Chapter Text
Collin stared at the sleeping entity on his bed, unconscious and calm. The speedrunner had dragged the entity back to his home; tweaking like a newly drugged animal. He was saying something among the lines of “something went wrong” but his mind was too hazy to remember the other explanations.
For now, he was forced to watch the one-eyed creature laying on his bed while the other was outside doing god knows what.
Andre was still in the rain, pacing back and forth— metal fingers burying themselves deeper into his sharp cyan hair while his other hand kept pressing the emergency button under his headphones—due to the poor signal around here, it was nearly impossible to contact the Waking Wonder support group.
Out of frustration, he immediately smashed a fist on a tree bark. The bark splintered with a dull crack. Bits of wet wood scattered across the grass as Andre’s fist remained buried halfway through the trunk. Static snapped loudly from the joints of his fingers.
His antennas twitched violently.
No signal.
The emergency line blinked FAILED CONNECTION across the corner of his vision. Nothing.
Rain streamed down his coat, dripping from the metal seams of his wrists. His processors whirred harder alongside his fans working overtime from his overheating body.
Andre dragged his fist out of the tree, splinters scraping against the metal plating of his knuckles. He pressed the emergency button again.
Still nothing.
Static crackled through the headphones. He can't feel rain droplets slowly going through every part of his system, he can feel his body almost jittering from the amount of water his processor has.
Inside the house, Collin shifted uncomfortably in the chair beside the bed. He glanced back near the window where Andre was still pacing around his yard.
<Collinlock16> Yow
<Collinlock16> Everything good?
<AndreWaWo> Can't reach them.
<AndreWaWo> Bad signal.
<Collinlock16> Suck
While the two were busy, Assimilation slowly opened up their eyes. Their iris adjusted slowly to the dim lighting of the wooden room.
For a moment, everything felt distant.
The low crackle of rain against the roof.
The faint crackle of thunder outside the house. Andre and Collin’s bickering — and mostly Collin's swears underneath his breath.
Assimilation blinked once.
Then again.
Their vision stabilized.
Collin noticed almost immediately.
<Collinlock16> oh
He leaned forward slightly in his chair.
<Collinlock16> hey cyclops
Assimilation’s iris slowly shifted toward him.
“…Collin.”
Their voice came out quieter than usual, a little rough, as if their system had just rebooted from something unpleasant.
Collin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
<Collinlock16> yeah hi
<Collinlock16> Welcome back I guess? <Collinlock16> Idk
He shrugged awkwardly towards the entity, as he glanced back at the blue player to check how he's hanging, but his attention slowly turned back to the poor entity on his bed.
“What happened Collin?”
Their voice sounded strange and somewhat painfully tired.
<Collinlock16> how tf will I know??
<Collinlock16> That speedrunner just barged in here
<Collinlock16> puts you on my bed
<Collinlock16> And told me to keep an eye on you
Assimilation could only let out a muffled hum to themself before forcefully pushing their whole body up; Their body ached with a small static triggering their joints, head tilted slightly, eye narrowing as if trying to focus on something Collin couldn’t see.
All they could remember was them absorbing an anomaly before blacking out from the absurd amount of usage from his abilities — it took a huge hit for their system to handle.
They blinked once more.
Andre.
They snapped their head back to Collin, who was still sitting at the chair, half asleep. He ignored the spark of pain that flooded through their system.
“Collin. Where's Andre Collin?”
<Collinlock16> Huh?
<Collinlock16> Oh he's outside, you should go check his ass
He rolled his eyes and folded his arms up to his chest before slowly drifting off to a quiet nap. Assimilation on the other hand, slowly slid off the yellow player's bed, they grabbed the blanket and gently wrapped it around the tired Collin. It was a small gesture — enough for it to show how they slowly come to caring.
Caring…
That word slowly echoed through their system before silently shaking their head with confusion.
“Thank you, Collin. Your help was very appreciated.”
They quietly whispered before leaving them to rest.
Upon exiting the small house, The door creaked softly behind Assimilation as they stepped out into the rain.
Cold.
The droplets tapped against their surface, sliding down in uneven trails as their system slowly recalibrated to external stimuli. Their eyes narrowed slightly, adjusting to the low visibility.
