".
"Yeah? Thank you?".
He gave her a thumbs-up and wandered around, eyes wide at the sights. Uzi stood by the door and fidgeted with the doorframe. As he wandered around, his yellow lights made a pleasant contrast against the purple aesthetic of her room. His delighted interest in her room sent bizarrely pleasant feelings through her. She suddenly became nervous about it, the reason escaping her understanding.
She felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Khan behind her. "Can he and I talk?", he asked.
Uzi looked at him questioningly, "I don't know why you're asking me permission".
"Yeah, what's up?", N bounded over to them.
Khan flinched and then quickly regained his composure, "a talk". His eyes darted over to Uzi, " alone ".
A groan escaped Uzi, "fine".
Khan motioned for N to follow, Uzi stepping aside to let him through. He led them out of the living space and down the corridor a bit before finally turning around to regard N, a nervous exhale escaping him, "look, I'm just trying to make things right with her, but first I need to hear from you personally that you have no ill intent with my daughter".
The taller drone shook his head questioningly, "no? Sure, I tried to kill her a few times when we met, but we're close now. I'd do anything to keep her safe, I even got bisected today protecting her. That's a first!", he boasted.
Khan winced having remembered seeing that, "I ... appreciate you doing that. That's ... nice of you".
"You're welcome!", N chimed.
Khan cleared his throat before continuing, "I have to ask, are you and her ... committed?".
N shrugged, "well, we've been through some tough fights together. She wants to kill all humans, but I think that's unrealistic. I don't think anyone really needs to die, she taught me that".
Khan was put off by his reply. So it -he- does have a heart, huh? Perhaps only for his human masters? I still watched him take a giant industrial fan through his body for her, though. "Well, not exactly what I meant, but that's ... interesting to know", Khan rubbed his neck in anxiety.
"What do you mean?".
"Well ...", time to take the bandaid off, "that night she returned with you, she originally told me she was sneaking out to meet her boyfriend. Now, I thought that was weird, and she gave me a different excuse. And, well, I've ... been wondering if she had really told me the truth in the beginning".
N stood still for a few moments as he took in this information, and then erupted into a shocked fluster. "Uh, Mr. Uzi, we're ... not ... dating. She's a really great person, though! My bestest friend in the whole world!", N's teeth glinted in the light from his nervous smile.
Keep up the 'good boy' attitude and you might just land her .Khan stopped himself. He's a Murder Drone .Do I really want her dating and ... having kids with one? ...Is that last part even possible?
Khan ended up releasing a silent sigh of relief, tomorrow's worries were for tomorrow anyway. "One ... last thing. Does she know?".
"Does she know what? That we're not dating? Because that sounds kind-of important".
"No, no", Khan calmed him, "forget I said that, she was clearly lying to me about it ... as I originally thought".
A questioning eyebrow appeared on N's screen, "what did you mean?".
"Does-", he stopped.
'I don't want to know'.
I don't think he does either.
"Forget it", Khan looked away and set a hand on N's shoulder as a peace offering, "let's head back".
N nodded with vigor, eager to return to the familiarity of Uzi's presence. The talk with Khan was weird and he was glad it was over. As they re-entered the living space, N immediately went for Uzi's room.
She regarded him from her bed, "welcome back to my lair".
"What's that?", he pointed at the thing she was on.
"Bed? Of course, you wouldn't know because you sleep stupid", she smirked.
His tail made irritated loops in the air behind him, "I wake up comfortable every night! Don't knock it 'till you try it!".
Uzi pouted, "how am I supposed to know if I don't have a tail?".
"...You wanna try it?".
Uzi gave him a questioning look, "...can you?".
"Can I?", N looked around for anything to hang off of. The ceiling was mostly smooth and he couldn't find a place to hang from his tail from. At a loss, he jabbed the prong of the injector into the ceiling, earning a disappointed look from Uzi.
"Dude!", she pointed at the ceiling, "how am I supposed to repair that?".
He shrugged, "spit maybe".
"Your spit only repairs bodies, not a freakin' ceiling!", she fumed.
"I'll fix it later", he smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, "don't worry".
She quickly found herself unable to stay mad at him. That damn smile of his could convince her to do anything. Well, almost anything, it'd make her consider at least. The corners of her mouth raised ever so slightly. "Alright, your responsibility though".
Uzi got an even better view of his teeth as his smile increased and he pulled her into an embrace. A fluster quickly made itself apparent on Uzi as she found herself held. His tail coiled itself up as he fought to make use of what little vertical space there was in the room. After a second, the ground was pulled out from under her as his tail became the one thing physically connecting them to her room. They flipped upside down and swayed for a moment.
"That's step one", he adjusted his hold on her, "now's step two". His wings emerged and enclosed them, "eh, it's not perfect but your room's just small. Uh". He flipped her around, "and then you cross your arms like you're giving yourself a big hug, and bingo!".
She found herself held out a bit, her dress threatening to flip up entirely. At a sudden loss on how to react, she did what he said and crossed her arms.
"Pretty comfortable, right?", she heard him say behind her. She wasn't sure if she had the nerve to tell him that it was more comfortable when he and her were holding each other.
"What is going on in here?", they heard Khan from the doorway. In their panic, they dropped to the floor, N's injector ripping out of the ceiling.
Uzi groaned as N looked up at Khan like a small child. "W-What's the problem, Mr. Uzi?", he stuttered out.
"You tell me", he pointed at the ceiling, "damaging Uzi's room for ... whatever that was?".
"Dad!", Uzi complained, "he's just showing me some Disassembly Drone thing. Chill".
Khan's face tensed, "Disa-what?". As they looked back at him in confusion, he gave in, "just ... keep the door open, ok?", before heading away from the room.
He knew he should have faith in Uzi, but this was too much to deal with. Having him in the home was reminding him too much of Nori. He had to admit, it was hard looking at Uzi sometimes because she looked so much like her mom. The Murder Drone -no- Disassembly Drone was another thing entirely. Every look at him gave Khan flashbacks of that night. Yellow liquid and a wrench seared into his mind. Looking at him and Uzi being so friendly with each other was like being thrust into an alternative reality, one that existed to hurt him specifically.
With a shaking hand, he opened the door to his room and walked in. The familiarity of his tools and plans littering the room giving him a small sense of comfort. He looked at the family photo on the wall wondering how she'd feel about their daughter's taste in friends - how she'd feel about him allowing this to go on and being courteous with the creature he'd allowed into their home.
He realized then that he really wouldn't want to know.
Back in Uzi's room, the two picked themselves off the floor, N's wings untangling themselves and folding back into his body. "Jeez, he's so jumpy", Uzi complained.
"It's been a rough night", N suggested, "maybe he just wants us to sleep".
"Can he stop controlling me for one night, jeez! I get to have someone over for the first time and he acts like that?", Uzi fumed and folded her arms.
He shrugged, "well, I'm beat at least".
Her demeanor changed swiftly, regarding him with a warm look. After tonight? Yeah, you really were . "Did you want to change out of the suit?".
