Chapter Text
The wind of the snow storm blows harshly against N, throwing off his balance a little but never pushing him off course as his wings still stay stretched out. He felt a weird sense of pride swell inside of him as he let his eyes wander to the still shiny blades of his wings and the way Uzi’s eyes would trace over them in awe as they basically reflected any light that hit it, creating an almost angelic aura.
Those hours cleaning paid off!
Despite flying for quite some time now, every inch of N’s body and programming yelled at him to return to Uzi and his baby, Colt.
His baby.
The thought still stirred different feelings inside his circuit board, mainly joy, excitement and a protective instinct he didn’t know he had. The danger sensors in him were heightened, he’d try not to smother Uzi with his developing protectiveness, but sometimes he can’t hold himself back from protecting them.
Despite the cold air around him, a warm and fuzzy feeling sprouted in his stomach, tickling him from the inside.
The urge to return back to the colony and embrace the love of his life became stronger, yet he always reminded himself to not get distracted from his mission - looking for bright and colorful things for Colt while staying wary of the dangers V told him about. As of now, the nursery was pretty bare bones with only the most necessary items inside. They never thought decorating it would have any big impact on Colt’s life so why not leave it as is?
Turns out, it does.
Neural networks learn through stimuli and observing their surroundings, mimicking their parents or the drones around them. They absorb all that information and create networks and pathways in their programming where a filter determines what information is the most important - speech, movement, emoting - and what isn’t.
N didn’t understand it all that much but it sounded like it made a lot of sense when Uzi said it!
First, they began with hanging drawings on the walls or putting some of Uzi’s old nursery decorations up. Then they would buy some decorations from the drones living in the bunkers, mostly from flea markets. And while Uzi was satisfied with the results, N always felt like it was missing something. A certain pizazz, something that would make the room pop in a positive way.
An old-ish bag hung around his shoulders, various shiny things reflecting the yellow lights all around N. He made sure to check if any of them could become dangerous to Colt. The last thing he wants is Colt to get harmed!
Crashing down with a landing that created a snow crater around him, N began to immediately look at his surroundings for any dangers before digging into the snow, his eyes landing on a beautiful engagement ring with a purple stone in the middle. He laughs as his mind drifts towards his proposal to Uzi - or rather THEIR proposal as, on that day, they both got on their knees at the same time, shock written all over their face until they burst down laughing.
“Great minds think alike!” N said that day as he hugged Uzi tightly, slipping the ring he crafted on her finger as she slipped the ring she made on his.
N put the ring in his bag as he began to dig further in the snow for anything interesting. He could already hear Uzi laughing about the way he does it - crawling on all fours with his tongue sticking out to pick up on any interesting smell. She could compare him to a dog - in a positive way.
While digging, he comes across a racoon plush with big sparkly blue eyes. Its fur was slightly matted and some stitches loose, but it looked cute nonetheless (though nothing compared to Colt).
As he finishes scouting the area, he receives a call through his interface, jumping up as he sees the caller ID: Uzi.
“Hello, Uzi!” He accepts the call eagerly, bouncing on the spot. “Why’d you call?”
“Uh, I need your help…” Her voice wavered a bit, activating all alarm bells in N's head. “Colt might be sick,”
“Hold on, I’ll be there!” With one swift flap of his wings he catapulted himself into the air, heading straight to the colony’s direction. “Do you know what he has?”
“No, I’m at the colony’s nursery right now,” Uzi’s voice became barely audible through the wind blasting in N’s auditory sensors. “They said they’ll see if they can find anything.”
“I’ll try to be there as fast as possible!”
-
“N!” Uzi approaches N, wrapping her arms around his torso as he walks in the colony’s nursery. N returns the hug, nuzzling his face in her hair before letting go.
“Where is Colt?” He asks as he notices that Colt wasn’t in Uzi’s arms, the alarm bells ringing louder. Uzi points at a set of couple doors..
“Somewhere here with a nurse” She sighs. “They said he’s got nothing bad, but… they still want to give him an antivirus.”
“How did he get sick in the first place?”
Uzi’s eyes hollow, making panic seep through N’s core as he braces himself for a huge blow. She places both of her hands on his shoulder, helping only a little to milden the tense atmosphere.
“Promise me you won’t blame yourself?”
“Why would I do that?” N asks bewildered.
“Just promise me!”
“Okay, okay, I won’t!” N threw both hands in the air as a surrendering gesture.
“He… got the virus from our night out in your nest…” N’s eyes hollow as he takes an instinctive step back.
“Wha- but that was a week ago!”
“Long enough for the virus to spread and infect his files.” N frowns deeply at Uzi’s words, his posture slumped.
“It’s my fault…”
“N, you promised you wouldn’t blame yourself.” Uzi cups his face.
“But it is!” He leans into her touch, closing his eyes with a sigh. “I should have listened to you, it was a bad idea-”
“Hey, look at me,” Uzi squishes his face, bringing it closer to hers. “Colt really liked the nest and I did too. None of us could have known that he was going to get sick from that,”
“Was it the corpses?”