The entity immediately saw the flash of sharp cyan hair in the midst of the rain—Andre. He was aggressively pressing something on his headphones alongside pacing back and forth like a stressed investigator on a tight deadline.
<AndreWaWo> come on, come on, come on
Andre muttered under his breath, voice tight, fraying at the edges. His antennas flicked sharply again, glitching with every spike of frustration. His chat was already revising some new plans in order to help Assimilation — mostly Sidi.
FAILED CONNECTION.
Again.
His hand trembled. Everytime he gets a signal it always breaks off, he needs to note this for Dr. Crates to fix.
“Andre.”
The voice cut through the rain.
Andre froze and immediately spins his whole body to face Assimilation — They were alive and looked well, he hopes they're doing well.
Something within his system went quiet, that small fear suddenly gone but both of his hands continued to tremble, he was not sure why. Maybe it was the small water droplets going inside his Android system? or maybe, just maybe, the thought of losing Assimilation again because of him still continues to crawl beneath his own mind.
The rain continued pouring down the endless generated world while the two androids continued staring at each other for what seemed like minutes or maybe hours, the small tension slowly building up between the space in front of them.
<AndreWaWo> Ur..
<AndreWaWo> ok..?
That came out rather unexpected, involuntarily even.
Assimilation blinked at him.
Once.
Twice.
Their systems were still stabilizing—minor delays in response time, slight static threading through their joints—but they were standing.
“…I believe so, Andre.”
A small pause.
“Is something wrong, Andre?”
Andre didn’t move.
Didn’t step closer. Didn’t step back.
His hands were still trembling.
Even now.
Even after confirmation.
Even after seeing them.
Assimilation’s eye flickered downward, locking onto the subtle, irregular motion of his fingers. Before the entity could even dare to ask,
Andre immediately sprinted towards them.
The blue player's metal arms immediately wrapped around them in a sudden tight motion—fast enough for them to even react. His head buried further near their chest, almost hearing the rapid beating of the entity's heart, as their arms locked into place like he was afraid they’d disappear again if he didn’t hold on hard enough.
Assimilation froze completely as their pupil widened from Andre’s action.
What was Andre doing?
WHY was Andre doing this?
“Andre?”
The entity managed to speak out, testing to see if Andre responded. His antennas made a slight flicker of movement but his face was still buried on their chest.
<AndreWaWo> srry
The blue android's voice was muffled but it was audible enough for the entity to make their gaze soften. Slowly, they moved their black claw-like hand to caress his cyan wet hair; their fingers moved in a gentle manner.
“It's okay, Andre. I'm sorry for making you scared Andre.”
His antennas gave a small, uneven flick at the sensation.
Assimilation’s fingers moved slowly through his damp cyan hair, careful—deliberate—as if they were learning the motion in real time. Each pass was soft, almost hesitant at first, then gradually more certain as their system adapted.
Rain tapping softly around them. The distant rumble of thunder fading further away. The world continues like nothing has happened, letting them get soaked even more—even if it'll destroy both of their systems.
This small moment between them made Assimilation realize that there was a possibility for Andre to be sentient or perhaps, he is sentient.
“ANDRE! P1WW! CAN YOU HEAR ME!!”
The loud sound cracked between the two AIs causing both androids to immediately separate from each other. Andre would be lying if says he didn't feel a twinge of disappointment.
“Andre? Was that you, Andre?"
Assimilation asked with their singular eye opening wider. Andre could only nod in response as he deliberately pointed at his headphones.
<AndreWaWo> Found out about this
<AndreWaWo> I can contact WaWo using my headphones.
<AndreWaWo> Crates prolly forgot to tell me.
He explained before finally pressing the small button underneath his headphone; with a singular “click” sound, Andre gave a simple answer.
<AndreWaWo> Yeh
<AndreWaWo> still here
“REALLY??”
<AndreWaWo> plz don't yell
While the rain muffled his voice, it was still bearable to hear and decipher. Assimilation could only watch as Andre continued communicating with the person from the other end of the line; It was a refreshing sight to see Andre actually communicating with other people despite his habitual short responses.
“It's Crates,“ the voice from the other end announced. This made Andre's shoulders slowly ease. Assimilation on the other hand, could only wait for the two to finish.
“The support team couldn't contact you properly due to your disastrous signal!”
<AndreWaWo> figured.
<AndreWaWo> How did u contact us?