His hands waved, "nah, I'm good". He walked over to her bed and flopped on it, "I don't think I've ever slept on one of these".
"Never seen a bed over there to begin with, dude", she stated. Needless to say, she was dumbfounded the first time she saw him sleep upside down. V always complained about sleeping in the chair, while Uzi had made a small nest in another area of the pod.
N's hands flew over her bed sheet, "so how's it work? You just lay down on it and sleep?".
"Well", she pointed over at the wall it was along, "Workers manage power a little differently. If you plug yourself in, you can get a boost to your power core and recharge faster".
He looked at the plug on the wall with apprehension, "...would it work on me?".
She looked at the plug and back at him, "only one way to find out". Careful of her dress, she climbed on her bed with him. "Turn around", she instructed. N complied immediately. Uzi grabbed the cord and set it down beside her, her hands making their way to N's neck.
At contact, he nearly gasped, the feeling of her hands in such a place was something he'd never experienced. She must've felt him tense as she said, "hey, uh, sorry for not warning you. The neck thing's pretty important".
"K-Keep going", he squeaked out unceremoniously.
Another fluster worked its way across her face. She found the cover-hatch for his ports and opened it, frowning when she saw the port connections. "One second", she told him, hopping off the bed and heading to her desk. He looked at her in confusion as she rummaged through a desk drawer. "Found it", she announced, a short wire in hand.
"What's that?", he asked.
She pointed at the ends of the wire, "you take a different wire for power, this is an adapter. Huh, always wondered why I had this thing around". Uzi climbed back onto the bed and plugged the wire into the adapter. Adapter in hand, she carefully inserted it into the port. "Ok", she announced, taking a few shuffles back, "you don't have any weird errors or anything, right?".
He took a careful look over his system logs, not finding anything unusual. If anything, he did find the whole thing weird, but with a strange pleasantness. His head shook, "no, it's fine. I kind-of like it".
"Oh. Cool".
"So, uh, now what?", he leaned back.
She took a glance between the bed sheets and him, "sleep?".
"And that just happens?".
"How does it happen for you?".
Her hand patted the bed once, "lay down and it happens?". She used herself as an example, "I dunno, just let it happen".
He laid down beside her, "oh, so, like this?".
"Yep, and then you just let it happen".
He nodded, "right, right. You're gonna sleep too, right? Do you need the plug?".
Her gaze deflected, "uh, not yet. I got stuff to think about".
He smiled, "ok. Before I sleep and die for however many hours, just wanna say that meeting you's been the best thing that's happened to me in a long while". His hand clasped hers, "thank you for that. I'm glad we worked things out because I would've lost something very special".
'S-Special'? Her mind broke at the level of honesty he showed her. You dork! That sounds like something out of my Japanese anime!
"Uzi?", he asked, "good?".
Her head nodded on instinct, "yeah, yeah".
"Good. That's good", he muttered and evidently something shut down in him. Uzi was briefly concerned, but then figured he must've hit sleep mode.
She then became painfully aware of the situation. He was really gonna spend the rest of the night in her bed. N, we could've given you the couch! She carefully got up off the bed and paced. What the fuck? Where do I sleep then? Do I just ... with him?
...Why was that my first thought? The couch is an option, too.
She stopped before the bed, brief discomfort fading into a small smile. It was bizarrely warming to see him enjoying her bed. After all he did for her, something about it felt right. The night's events played over in her head again and how much he went through. Her hand on instinct reached over to his waist, feeling over the area she'd noticed was bleeding back when they'd danced. It hadn't been bleeding for a while now, and feeling it now it seemed unremarkable, not that she knew what he looked like under there anyway. She gave a sigh in relief.
It was then she noticed something very important - N wasn't offline. His yellow eyes were hollow, looking back at her in flustered confusion. "Woah! Hey, uh ...", she blurted out, "I- I was just ... Just concerned is all!".
"About what?".
"I watched you get bisected earlier. You did insane things for me, I just ... wanted to be sure you were alright", she looked at him with honesty.
He looked down as though to check himself. "I'd say I'm fine. It repaired a while ago". In a softer voice, he added, "but, thank you for being worried. It means a lot".
A nervous chuckle escaped Uzi, "yeah, I totally wasn't worrying over nothing or anything! We're friends, right? That's what we do! ...I think".
N laughed and reached for her hand, "I don't know anything about it either, but I think we're doing good at it".
A warm feeling coursed through Uzi at the contact, which briefly stunned her.
He noticed her pause, "why don't you think down here with me? It's your bed anyway, friends can share".
She nodded, hoping the action would hide the blush she had no doubt was on her face. He shuffled towards the wall a bit, allowing her room to lie down. She put her back to him, hoping he wouldn't mind that. More flustered feelings arose in her from the proximity to him. Soon, she felt him drape an arm over her and his head buried itself in her hair. Every ounce of her wanted to flip over and welcome his presence even greater like he was the most important thing in the world. Really, he already was, and it was getting hard trying to not show him that.
She froze. Friends don't think that about each other.
I think ... I want to be more than friends ...
...I like N. I like N! Oh robo-Jesus, when did this happen?
The realization hit her hard. Her hands clenched as her emotions processed.
I-It's not so bad, right? I mean, these crazy absoluteSolver powers would make dating any other Worker here dangerous, he can take it.
...I could hurt him with it anyway. Oh jeez ... And to think N used to be the dangerous one ...
Is it fate? We're both monsters now. Maybe falling for a Disassembler is the only option for me.
...I shouldn't think of N that way. Despite what he is, he's the nicest drone I know. He's far from being a monster.
...Maybe I shouldn't think of myself as one either ...
Her thoughts were interrupted as he asked, "are you good? Sorry I kinda started uh ... hugging you like this?".
"N-No! All g-good!", she stammered.
"Good. That's good", he said and a wing emerged to cover her, "you had a rough day, just making sure you're comfy. Now you're double comfy!".
Uzi stared at the metallic blades of his wing, further fluster overcoming her. You dork! Why are you so nice? Are you into me too?
Another freeze. Is he? He told her when they met that he liked V, but over the time they'd spent she wasn't sure if he still did. Today especially she was surprised to hear him actually tell V off. Several times even. Don't get your hopes up, maybe that's not right.
"Your bed's so comfortable", he slurred out, "I can see why you guys like these things so much".
"You're insane. My mattress isn't even good".
He nuzzled her, "it's good because it's yours. You make anything better".
Uzi's mind went wild. What's his game? Does he like me? Has he been flirting with me all night? Her mind shifted back to the prom and how he saved her several times. The reassurance he gave her seconds before he was bisected. The short dance they performed. Holding him, and being held by him. They danced together at prom. Prom !
"Uzi?", he asked in the silence.
She quickly side-eyed him. It's prom night, I can totally tell him this. If I can ...
"N?".
"Yeah?".
"D-Do you ...". She swallowed as her nerve left her. He made a noise as he waited for her to finish. After a few moments she loudly exhaled and flipped over to face him. A violent fluster appeared on her face, "whatever. You're ... tolerable or whatever".