“N…”
“Or the lack of blankets!”
“There were enough, N-”
“Or the shiny CPU’s, they were probably infected!”
“CPU’s don’t send signals on their own!”
“Uh… Mr. and Mrs. Doorman?” Both N and Uzi turn towards the nurse, both having blushes on their visor corresponding to their eye color. “I hope I don’t disturb you?”
“No, no, it’s fine…” Uzi awkwardly clears her throat. “How is Colt doing?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have the proper anti-viruses in our colony,”
“What do you mean you don’t have the proper anti-viruses?” N’s hands curl up in a fist as he fights the urge of his claws appearing, a habit that is only caused when he feels incredibly agitated or cautious.
“Some viruses are more common in other colonies. The one Colt got appears a lot in Outpost-95, north-east where Mrs. Doorman said you went hiking,”
N turns to Uzi, his expression softening.
Why would she lie for me?
“You’re saying we have to go to Outpost-95 and retrieve the anti-virus there?” Uzi crosses her arm, raising a brow.
“I’m not saying you have to go there” The nurse adjusts her glasses. “We could always contact them and order the antivirus”
“How long til it arrives?”
“A week.”
“A week?!” N repeats. “But what about Colt?!”
“The virus is nothing dangerous,” The nurse says. “He’ll just feel a bit sick for a while.”
“And where is he now?” Uzi taps her foot on the ground.
“In one of the cribs,” The nurse says, pointing behind her to the door. “I’ll get him for you,”
“Thanks…” Uzi grumbles under her breath as the nurse walks away. She looks at the ground, a pout on her face that N just wanted to kiss away.
“A week…” He repeats under his breath before sighing heavily. “I don’t know if I can bear that.”
“Tell me about it…” Uzi mirrors his sigh. “It’s going be hard for all of us.”
“Especially poor Colt…” N’s posture slums as he looks at the ground before his gaze finds Uzi. She moves closer to his side so that their shoulders are touching before wrapping one arm around his torso from his back. N rests his chin on her head, his arm draped over her shoulder.
“We can either try to make Colt feel better as best as we can…” Uzi closes her eyes. “...or we can go outside and get the anti-virus ourselves.”
“I could get it!” N perks up, his trademark smile on his face. “I could fly there and get the anti-virus from them!”
“That is assuming they’ll let you in,” Uzi looks up at him. “Not every colony is accepting of disassembly drones.”
“Oh…” N’s attitude dropped to what it was previously, making Uzi look at him with worry. “I forgot…”
“...we could go together.” N’s posture stiffened at her words, his tail standing upright.
“But who will take care of Colt?!”
“My dad.” Uzi deadpans.
“But it’s dangerous outside!”
“Not when your husband is a 7 feet tall disassembly drone that can change his hands into weapons!” Uzi stands in front of him, taking both of his hands. “Plus, you were okay with us going out before. Why the change?”
N’s mouth opened, the corner of his eyebrows arched up until the door opened again with the nurse stepping out, carrying Colt. N didn’t hesitate to immediately take Colt in his arms, holding him tight.
“Monitor his body temperature as often as you can. If he gets cold, warm him up with blankets and pillows. If he gets hot, you can give him a cold bath in a sink.”
“And what if it doesn’t help?” Uzi raises a brow.
“In that unlikely scenario, come back to us and we’ll find a solution,” The nurse adjusts her glasses. “Any questions?”
“No, we should be good…” N mutters. Uzi nods as she turns towards the exit with N.
The walk back home was filled with a silence that was only broken with Colt’s occasional coughs emitting from his speakers.
“It’ll be alright…” N whispers as he holds Colt closer to his body as he notices his temperature drop. “He feels so cold, almost like he’s…”
Uzi places her hand on Colt’s forehead, sighing. “He’s still alive and will stay that way,” She places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “The nurse said it’s nothing dangerous.”
“It still feels awful…”
“That, I have to agree with…” Uzi opens the door to their apartment, pushing the door open. N instantly walks towards Colt’s nursery, placing him in the crib with blankets and additional plushies. N began humming a soothing lullaby as Uzi stood at the doorway, watching them.
“You have a nice voice,” She smiles as she approaches N who instinctively wrapped one arm around, kissing the top of her head. Uzi began to hum along with him, the sound of her voice blessing his auditory sensors as if an angel played him a song. Her hand rested on Colt’s body and N mimicked her action, placing his hand on top of hers.
“Everything will be alright, Colt…” Uzi bends down to kiss his forehead. As much as N loved to see Uzi being her fierce and confident self, these soft moments where her voice would drop down in volume, sounding like it was bathed in a pot of honey would stir comforting and warm feelings inside N.
They both leave the nursery with heavy hearts, though several interfaces on N’s visor appeared, all ordering him to return and watch over Colt. He blinked them away but some persisted.
Uzi plops down on the couch with a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead. N sat beside her, pulling her closer to his side by draping his arm and wing over her, creating a cocoon of comfort.