The blue player could only tilt his head.
“Nevermind that!”
<AndreWaWo> K
The entity watched the two exchange back and forth, they slowly took Andre's hand — wrapping their long black claw-like fingers around the other's metal hand. Andre immediately glanced back at their intertwined hand the back to their singular eye.
“Sorry to interrupt, Andre. But let us go back to Collin's house before the rain destroys us, Andre.”
Andre blinked — trying to process whether he should focus on Dr. Crates’ words or Millie’s.
Then again—his processor was taking a second longer than usual to keep up as his attention split between the voice in his headphones… and the sudden, unfamiliar weight around his hand.
Assimilation’s fingers.
Intertwined softly with his.
This feeling was so unfamiliar.
SOUPBEGONE31: ts so cheezy wtf
SIDIsquish: YESSSSS
SIDIsquish: GET ME OUT OF THIS SLOWBURN
SIDIsquish: Millie is sooo cuteee
xx_E-G-O_xx: Sidi, can you calm down??? somebody needs to mute this freak
Conzercheez: lol, I doubt you can do that
SIDIsquish: MILLIE I WANT U SOO BAD.
“Are you listening, Andre??”
<AndreWaWo> yeh
<AndreWaWo> listening
But he wasn’t.
Not fully.
His gaze kept flickering down to their hands—how Assimilation’s longer, darker fingers curled neatly between his own metal ones. The contrast. The intentionality even?
They didn’t need to do that.
Which meant—
They chose to do this. That thought made Andre's eyes soften.
xx_E-G-O_xx: I have to admit, that entity have something going on
SIDIsquish: YOU UNDERSTAND (ʃƪ＾3＾）
While his chat continued going crazy, mostly Sidi, he gave the entity a small nod as a response before returning his attention back to Dr. Crates who was still talking on the other end.
“You understood that?” his voice was beaming with worry but with slight joy, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
<AndreWaWo> srry
<AndreWaWo> Wasn't listening. Ur signal is bad.
“I-... Are you serious right now??”
Andre shrugged instinctively, even though Crates couldn’t see him.
“Nevermind, I'm sending Lyth and Azeziel to come and pick you two up. We can chat afterwards. Byeee—”
The call ended with a long flat “beep” sound before Andre could even respond back, he slowly lowered his hand from his headphones as his antennas flicked sharply, a small burst of static snapping at the tips.
The entity then slowly but gently walks him back to Collin's house.
<AndreWaWo> Lyth and Azeziel will come pick us up.
He informed the other, his eyes never leaving their intertwined hands.
“That's good, Andre.”
Assimilation responded simply.
—-
The door creaked softly as they stepped back inside.
The rain dulled instantly against the wooden walls, replaced by the quiet, familiar stillness of the house.
Upon entering Collin's home, Assimilation noticed that Collin was now in his bed, peacefully sleeping; Curled up on the bed, blanket half-draped over him, breathing slowly and evenly, like nothing in the past hour had ever happened.
Their pupil rested on the yellow player's peaceful state before looking back at Andre who stood near the doorway, squeezing water out from the edge of his coat. Droplets hit the floor in uneven taps, his movements efficient and absent-minded.
“Let's stay quiet for now, Andre. Collin is asleep.”
Assimilation quietly leaning in towards Andre to whisper their small request, the blue player leaned in as well and gave a quick nod.
The two Android stood near the doorway, trying their hardest to dry off alongside waiting for the two WaWo employees to come pick them up.
Andre’s antennas twitched toward the sound of faint knocking.
<AndreWaWo> It's them.
“I hope so, Andre.”
The door slightly creaked as it opened, the bright pink hair getting their attention—it was none other than Lyth.
The lady leaned forward, taking a small step inside the interior, her bright and gleaming eyes then landed on the two androids. Her entire expression lit up like she had just discovered something incredibly entertaining.
Before she could even scream out a word, Azeziel’s hand clamped over her face.
“MHH-!!”
“Do not even think about it.”
His voice came out low and edged with irritation, like this exact scenario had played out one too many times.
Lyth struggled in his grip, muffled noises vibrating uselessly against his palm as she tried and failed to speak.
The two androids could only watch the other two quietly banter.
Azeziel didn’t even bother looking at the both of them at first, seeing that his focus stayed on Lyth as she continued to squirm.