Confusion crossed his own face, "what's that mean-".
"Are you gonna tell me or not? Ugh!", she fumed, "ok, whatever! I think you're ...", she said something he couldn't pick up on.
"What?".
"I think you're nice and cool and I like you, gah!", she fumed, "whatever? It's whatever, ok?".
His screen lit up in a fluster, "uh, Uzi? You mean that?".
She looked at him furious for a second before grabbing him by the shoulders and pressing her mouth to his cheek. "There. You see?", she asked, "it's not on the mouth because whatever but yeah".
He was stunned. That was a kiss? That was a kiss. Not on the mouth, but the meaning was obvious. "Y-You just ... kissed me?".
She kept looking at him all flushed and furious, a cute pout in actuality. "Yeah? What are you, stupid? You gonna keep flirting with me or get serious already?".
Oh. She was serious. This was serious. She wanted this, a relationship with him? With him? This was a lot to take in, "I'm ... not sure if I-".
"What? Is it V?", she asked, "N, I'm telling you right now that I'm ready for this if you are. You ... mean a lot to me. If you wanna go that way, I'm willing".
A relationship with Uzi. With Uzi. It was such a foreign concept to him. Yeah, the idea of getting with V felt further every day, but getting with Uzi had other challenges with it. Could he handle liking someone he was designed to kill? Something told him that he already did.
Did he even like her? He knew deep down he did, the damage to his body today attested to that. But like that? Truthfully, he was scared to find out, but something told him he did.
He grabbed her head into his hands and held her close, "I ... like you a lot. But this is sudden. Give me a bit on this, ok?".
"You're the one who's been praising me all night", she said, her voice muffled from being pressed into his clothing, "come up with an answer sooner so I don't break your neck".
"Ouch". Did he even have an answer? "Uh, when I wake up. Ok?".
"Deal", she smirked as she pressed against him to see him again, "I get this side of the bed by the way".
He shrugged, "it's yours anyway".
Uzi almost couldn't believe she was going to seriously recharge in this dumb dress her dad picked out for prom, but whatever, N was still in his suit anyway. "Alright, have fun dreams or whatever".
"Oh, you too".
An honest smile, "yeah, good night".
Before long, they both ended up deep in recharge together. Their bodies were softly illuminated cuddled up together under the lights.
The first thing Uzi noticed coming out of recharge was the pressure around her body. What's that about? Dad throw a blanket on me? As her optics turned on, reality hit her hard.
Yellow eyes and a gleeful smile greeted her whispering, "hey Uzi!".
Her eyes hollowed, "N? What are you doing here? S-Shouldn't you be ...". Her attention was drawn to their clothes - prom outfits. "Oh". Right. The prom, and reuniting with him yesterday. Now they were sharing her bed together, because naturally that's what happens when you and your friend mend some wounds between you and then you both end up fighting a robot with psychic powers and then discover you can also use said psychic powers and in his concern, your friend takes you back to your place and accidentally keeps you company for the night. Yeah, weirder things have happened.
His eyes, the fake ones, glanced over to the doorway. "Your dad's been checking on us every now and then. I've been faking being asleep. I don't think he knows about my real eyes, so I just watch him stand there all weird".
She glanced over, this being a little difficult since his wing over her blocked some of the view. "Wait, how long have you been up?".
He shrugged, "a while. I forgot I was nocturnal, so I slept a few hours. I gave you the cord to recharge".
Right, she'd somehow nearly forgotten that last night.
"Hey, um", he started, "about what you said last night".
It took a few moments for her to remember. Oh, I gave him a confession .
Oh robo-Jesus what did she get herself into?
The diagonal lines of drone blush came rushing in on her face as it sank in. "Uh", she tried, "y-you don't have to- I mean, is this ...".
A quizzical look, "what?".
She blinked, a process she hoped would shake some sense into her. It failed. "I know we only just got back together again, but uh, w-would going that way be too f-fast?".
"I thought you wanted to take it fast?".
She shook her head, "no, no! I didn't mean to give you an ultimatum last night! I was being stupid and ... I don't know".
"...So what do you want?", he regarded her calmly.
What did she want? She knew what she wanted, but taking it now felt very risky. Too fast. Right, what did N want?
Her eyes glanced away for comfort and then refocused on him, "did you think about it?".
"I did", he smiled, "and I do like you a lot".
"...You had a lot of time to think about it. You sure you didn't overthink it and now you're convinced of something you'll regret later?".
His expression relaxed in concern, "you're trying to talk me out of it, aren't you? Did you mean what you said last night?".
He had indeed over-thought it, but he decided it didn't matter. She'd been there for him when his former teammates refused to or put him in those situations to begin with, and this made it easy for him to bond quickly with her. Uzi meant a lot to him at this point, and he was now curious how much further that could go. It's not like things got much better with V anyway ...
Meanwhile, Uzi froze. Whatever courage she had that night had left her. "Um, well ...".
He frowned, "you didn't mean it?".
"No! No, I just ... I mean it", aside from the fluster, her expression was not unlike a cornered animal, "I ... like you, like that. N, I've ... I've never dated before and I know I'm messing up bad, aren't I?".
"Nervous?", he suggested.
"Yeah ...".
"We don't have to make it official yet. Taking things slow is an option, too", he shrugged.
She nodded as her mind worked out how to deal with the situation. Sure, she could push them entering the relationship right now, but hurting N weighed heavily on her mind. But if she didn't, would he look elsewhere? A tinge of jealousy was felt as she remembered their other teammate.
Something else told her to not worry so hard. They'd been able to work things out already, they could take whatever comes up between them. He probably also realized that he was in the same boat as her in that doing this risked her looking elsewhere.
Too soon. Plus, she kinda wanted the moment to be under a better context.
Whatever. Slow it is.
"Yeah, slow's fine". Saying those words felt like a massive relief.
He nodded, "cool, cool ...".
Huh, awkward. "Ok, what's on your mind?", she decided to pry into it.
"Oh! Uh", his face flushed as he continued, "I kinda spent the last 3 hours getting the courage to ask about ... uh ...".
"What? Were you expecting a different outcome?".
His eyes, the fake eyes, glanced elsewhere, "yeah, uh. I thought I'd start the morning off with a-a ...". His words trailed off as he became inaudible.
"What? Like a ki-".
He cut her off, "yep! Exactly! I thought it'd be nice if we were gonna get serious about this". It was weird seeing him in such a panicked fluster. Total reverse of things last night with them.
A kiss though? Could her angsty self even handle that?
Her brows appeared as her emotional state changed, "isn't that also too quick? When are you even supposed to do that, when you're already dating or before that?". Yeah, says the girl who gave him a kiss (but not on the lips!) last night. It meant things, but it wasn't a real kiss.
He rubbed his neck awkwardly, "uh, before I guess? I mean, you'd have to be all lovey together before dating, right? It'd be weird to start dating and not even be like that beforehand. Why date if you gotta change how you act around each other?".
If you put it that way ...