“1 week…” She whispers before groaning into her hands, making N squeeze her shoulder. “That’s going to feel longer than it actually is…”
“I could still get the anti-virus,”
“N, like I said, they might not let you in”
“But what if I tell them it’s for somebody else’s baby?” N’s mind scrambles to find more excuses.
“They still wouldn’t let you in,” Uzi cups his face in her hands. “They’d think you’re a liar or something”
“It’s still worth a try though, isn’t it?” N leans into her touch, placing his hands over hers as he takes one of her hands near his mouth and kisses the palm. “Please?”
Uzi’s face lit up in a bright blush as she looked away, sighing with defeat. “Fine…” She grumbles as she lets her arms fall to her side. N was about to cheer and kiss her right then and there if it wasn’t for her next words; “But only if I come along!”
“No,” He responds quite harshly, surprising himself. “It could be dangerous!”
“N, I already told you, I’ll be safe as long as I’m with you,” Uzi’s gaze slightly hardened. “Plus, we went out together once already,”
“That was a different time…”
“That was a week ago!”
“W-Well, I…” N’s shoulder stiffens as the conversation he had with V replayed in his mind. Uzi immediately noticed his changed attitude, her gaze softening as she placed both of her hands on his shoulder.
“N?” She squeezed his shoulders, making him look into her eyes. “There’s something you’re not telling me, right?”
N opened his mouth, his mind scrambling for excuses before he gave up, his shoulder slumping as he exhaled. nodding. “Yes, there is…”
“What is it?” One of Uzi’s hands rested on his cheek again, her thumb drawing comforting circles on his cheek, calming him a little down. N couldn’t deny it - Uzi’s touch worked like magic on him and his emotions.
“V told me about an incident 3 days ago…” He starts, fidgeting with his fingers. “Uh… basically, she went outside with Lizzy to take a walk and then…” N swallows hard. “...they were attacked by those ‘rogue’ workers, and… both of them almost died”
“How?” Uzi tried keeping her voice calm yet the shock was evident in her expression.
“V told me they first somehow apprehended her with weird spears or something that shot out electricity and then they did the same with Lizzy,” N grimaces. “They gave Lizzy the chance to join them but when she refused, they aimed their guns at them both to kill them,”
Uzi’s shocked expression contours into one of disgust, a deep seated glare on her face, but not aimed at N. “Why did you go outside today then?!”
N raised his brow, confused at first until he remembered his little trip today to find more stuff for Colt. “I-I don’t know, it was like an instinct!”
“You went outside, knowing what happened…” Uzi grumbles as she rubs her forehead, making N’s posture slump as she shamefully looks at his hands.
“I’m sorry, Uzi…”
“No, N, don’t apologize…” Uzi shakes her head as she engulfs him into a hug which he returns. “I just…I wouldn’t know what to do if you’re… if something happened…”
“I’d never let that happen!” He squeezes Uzi in the hug, his hand stroking her hair. “I can’t bear the thought of never seeing you or Colt again,”
“Then don’t ever go outside again, okay?” Uzi partly breaks from the hug as she looks into his eyes. “I’ll talk to my dad to see if we can do anything against those rogue workers. But in the meantime, we’ll stay inside.”
Colt’s coughing reverbed from his room all the way to the living room, catching both N and Uzi’s attention.
“Colt?” N bolts into his room with Uzi following closely, reaching inside the cradle to hold the freezing baby to his body. “Ow, you’re freezing…”
“Let me see” Uzi holds her hand on Colt’s forehead, a hum leaving her lips as she sighs. “Let’s go cuddle on the couch. I’ll get some spare blankets…”
“Did you hear that, Colt? Cuddling time!” N holds Colt up his face, placing a kiss on his forehead to elicit some positive reaction, yet all he’s met with is a miserable facial expression. His smile twitches downwards but doesn’t disappear completely as he sat down on the couch, holding Colt against his warm chest. “Feel my love! Feel it, you feeble football!”
Uzi laughs as she returns with the blankets, draping them over both N and Colt before joining their side. N raises an eyebrow, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as he kisses her forehead.
“Are you hearing this, Colt?” N spoke in a fake offended tone. “She’s mocking us! The horror!”
“I’m not mocking you!” Uzi wraps her arms around his torso, placing her hand over Colt. “But I can’t help myself when you act like…”
“Like?” N squeezes her closer to him.
“Like a goober” She lightly headbutts him.
“The blasphemy!” N gasps, his gaze turning back to Colt whose body temperature was returning to normal levels.
“You’re dramatic!” Uzi’s laugh turns into soft giggles as she kisses his cheek, nuzzling closer to his side as she closes her eyes, a serene sigh escaping her lips.
“I love you too” N cuckles, kissing the top of her head as he felt her core beating slower against his body, her eyes shifting to that all too familiar “Sleep Mode” text. His gaze drifts towards the ceiling, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
// RETRIEVE ANTIVIRUS INSTANTLY //