“…We humbly apologize for not receiving your calls sooner, Andre. Your signal did not cooperate properly with the HQ.” he explained flatly.
<AndreWaWo> it's ok
Andre just gave him a silent thumbs up that made the other man nod.
Soon, Azeziel was forced to release Lyth after her poor attempt to bite hit hand.
Lyth gasped dramatically like she had just escaped something life-threatening, clutching her chest for effect.
Before anyone could utter a word, she immediately bolted straight to Assimilation,
“YOU’RE ALIVE—!”
She threw herself at them without hesitation, arms wrapping tightly around their frame in a full, unrestrained hug.
Assimilation froze.
Their body locked up for half a second—processing the sudden proximity, the pressure, the unfamiliar warmth.
“…Lyth, quiet down.”
The entity vibrated with an awkward sound.
“Sorry!” she beamed with a soft giggle, squeezing them tighter. “You just scared the hell out of us—well, me—but still!”
Andre watched the two interact with each other, there was something bugging his system in the process. He was sure it wasn't the water in his processors—it was tightening even.
SOUPBEGONE31: Are we seriously speedrunning jealousy?
SIDIsquish: HELPMEEEHAJXHEJR
He looked back at the chat before silently understanding what they meant.
Jealousy? Out of all people, Lyth was just overly friendly towards anyone they met, and she was showing genuine worry about them.
Nonetheless, Andre stepped forward then proceeded to wrap his metallic arms around Assimilation’s free arm.
Upon the physical contact, this seems to get the entity's attention.
“Andre?”
Lyth immediately glanced back at Andre with surprise before immediately taking a step, understanding what he meant. There was no anger in his eyes, but it still communicated how he felt.
“Oh! Sorry Andre! I'm just glad they're okay!” She defended with a small chuckle.
Andre gave a small nod in response. He was glad that Lyth respected the small boundary between them.
—--
Lyth and Azeziel safely escorted the two androids back to Waking Wonder Corporation where Dr. Crates and Phai were waiting for them at the end of the portal.
Crates’ head immediately jolted forward upon seeing the two familiar android figures.
“Andre! Assimilation!” The older man immediately walked towards them, his first sight was immediately drawn to their wet and disheveled state.
“Dear god, was there a storm there?”
The doctor could only place his hand over his mouth as his eyes moved in many different places around the two androids’ bodies; he calculated how many weeks it'll take for him to clean and repair their parts.
Conzercheez: Probably worse.
xx_E-G-O_xx: lol
SIDIsquish: lol
feargeyt6774: lol
SOUPBEGONE31: ts ass.
Andre shrugged slightly, water still dripping faintly from the ends of his coat.
<AndreWaWo> it rained
Crates stared at him.
Then dragged a hand down his face.
“…of course it did.”
Behind the panicking doctor, another figure leaned casually against one of the support rails.
Phai.
Phai had seen these types of injuries happen to newer employees in WaWo, and in P1WW and A1WW’s case, they were no different.
“You did a decent job for somebody who just started out,” his words sounding backhanded.
“Report to me when your maintenance is done.” The taller man with a flash of greens finished before looking back at his clipboard and wrote something down. Phai excused himself as he walked out from their sight.
Lyth and Azeziel immediately trailed behind Phai as if they were both on a tight deadline.
Assimilation felt somewhat curious about what Phai’s notes were, they would've asked sooner if it wasn't for their internal system sparking a sudden ache for every few minutes.
Crates clapped his hands once—sharp and sure.
“Alright!! Enough standing around. Both of you—maintenance bay. Now.” His eyes moved across their frames again, more carefully this time as he continued taking in every soaked panel, every misaligned seam, every flicker in their systems.
“…You really went through something out there, didn’t you…” he muttered under his breath.
He gestured down the hall.
He pointed down the hall.
“Decontamination first, then internal scans. I am not letting either of you walk around like this!!”
Crates promptly marched down the opposite side of the path, leaving no room for arguments; seeing that his face was already displaying different types of stress. The two androids could only accompany him from behind.
In the long hallway, Assimilation observed their surroundings; their singular eye marvelled at the many different employees with a broad range of species—shapes even! They couldn't help but wonder how popular this corporation is. The entity noticed the consistent colored ribbons and fabrics between the many workers.