Screw it. I can't complain if I have my first kiss with my best friend anyway. Could anyone blame me? He's so ...
"Uzi?".
"Y-Yeah, let's do it!", she squeaked.
He shushed her, "careful, your dad might hear you".
She tried to give him a smirk, a typical reply she'd otherwise do, but it came off funky since she was still all messed up. "Heh, yeah. Guess we better get this going then?"
He pushed himself up so he sat on the bed, his extracted wing following him. "Guess so", he mused, "you ready?".
Uzi realized her place in the world then. As his hand extended towards her to help her up, she didn't see him as the strange killer robot or dorky dude he was. No, not that. What the fuck? He's an angel.
...When did I become the main character in a supernatural romance story?
She took his hand and sat upright on the bed with him. They exchanged a mutually anxious glance between them. "Uh", Uzi broke the silence, "how do we-".
He put a gentle hold on her as he adjusted his wing, "in case your dad walks in. This would be really hard to explain after last night".
"N, what are you talking about?".
His face went yellow (moreso than it usually is) at the realization. "I kinda ... Uh. Your dad talked to me about ... him, thinking we were dating. I told him the truth".
Uzi also blushed at the reveal. She hadn't even stopped to think about what those two talked about. She nodded on instinct, "yeah, that would be weird".
"And I don't want him thinking I lied to him, so this wing stays out", he regarded the appendage. Right, dad also wanted the door open for some reason.
She put a hand on his shoulder, "right, let's do this". Something in her cringed at regarding such a romantic act as something so casual. Perhaps though, that would calm her nerves about it.
"Right! Uh, let's start from the top", his wing enclosed them, "uh, good morning Uzi!".
She found herself unable to see the doorway now. Good on him. "G-Good morning N", her voice came out shakey.
"Did you recharge well?".
"Yeah, you?".
"Yeah".
Silence. So much for that conversation. N put both hands on her now, "ready for that 'good morning' kiss?".
Her eyes went wide, "ready as I'll ever be".
The two readjusted their shoulder holds on each other, arms bumping into each other as they fought to figure out what to do. Something clicked in the middle of this, as the holds relaxed. They stared into each other as they waited for the other to make the first move. N finally had to break the ice, "ya'know, I've said before that I love doing anything. This is the first big thing anyone's wanted to do with me that I wanted to do in the first place". His voice faltered, "uh, if you wanna not do this I totally understand".
"I already told you I like you, you goob! I wanna do this too, I really do!", Uzi pouted.
'It'd be weird to start dating and not even be like that beforehand.'
Oh, we're really going down that path aren't we? N smiled both at the situation and Uzi's reply. "Alright, sounds like someone needs their Good Morning kiss already!".
"Well maybe I'll kiss you first!", Uzi boasted.
They then inched their faces closer, emotions fading back into anxiety. Fluster clouded their displays as they finally bridged the gap between them. Holds on each other adjusted as they worked out what to do with their mouths on each other. After a few moments, N was first to relax into it, Uzi following shortly after. They continued looking at each other for a moment longer, then mostly shut off their visuals opting for touch to guide them. Uzi wrapped her arms around him, as did he, as they felt the strange and foreign need for each other overcome them. Lips parted as they broke the kiss opting for the hug instead. They stayed like that for a few moments.
N was once again the first to break the ice, pulling himself away from her a bit, "uh, that ... went well, right?".
"Yeah, yeah ... You were nice".
N's face flushed yellow again, "uh, you too". After a few moments of them calming down, he retracted his wing, the appendage disappearing into his body.
Uzi felt a little shell-shocked by the whole thing, "so uh, that was my first kiss ever".
"Oh, and you're ok with that?".
"Yes, you big dork", she said playfully shoved him.
N smiled, "and you're small and cute".
"Hey!", Uzi fumed, "what part of 'let's take things slow' do you not understand?".
"Uzi, we just kissed".
"That's besides the point!". Uzi huffed and leapt off her bed. Her eyes glazed over her usual outfit longing to get out of the dress already. She addressed him again, "by the way, where'd you leave your coat, back at the spire?".
"Yeahhhh ...".
She took another look between her hoodie and him, "do you want to wear anything else while you're here?".
He gave her an odd look, "you want me to wear your hoodie?".
She became flustered again, "no, no! I'm just tired of this dress. And besides, I think you'd rip it".
He patted down his outfit, "I like this though. I've never been so dapper before".
"You do look good in it", she said without thinking.
"You also, uh", N blushed, "y-you look pretty, Uzi".
N, I'm never going to stop blushing at this rate. And while I'm at it, I guess I might as well keep this on if you're keeping that on.
She twirled a strand of her hair, "t-thanks. Uh, maybe we should head out already".
N got off the bed and wandered over to her. "Listen, I know what we agreed on, but you know me - I'm open to new things. Pretty sure a relationship between a Disassembler and Worker's never happened before, but ya'know we can ... try? If you want to ... with me?".
She found his fingers interlocking hers on one hand. "Uh ... I-I'll think about it". Don't wanna rush in and make mistakes. I just hope this whole night and morning hasn't been one ...
N seems really into the idea, though.
Uzi noticed an off look from N. "Don't get me wrong here, I didn't mean to sound uninterested". He perked up at this.
"Alright", he said and released her hand, "maybe we should check in with your dad now".
Frowning, Uzi nodded. Talking with Khan would easily be the hardest part of the morning, even after the whole thing between her and N. She led him out of her room and into the living area of the home. They found Khan sitting down on the sofa.
N waved at the older drone, "hey Mr. Uzi! Sorry we're up a little late. Or, early? Sorry I'm not good at this".
Khan regarded them, nervous again, but with an undertone to it that felt all too familiar to Uzi. "Good morning!", he chimed out as best he could, "everyone feeling good this morning?".
"I usually go to recharge at about this time!", N blurted out.
Uzi shrugged, "well, welcome to how Workers live day-to-day ... I guess. Recharging at night's what we do".
"Yes, um", Khan cleared his mechanical throat, "nothing ... intimate happened last night, right?".
Uzi was immediately appalled, "dad! What the hell?".
"Uzi, I didn't need to look in there to know you two used your bed. He should've taken the couch". Khan was slowly gaining that drive back as he pressed this. Old habits die hard.
The purple drone fumed, "why's that an issue? I can't spend time with my friends in my own room?".
"Uzi, there are things young drones may do with each other in spaces like that, that ... well, shouldn't be-".
"Ugh, dad! ", Uzi struck an odd pose, N recognizing it from a piece of old human animation she showed him once, "I'm 19 now! You can't control me like this anymore!"
"Uzi!", he rounded on her, "I think you two have been covering up something very important! You can't keep who you date a secret like that!".
Her eyes hollowed as her mouth unhinged in anger, "but we're not dating! Dad, you're jumping to conclusions just because you saw us in the same bed!".
"Then why", he pointed at N, "did he tell me the same thing?".
N decided to speak then, "because we're not?".
Khan's motivation faded as he found fewer and fewer details to hold against them, "but, recharging together?".
"Accident", N replied, "my bad".
Khan suddenly got up to pace around, grumbling something about murder drones. Uzi watched in irritation as N looked elsewhere, his tail drifting bored behind him.
All this got thoughts swimming in Uzi's head again, but not the wholesome but complicated ones she had earlier. No. He's being so ... racist? Is that the word? Whatever. Uzi frowned. If I do end up getting with N, dad's gonna be so upset.
A fiendish smile made its way across her face.
N noticed her get closer to him and encouraged him to take a spot on the couch. He obliged, taking the seat. "So how's things usually go in the mornings here? That didn't seem usual", N gave her a probing look.
Uzi scoffed, "is anything normal? He's just especially off since he found out my best friend's you". She took a seat very close to him, their legs touching, "like, come on. We got past that ages ago. A little almost-death certainly goes a long way".
Ouch. That certainly bit Khan. To think his now biggest mistake could've snowballed into the situation in his living room. "Hey!", Uzi caught his attention, "why don't you grab us some drinks?".
He grunted and rushed off, finding himself grateful to get out of that for a moment. Calm down. He and her had both gotten out of line on this, he realized that much. It was just so ... upsetting finding her cuddled up next to that thing . Boy. Young man? He couldn't get a good read on the Disassembler's age, but figured -hoped- he and Uzi were similar in age. Perhaps that was the case. The Murder Drones had been around since Uzi was still a developing AI, but the set in this sector were new.
It was hard not to recall the journey to this outpost several years prior. Deep in the dead of night, Outpost 9 was broken into by the team of that sector. He could still clearly remember the sirens blaring as the colony escaped. The glow of a Disassembler approaching from down the corridor. A button. The locking of the door between them. A door he had built himself. It saved them valuable time as they escaped and he had been hailed as a hero. It stuck with him as he founded the colony of Outpost 3 in how much he fixated on the very thing that saved him from what happened at Outpost 9.
Just as they had mostly settled in Outpost 3, did they get the shock of a new set of Murder Drones to fear. This too was a day he would never forget. Everyone was running inside as the slaughter began. He roared at Uzi, now with her final Worker body, to hide inside. It was hard trying to keep note of who was still out there, and trying not to think of how many had already perished. He stood by the entrance looking for his beloved Nori as Workers fled in. At last, he spotted her hobbling over. He rushed in to carry her to safety as one of the Murder Drones followed. It felt like a miracle he managed to get in before his door closed on the oncoming Disassembler, a now distressingly familiar face.
She had told him it had stung her and it was destroying her from the inside out, something he could now see what with the tell-tale yellow fluid leaking from her. "Make it quick", she instructed him, her gaze looking towards his discarded wrench. He froze in disbelief, not wanting to accept what he'd been told, but with a pained look from her he was convinced. A loud thunk and the splattering of oil ensued. The purple glow in the area disappeared, replaced with red. The wrench fell from his hand as he, too, fell over.
It was the hardest thing he had ever done, though he supposed leaving Uzi for dead was also pretty high up there.
With weary eyes, he reached for a container filled with a mixture of various liquids designed for Worker use. He then brought out three mugs, sighing as he realized he never had to bring out two before, like it was family time with her and Nori again. No. This was serious time with Uzi and the monster of her affection. He'd messed up badly with her ever since Nori was taken from them, all he could hope for was to make things up where he could. Just ... The Murder Drone though. Maybe if she knew, she'd understand. Anything to get the reminder of that awful night out of his home and life, especially if she and him were getting close like that. Just ... play it cool for now. Maybe she'd listen to his discouragement if he changed tactics.
He carried the items to the living room. "Hey", Uzi regarded him from the couch, "just put it on the coffee table".
" 'Thank you?' ", he asked her. She rolled her eyes and said it, Khan giving her a smile in approval. Little steps where you could make them.
"So, how much does everyone wan-", he stopped as he realized Uzi had an arm around N, the poor boy looked like he was trying to hide his fluster. Oh, how much Khan wished it wasn't this thing she was throwing herself onto.
She nonchalantly regarded him, "the usual, if you can even remember how much that is".
Another biting comment. How was she so good at that? Did he raise her that way? ...He hadn't done much raising of her lately. Not since Nori passed. Yeah, that comment was his work and he found it absolutely horrid.
He grabbed the container and a mug, filling it to about where he remembered she liked it. He passed it off to her and she quickly swiped it from his hand. Khan swallowed down his revulsion as he took the one meant for Nori and asked, "how much will you drink, N ?".
N quickly found himself going hungry at the sight of the liquid, "what's that? If it's oil I can drink that".
Khan shrugged, "it's mostly a cleaning solution".
"Tastes awful, it's nothing like-", Uzi cut herself off in realization of the horror she was about to unleash on her own dad and N. "Just, awful", she finished.
N frowned, "oh, I can't drink that".
"Dude, you need to drink", Uzi's face tensed, "you got so wrecked up last night you probably really need it".
"Sorry, forgot", he waved it off, "I've been good for a while now, didn't cross my mind".
Uzi focused hard on him. More like you ignored yourself for my sake again . "Hey", she started, "uh, maybe you should just drink from me instead of going back to the spire for a drink".
"You sure?".
"Yeah", Uzi smiled, "just not a lot". She set her mug on the table.
He parted from her as he stood up and hovered above her, Khan watching in horror. N took her arm, "here again?".
A dense look crossed Uzi's face, "got gloves on, and I'm not feeling bothered enough to take them off".
"So where?".
With her other arm she pointed towards her neck, "you like it best from here right? In this dress it's gonna be way easier than my hoodie".
N's tail shot up as he remembered, "uh, s-should we do this while your dad is watching?". He turned to the older drone, "M-Mister Uzi, is this weird?".
"Dude!", Uzi shot back, "it's just normal stuff for you guys, ain't weird". Sorry, I lied. It's weird as fuck and I want to see dad grossed out. Serves him right for being so rude.
N's eyes darted around nervously, "uh, if you say so ...". He leaned in for the bite, the two growing more and more flustered until he finally met her throat. Well, almost. "Uh, Uzi? Usually when I do this I can bend the head off to the side and that's definitely not happening with you".
"So what's the problem?".
"I can't reach your neck", he parted from his attempt, screen aglow in fluster as his mouth was creased in an almost comical pout.
Uzi's mouth hung open briefly, "uh, collar area then?".
"Got it", he lunged for it. He adjusted himself so that it felt natural for both of them, "you feel ready?".
"Go for it".
His teeth plunged in and she gave a small yelp of pain. Khan loudly exclaimed her name in shock.
She gave him a look, "it's fine, dad. It doesn't hurt". Hurts like a bitch, actually.
Khan watched this in horror. How could she let this thing drink her? Consume her? It was sickening, but he knew she'd throw a fit if she yanked it off her. He should have. He wanted to, but watching it drink terrified him. Was he really just gonna let it drink her dry? His hands twitched, any nerve leaving him as his terror took over. It really hadn't been all that long. Uzi asked the creature if it was almost done and it replied with some trilling mouthy noise. Something about this shifted Khan's mood greatly, like he was witness to an intimate action he really shouldn't have seen. It was somehow worse than whatever he imagined they could've gotten into together alone in her room. He couldn't take it, and so he averted his gaze.