It looked as if the colors were communicating their role.
Andre noticed Millie's small curiosity as they glanced around the vast room and the passing employees, He followed their soft gaze then slowly back at Crates.
Ahead of them, Dr. Crates stopped abruptly in front of the elevator doors.
The sudden halt made the two pause behind him.
Crates exhaled sharply, tapping his foot once as he stared at the closed doors like they personally offended him.
“…of course it’s taking its time.”
He pressed the call button again.
Once. Twice. A third time for emphasis.
He looked back at the two, giving them a small smile for assurance.
“…Hang in there, alright? Just a little longer.”
Andre didn’t respond. Assimilation could only give him a quick blink in acknowledgment.
The elevator doors slid open with a quiet chime.
Crates straightened slightly.
“Alright—careful stepping in.”
He moved first, holding the side of the door out of habit, giving them space to follow.
Assimilation stepped in without hesitation, though there was a slight stutter in their movement, just enough to show the strain in their system.
Andre followed right after, making sure Assimilation didn't trip themself.
Inside, the elevator lights cast a clean, sterile glow over the three of them.
Crates reached over and pressed the lower-level button, the doors slid shut with a soft ding.
For a moment, there was only silence and the low mechanical hum as the elevator began its descent.
Andre leaned back slightly against the wall, arms loose at his sides, gaze fixed somewhere distant. While Assimilation remained upright, their singular eye dimming and brightening unevenly.
The doctor noticed these small actions, he cleared his voice and displayed a small gentle smile to ease the awkward tension.
“So,” he started, which grabbed the two AI’s attention.
“How are you two feeling about WaWo so far?”
There was a brief pause.
Andre didn’t answer immediately. His gaze stayed somewhere distant for a second longer before it slowly shifted toward Crates.
<AndreWaWo> it’s ok
Of course, Crates thought to himself. A simple answer.
The older man gave a small nod, like he expected nothing more and didn’t push it.
Assimilation, however, took a bit longer.
Their eye flickered once. The dimming and brightening slowed as if they were processing the question more carefully than necessary.
“…It is… deeply interesting, Dr. Crates.” they said quietly.
Their voice carried a strange mix of curiosity and strain.
“There are… many functions. Many roles.”
A small pause.
“It somehow made me more curious, Dr. Crates..”
Crates’ smile softened just a little more at that.
“Well, that's good,” he said lightly.
“If you two ever have questions regarding WaWo, feel free to ask me, Phai, or even Lyth and Azeziel.” He adds before ending it with a small chuckle.
The entity could only glance back at Andre's uniform then back at their own, as if a sudden realization hit them, but they had to wait after their maintenance.
The elevator gave a subtle jolt as it continued downward.
“…Almost there,” he reassured again, quieter this time.
Andre's hand twitched, the one where the entity had previously held. He wanted—NEEDED to do it again. There was something bugging him in his processors that needed attention, specifically from Millie.
Andre's blue eye slowly slithered up to the entity's dark and sharp hands.
SIDIsquish: Holy shibal!! Andre WANTS THAT COOKIE.
SOUPBEGONE31: Way toooo much
SIDIsquish: SPEEDRUNNING ROMANCE
SOUPBEGONE31: What the hell sure
feargeyt6774: :pepefear:
feargeyt6774: :pepefear:
feargeyt6774: :pepefear:
Andre’s optics flickered from the flood of messages, the chat practically vibrating at the edge of his vision.
His hand twitched again.
Paused.
Then—moved.
Assimilation noticed immediately. Their singular eye dimmed slightly as they tracked the movement with quiet precision.
Andre hesitated midway.
Just for a second.
Like something in his system questioned it—again.
Then his fingers gently brushed against theirs.
This sent a quiet jolt of red sparks at the speedrunner’s antennas.
Conzercheez: woah, was that Sidi?
SIDIsquish: (〃ﾟ3ﾟ〃)
Andre’s hand shifted its movement, being more certain now, sliding into theirs and holding, firm enough to stay, gentle enough not to restrain.
His antennas gave a small, almost relieved twitch.
Assimilation’s fingers adjusted slightly around his, as if they were also trying to figure out his actions.
<AndreWaWo> …
“This is nice Andre.”
Andre leaned his head back against the elevator wall again, still holding on.
The hum of the elevator filled the space once more.