N was done after a few moments and pulled away from her. "You're right", he spoke almost in disbelief, "it does taste better".
Uzi rolled her eyes, "you told me that before, that's why I let you drink around my neck".
"No, no wait", N corrected, "I mean, you taste way better than I remember you being. Like, really good".
A blush quickly across her screen, "yeah, uh. Sure".
They paused as they heard a low, undignified whine from Khan. It startled both of them, and Khan himself was surprised he even made the noise. Uzi's gaze hardened, "dad, me and N have done this a few times already. It's not weird or anything, he needs constant oil or else he'll fucking die".
Khan timidly returned the gaze, "U-Uzi? W-What happens if you run out of-".
"That's not going to happen. Dad, trust me. I've been living with him for a while now so we know a lot about this whole situation. Something you should learn about because we're really not all that different".
He couldn't even focus on her as she spat this at him. As he refocused, his eyes hollowed at her and N's state. A bite mark was clearly visible between her shoulder and her neck, and her oil leaked from his mouth.
She gave him an odd look, "what? Did my dress slip or- Oh. N, you need to clean this up".
"What? Oh", he realized he completely forgot to heal her wound, "on it".
Khan watched him draw back to her and then he got a very, very good look at his tongue lapping over the torn exterior of Uzi's body. There was ... spit? It was licking her. What in his holy three doors was going on here?
That did it. Khan was broken. He slumped over as some protocol activated to stop this mental turmoil.
Wound healed, they drew apart and quickly noticed Khan's state. "Uh, dad?", Uzi asked.
"We bored him to sleep?", N stated as he walked around the unresponsive drone.
"Oh jeez, uh", Uzi trailed off as she thought about what to do, "lay him out on this couch I guess?".
N gave her a thumbs-up, "on it!". He took a cautious and experimental hold on him before hauling him up into his arms and depositing the older drone onto the couch, Uzi having since moved off it.
"Oh wow, he's really out of it", Uzi said as they hovered over him.
N gave her a nervous look, "did we do anything? I mean, that wasn't weird, right?".
"I didn't think he'd get ...like that over it".
A probing look this time, "like what? You knew he might see that weird?".
Uzi's hands flew up, "nope, nope! Didn't think that!".
"Kay, weird ...", N muttered as he returned attention to Khan, "maybe I should wake him up".
"Dude-".
"Hey, Mister Uzi!", N shouted, "you fell asleep!".
Uzi grabbed him by the arm, "dude!".
"What?".
"Ok, first-off, our last name's 'Doorman'. Second-off-". N burst out into laughter, Uzi giving him another hard look. "What?", she asked.
He chuckled, " Doorman ".
"You shut your big mouth already!", she protested, giving him a light shove.
He gave her a grin, "you liked kissing it earlier".
Uzi erupted into an angry fluster again, "b-besides the point!".
They heard a groan from Khan and both immediately forgot about the prior exchange. "Dad?", Uzi asked aloud.
The older drone groaned again, "w-where am I?".
"You fell asleep!", N chimed in, "sorry we bored you that bad!".
Khan found his presence only worsening things. The fact he was struggling to recall why the Murder Drone was in his home was very uncomfortable, and why were both of them still in those prom outfits? He rubbed his helmet, "oh, is that it?".
"Yep, nothing else happened", Uzi stated.
There it was, that oddly-specific denial. He knew her well enough to know she was lying. He nodded, "yeah, right".
N thrust his head into Khan's vision again, "are you feeling better? Need any help?".
"Dude, my dad can help himse-".
"Just, give me some room", Khan told them. They immediately took several steps away from the couch as Khan sat himself up.
N fidgeted, "so are you ... all good?".
"I-I think I'll be fine", Khan replied.
Uzi latched onto N, "hey, why don't you give him some more room?".
"How much?".
Uzi scoffed, "a lot? You're way too focused on him".
"Why's that a problem? He fell asleep suddenly an-", his eyes lit up as his tail wagged, " you want attention don't you? Oh Uzi, all you have to do was ask!". He broke out into a delighted smile and wrapped his arms around her.
She looked back at him in shocked fluster. "Uh, I-I don't really mean-".
He patted her on the back from the hug, "I think it's cute that you want me giving you attention".
"Dude, can we talk about-".
"Yes", Khan proclaimed from the couch, "I think we do need to have a talk". His gaze fell on them hard, his face tensed.
The two froze like criminals caught in the act. Maybe that's what it was, literally. "Uh, sure Mister Doorman", N replied as he pushed Uzi off him.
Khan pointed towards an adjacent couch, "sit down". Uzi groaned and N did as told, no complaints, as they took a seat next to each other. "Uzi", Khan began, "why is he in our house?".
Uzi looked at him with an odd look, "dad? You didn't get robo-dementia from that, did you?".
His face fell into his hands, "no Uzi, things are coming back, just not a lot right now".
"It was late last night after the prom and N suggested we spend the night here. V fucked off with Lizzy", Uzi explained, her arms folded.
Khan froze as he recalled the prom. A mixture of emotions came through him. "Yeah, yeah ...", he replied.
"You good, Mister Doorman?", N asked.
Khan waved him down and he suddenly took a more nervous look. "I-I need to ask", he stuttered, "are you two ... dating?".
"Oh wow he really did forget", N whispered so only Uzi could hear.
"We're not dating", Uzi loudly stated, her expression completely deadpan.
Khan nodded, "oh, ok". He clasped his hands together.
N tilted his head at the reaction, "why? Did you want us to?".
"N!".
"What? It was a legitimate question", N replied, his hands going palm-up.
Uzi found it a little hard to do her usual angry routine from this seat, "because that's weird to ask!". Khan meanwhile held his head in his hands.
"But how am I supposed to know?", N implored, "I don't really know this stuff".
Uzi said something but Khan couldn't catch it. His mind was doing somersaults trying to make sense of things and cope with it.
N suddenly shifted attitude, "why are you so worried about that kind of thing? Isn't it better to just say the truth?".
"Truth hurts", Uzi casually replied, "sometimes it's better to not to bring it up".
N fidgeted, "I ... kind of want to bring up things? Like, we ... uh ...".
Uzi gave him a devious look before returning her gaze to Khan. "Ya'know'", Uzi mused, "maybe we should talk about things".
"Oh. Like what?".
Uzi shrugged nonchalantly, "oh you know. The thing at prom. Maybe even our kiss that happened tod-".
"Maybe not that right now", N cautioned.
Too late, Khan already heard it. His mind went at light speed processing this. He didn't want to believe it, but after all he's seen between them? She probably wasn't lying. She'd lie to him, but to the Murder Drone she was oddly open with. It made him sick.
He recalled everything up to this point. The talk last night, the prom, everything. This was really something that would continue on if he didn't bring a stop to it, huh? Finally, an end to the nightmare he'd been living in since she met him. Every look between them a harsh reminder of what happened to Nori.
Khan bawled into his hands, alarming the other two. "Mister Doorman? You good?", N asked.
Khan ignored him, "Uzi? Y-You know ... You know I've seen him before ...".
One of Uzi's brows raised, "yeah? Where?". Khan refused to elaborate as Uzi continued to bug him, "hey, dad! What were you saying?".
His bawling lasted another few moments. N glanced between them confused. He couldn't remember seeing the older drone aside from recently.
"Dad!", Uzi exclaimed, "talk to me, what's wrong about N?".
He choked back a few sobs, "that ... that thing ... it ... Uzi? I-I can't ...". The older drone took a few moments to catch himself.
"...Dad?".
"It took your mother", he sobbed, "and I can't stand to see it take you too". The older drone buried into himself, his presence reducing by the second.
"...You're lying", Uzi breathed, "you're lying! Tell me you're lying!". Uzi stared him down, but the older drone continued to sob into his hands. "I don't believe you, not one bit after how you treated N!".
She got up and slammed her hands on the coffee table, rattling the cups placed there. "Don't fucking lie to me, dad! Don't say that!".
Her father choked on a sob, "I-It was him. The one who ... your mother ... and I ...".
"D-Don't", Uzi pleaded, "you just hate him because he's a Disassembler ... that's all. That's all ...".
Her gaze shifted towards N and she called his name out to no reply. The other drone had his head in his hands, muttering the word "no" over and over. "N!", she tried again, "don't believe him, he's just-".
"Uzi?", he timidly replied, "I think ... he's right". His tail coiled into tight shapes.
She set a hand on him, "no, don't. Dad's just being ... whatever. It's not real".
"B-But ... Uzi ...", N's claws curled in, "I've killed so many, it's gotta be true".
"It was him", Khan moaned into his clenched fists, "it was him ...".
N's false eyes became visible to Uzi suddenly. She was about to say something until he suddenly zoomed out of the room towards the door. "N, stop!", she shouted as he made a hasty exit out the door.
Oh no, not again. She rushed to the door and let it open, her gaze quickly scanning both directions down the corridor. Spotting him, she ran in his direction. "N! Stop!", she pleaded with him.
Nearly at a door, she raised a hand, an instinctual use of absoluteSolver locking the thing in front of N. He took a cautious step backwards and locked gazes with her.
"N!", she pleaded, "don't do ... whatever you're doing".
"Why not", he took on the same tone of voice, "after all I've done to you?"
"N, what have you done to me ?".
"What haven't I done?", an arm flew wide to emphasize his point, "I took your freedom to visit the surface? I took your first kiss? I took your mom ?".
She raised a hand to point at him, "you know as well as I that the company forced you to be that. Aside from the kiss, though".
"It doesn't change that I did it!", he bit back, "I was stupid to think I could be anything different than what I was designed to be. What they wanted me to be! Because at the end of the day, I can't change anything, can I? What I've done I can't take back. You of all people should hate me".
"N ...".
"I'm a monster. I never should've come here". He looked around on the ceiling, his face curled into distress.
Her hand raised again, the odd unfamiliarity of absoluteSolver coming back into her conscious again. "Look, N ... I don't want to think about my only friend like that".
He nodded, "yeah ... friends ...". The taller drone took a kneel to the floor. "Uzi? Look, I know what I am. If you could ... could ...", he choked, "put me out of this ... I think I'd really appreciate-".
Her hand dropped as she realized his meaning. "Don't you dare tell me to do that! I can't ...".
"Why not?", he begged, "isn't that only fair? After what your dad said? I didn't know , Uzi. I didn't know because every kill blended into the last. It's what I am, and no amount of crayon drawings is gonna change that".
"You don't have to listen to him-".
"Uzi!", he shouted, "you should listen to him! Why would he lie about something like that?".
"Because he's been rude to you! He's just saying that because you're a Disassembler!".
His hand flew to an arm, "you saw him crying over it, right? When it's someone like him ... doing that ... you kinda know-".
"You don't know him! He's been trying to control me my whole life!", she fumed, her hand balling into a fist.
N shook his head, "no, I think you just don't want to accept what he said in there".
"N, no. You're being crazy-".
"You're the one being crazy. He was in there crying and you yelled at him. That's ... mean , Uzi", he grimaced at the thought.
For once, Uzi couldn't think of a retort to blast back at him. Yeah, that probably did look bad ... probably not something she should've done. Yeah. Turns out that she did feel bad about it. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him cry. It was probably ... probably when mom passed.
"Sorry", N muttered, his face breaking her line of sight.
"What are you sorry for?", she asked, a look of genuine confusion present.
She could see his mouth take on a pained look from the angle, "for saying those things. First I tell you that you should be angry at me. I tell you to ... me. I tell you that you were mean. You're a good person Uzi, you just had a low moment with your dad. You're a better person than I ever could be".
"You're not- you're not a bad person, N!", she took a step towards him, "you're not. Don't say you're not".
He turned to her, head tilted to a side in exhaustion, his face unveiling his turmoil. Weary eyes, lips pulled back to bare his teeth. "Tell me I killed your mom, then. I don't even know her name, that tell you how bad I am? I know you guys told me it last night, but does that show you much that mattered to me? How stupid I am?".
She froze, her mind going a million miles an hour. He presented her with the hardest pill in her life and demanded she swallow it. Dad probably was right. Not even probably- definitely right if he acted like that.
So that was the story, huh? The one who took her mom away from her was the guy kneeling down before her, the both of them still in these silly little prom outfits? The same guy she spilled her feelings to last night and that very morning? The same guy who had her back when her own father wouldn't? The same guy she definitely had a crush on?
"You ... killed her", the words were almost inaudible, but he heard it. He could see her eyes go hollow.
He drank in the bitter -painful- truth. "I did ... I did ...".
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Uzi's mind flew into turmoil as the situation finally settled in. She didn't think of her mother much anymore, an action taken intentionally and not out of forgetfulness. Ever since Nori was killed, Uzi's life flew into despair. Constantly acting out for attention even if it ended up causing the opposite to happen. Years of neglect and abuse built her up to become someone abrasive as a self-defense mechanism. After all, better to push people away before they could hurt you, right? Did that ever actually help her? Did she like the person she became?
Her eyes settled on him and saw him in a new light. This was the thing that set her on this path. This was the reason her life became the tragedy it was. This thing killed her mom. Her hand clenched.
She took a step forwards, as did N take a step in reverse. He didn't have to turn his head to know the door was just a few more steps behind him, the unholy features his creators bestowed him made him aware of that. Some feeling of acceptance came over him as he told her, "I'll let you do whatever you want to do with me. I know nothing can ever make up for what I've done".
Another step.
Nervous laughter. "I don't know ... how violent you want it to be, but I do regenerate", his back now pressed to the door, "it probably should be violent, actually. That thing in my chest needs to go bye-bye before I can get crabby. Uh. Your finger magic could probably do that easily".
Another step.
"Uzi?", he asked, "come on, relish in it! This is kinda ... weird? Come on, get murderous with me already. It's ok".
Another step.
He swallowed as he leaned back, exposing his throat, "however you want it. Just make sure I'm never a problem again".
Anger. Anger came naturally to her. It was as familiar as falling asleep to recharge every night. Yet, the attempt it made to control her was pathetic. Half-hearted. It was almost frightening to behold this emotion's lack of presence. No. Not anger, not much at least.
Her hand reached out to his upper arm, causing the taller drone to look down at her. "Uh, don't you need some distance for that magic hand stuff?".
"Stop".
"What?".
Her eyes refocused, returning to a neutral state, "stop saying that stuff. I don't want to hear it".
"Uzi?".
Her grip tightened, "I'll be honest, you fucked up my life pretty bad. But it's not like you're the only one who did".
"No, no", he shook his head, "you're supposed to be angry with me".
"You're supposed to kill me", she countered.
"I don't want to!", he shouted louder than she'd ever heard him shout, and she couldn't even recall him shouting all that much. A hand flew to his mouth briefly as some emotion set in. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, "no, you're supposed to be angry with me. I'm letting this end here with you killing me".
"N ...".
"Uzi!", he pleaded, "why aren't you angry at me? Why don't you want to kill me? Why ... why ...?".
She was silent for a moment before dropping her hand from him. Her mouth made a few movements as she evidently worked out what it was she wanted to say. Her gaze returned to his, "if ... if I killed you, I'd be left with a hole in my life about as big as hers was, maybe bigger even. I can't go through that again".
"But I did it !".
Her face tensed, "you didn't know. The company sent you, fed you lies, and didn't give a shit about you. Her oil's on them, not you".
"But I-".
"N, stop. I don't want you gone".
"I'm a danger ", N stressed, "any moment, any crazy damage and I go whatever-it-was J went. This is a service to you and the rest of this colony".
Her teeth bared, "you think you're the only one a danger? I stopped a fucking bullet with my mind! My mind! And did you see what Doll was doing? That'll be me if I lose my mind enough".
That got him, he found himself unable to protest it any further. He found himself giving a small chuckle at it, "so you're letting me off the hook for killing your mom because blah-blah the company and also we're both ticking time bombs of crazy scary stuff? Uzi, I'm supposed to be the stupid one here".
She gave him a light jab, "not stupid, that's just what we call emotional maturity. And who said I was letting you off the hook? I should let Lizzy bully you for a change or something".
He gave her a confused look, "she's nice though".
"You're insane".
"Thanks, learned from the best".
She sighed, "whatever", and took a spot next to him against the door.
Moments passed as another silence set in. N became aware of her hand grasping his, their fingers soon interlocking. He was begging whatever machine gods were out there to please keep her ignorant of the blush that appeared on his face as he found himself undeserving of these feelings for her. He wanted to savor the touch but after the morning's reveal he was now terrified of confronting the feelings that had emerged towards her. Did she actually forgive him for doing that? Could her dad? Himself even?".
"I think we should head back", Uzi finally said.
"Back where?".
"My place ... I should apologize to dad".
"Oh, yeah".
She turned to him, "he's not going to like you around, at least not now. Just ... just wait outside for me, please?".
He nodded, "sure. Ok". Truthfully, he was awestruck she could even say the word ‘please'.
The two walked back to the door, N taking a lean against the wall. She turned to him, "you promise you're not gonna run off?".
He gave her a thumbs-up, "I won't, don't worry about". His hand dropped. "Just make sure your dad's alright". She gave him a nod and headed in.
He didn't know how long he spent there. Felt like hours passed, that was probably what happened. He tried not to think too hard, but alone like that some things are just inevitable. A lot of thoughts about ... her, him ... stuff. It was just overwhelming how much his whole perspective on things changed so quickly. The idea of getting closer to Uzi, only to be hit from the side by finding out about her mom. She didn't deserve his company, but she still cared about him. So contradictory, but that was life now after meeting her.
It was also painful to think about her dad. He could only imagine the amount of pain the older drone was in. N couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a drone cry, if ever. He knew she and her dad had some complicated stuff going on, hopefully they could work things out. He supposed he was the obstacle in the way of that, though. Regardless of how she put it, he'd still robbed them of someone very close to both of them. His gaze drifted to his tail and then his hands trying to imagine what it's like on the receiving end of things. He shuddered.
The door slid open and her face poked out from within, finding him quickly as a silent sigh of relief came out of her. She quickly went out into the hallway, the door sliding behind her quickly. His focus immediately flew to her, finding her calm and in her normal clothes again. A tinge of disappointment was felt as he really liked that dress on her.
Her focus shifted to him, "hey, uh, thanks for staying out here. That took ... a while".
"It's fine", he replied, "you can tell me to do anything. Uh. Your dad ok?".
The edges of her mouth drew back as her eyes glanced away briefly. "He's ... not fine, but better than earlier".
"Did you say sorry?".
She jabbed him, "yeah? Dude you were right, I was a huge jerk".
"Uzi ...".
She raised an open palm to him, "don't. I'll own up to that".
Before he could say anything, they heard a loud banging from the door down the corridor. "Oh, forgot to unlock that", she sighed as she brought up her hand, the symbol appearing within it. Another appeared by the door and it unlocked.
N watched this all with fascination. Uzi's newfound ability honestly amazed him, even if he initially was on the receiving end of it when Doll used it on him.
The door opened and there stood Lizzy and V. "Guess you two got kicked out, huh?", taunted Lizzy.
"Oh jeez, if I had known it was them I wouldn't have unlocked it", she whispered so only N would hear.
"Oh hey, uh", N called out over to them, "yeah you could say that, I guess?".
V smirked, "you didn't try to eat the old man in there, did you?'.
Any cheer left N's face at the thought. "N-No, just ... stuff".
Uzi pointed at Lizzy after a realization hit her, "I thought you elected V the prom queen? Why's it on your head?".
Lizzy's posture tensed up as V looked away, some uncharacteristic look crossing her face. After a moment to unruffle, she pointed a finger back at Uzi, "none of your business, Doorman. Besides, did you two spend the night together?".
"Yeah, Uzi's bed was great", N stated as Uzi jabbed him with her arm.
Lizzy was taken aback by the reply, only to realize how incriminating it was. She laughed, "only a weirdo would do that with a Murder Drone!".
"Look who's talking, weirdo", Uzi countered.
A loud groan came from V, "you guys are so annoying".
"So what were you guys up to last night?", N asked.
"The afterparty", Lizzy replied, "since Doll kinda wrecked the prom". V grumbled at the reminder. "Everyone cool was there", she smirked, "you guys missed out on the prom election we held".
N blinked, "oh, sounded cool. Who won?".
"You two dorks did", V stated matter-of-factually as Lizzy gave her a glare.
N had to physically restrain Uzi from ripping the crown off Lizzy's head as the small purple drone rubbed this fact into Lizzy's face.
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