Chapter Text
Don’t Unplug Me
“Yo, Max!” Alix called as she entered his bedroom, and the boy in question looked up from his desk, a smile breaking over his lips.
“Ah, good evening, Alix,” he greeted, pushing his glasses up. “I was just finishing up some new modifications for Markov.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Alix asked, dropping her backpack on the floor.
“His hard-drive is getting a little dated, so I’ve given him some upgrades on his new chip. Once it’s finished downloading I just need to swap them out then you can take the lovebirds for the evening,” Max explained, casting a fond glance at Markov and Lady Kubdel chatting animatedly on Max’s bed.
“I still can’t believe you gave my watch emotions,” Alix shook her head.
“I still can’t believe we married them at city hall,” Max added with a shrug. “Though I am incredibly floored by my own genius. This new upgrade should allow him to understand emotion even more in order to please his wife.”
“Whatever, so long as they let me sleep,” Alix rolled her eyes as Max’s computer dinged, and he swiveled to check it.
“All finished,” Max popped the new chip out of his computer and kicked away from his desk, rolling over to retrieve Markov. “Tonight should be quiet for you, Alix, as Markov will have to update his systems throughout the night. He’ll be finished by morning.”
“And then I’ll know even more ways to love you,” Markov said, a small heart flashing on his screen, and Lady Kubdel pressed a hand to her lips to stifle a giggle. “Good night, my sweet.”
“Good night, Markov,” Lady Kubdel blew him a kiss before Max powered him down and swapped out his microchips.
“Just connect him to your wifi and plug him in when you get home. His internal processor should start the update automatically,” Max said, passing him to Alix. “I’ll come get them after school tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Alix said, closing her watch and stuffing it into her pocket. “See you at school.”
“See ya!”
When Alix arrived back at home, she followed Max’s instructions and plugged Markov in before her dad called her to the dining room for dinner. She set her watch on the desk next to her husband before retreating up the hall, and she didn’t think anymore about it all evening. Nathaniel came over after dinner to play DnD for a while then she sat to do her homework until it was time for bed.
As she laid down to sleep, she vaguely heard a clap of thunder outside but didn’t think much of it as she clicked off her lamp and rolled over. Thunder storms were common this time of year, and she had little to worry about indoors. She was certain to sleep soundly that night.
The next morning, she sat up with a yawn, glancing over at Markov and her watch. His screen still looked the same as it had the night before, so she figured that perhaps he wasn’t done updating quite yet. Kicking off her comforter, she got up to get ready for the day, but she did get a little suspicious after breakfast, eyeing him as she brushed her teeth with narrowed eyes before she determined to ask Max at school.
“He what?” Max’s eyebrows raised as Alix leaned over his desk.
“He was still updating this morning,” Alix repeated, and Max tapped his chin in thought.
“That’s odd. It should have only taken 12 hours,” Max said, eyebrows creasing. “I’ll look after school.”
“What are we doing after school?” Kim piped up, dropping his bag on the desk and sliding in.
“Markov hasn’t finished installing the upgrades Max programmed, so he’s coming by to look,” Alix explained.
“Uh oh, poor Markov. I’ll come too,” Kim’s eyebrows furrowed.
“What are you gonna do besides eat all my snacks?” Alix teased, and Kim sat back in offence.
“Offer moral support for my best friend and robot-son,” Kim retorted with a scoff.
“If Markov is your son then wouldn’t that make you and Max a couple?” Alix asked with a laugh, and both boys averted their gazes before Kim shot her a glare.
“You got a problem with Markov having two dads?” He retorted, but to their mortification, he did so a little too loudly.
“Wait, are Kim and Max finally together?” Alya perked up from her seat.
“Aww, congrats, you two!” Marinette cooed.
“What? Wait, no!” Kim tried, but their classmates echoed similar congratulatory sighs and expressions of approval. Some of them even remarked that it was ‘about time,’ and Kim felt his cheeks burning.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he hissed, and Alix bit back a smirk as she turned to face the front while Kim and Max spent the majority of class avoiding eye contact. He couldn’t suppress the burning sensation in his cheeks or on the tips of his ears, the back of his neck…He hadn’t blushed this hard since Chloe rejected him on Valentine’s Day.
Now that he mentioned it, Max had helped him back then, and he always supported Kim no matter what crazy scheme he cooked up. Of course, they had always been like that, helping each other, looking out for each other ever since Kim stood up for Max as a kid. He cared deeply about Max, and most days he felt like Max cared about him too.
Kim stole a glance at Max, busily copying the notes from the board and felt his chest tighten.
Uh oh.
He swallowed at the lump in his throat, shifting his gaze back to his tablet as his heart began to pound in his chest. Had he really been in love with his best friend this whole time without realizing? Everyone in the class seemed to think so. Was he just a blind doofus?
“Kim?”
He blinked out of his mental plunge as Mlle. Bustier called his name, realizing that he hadn’t been paying attention.
“Uh,” he glanced around the room at everyone’s expectant faces, feeling his cheeks burn again.
“The answer is the French Revolution, Mlle. Bustier,” Max piped up, and Kim’s head whipped around to face him.
“Thank you, Max. Kim, try to pay attention.”
“Yes, Mlle. Bustier,” Kim shrank in his seat, and Max cocked a curious brow before turning back to his notes, and Kim lowered his gaze, rubbing the back of his burning neck.
He was in big trouble.
***
After school, Kim, Max, and Alix took the bus to the Louvre where Markov remained plugged in in Alix’s room. Max pulled the cord and turned Markov over in his hands with a pensive frown, flipping his power switch on.
“Is he okay?” Kim asked worriedly, looming over his shoulder.
Markov’s screen sputtered a couple times as he booted up, but eventually his robotic eyes lit up and his propeller lifted him into the air.
“Version 2.0 downloading,” he said, and Max placed his hands on his hips.
“I don’t understand why it’s not finished yet,” Max said with a huff.
“Hey, look,” Kim pointed to Alix’s bedside table. “The clock is flashing.”
Max straightened, realization dawning on him as he turned to Alix. “Did your power go out last night during the storm?”
“Uh, possibly,” Alix shrugged. “I guess.”
“It might have caused a power surge through Markov’s circuits that tripped his battery during the update,” Max said. “Disrupting the update could have caused a glitch in his system.”
“Like how your computer says not to turn it off while updating or data may be lost,” Kim said, and Max nodded.
“Exactly.” He set Markov on the desk and retrieved his laptop from his backpack. “I’ll just make a couple adjustments to hopefully fix him then he should install the update rather quickly.”
“Hang in there, little buddy,” Kim said, patting Markov tenderly as Max hooked him up to his computer.
“Should we tell Lady Kubdel?” Alix whispered, pointing to her watch.
“Everything should be fine. No need to worry her,” Max waved it away as he typed. “We’ll tell them once Markov is back up and running.”
Max worked diligently for the next hour while Kim lingered close by, never quite taking his eyes off Max. Alix, on the other hand, played her handheld on her bed, uninterested in Kim’s pining looks as she attempted to eat the next level. When Max finally replaced the chip, he sat back and watched as Markov installed the updates with bated breath until his system rebooted.
“Markov?” Max quirked a brow when his eyes blinked open.
“Affirmative.” Max relaxed a little.
“How do you feel?” Kim asked, biting his nail.
“Fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Kim said, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Alix clicked her watch open and set her on the desk beside Markov.
“We ran into a bit of an issue, but it should be fine now,” Max explained.
“Issue?” Lady Kubdel cocked her head to the side.
“There was a power surge last night while Markov was updating, which caused some glitching, but I believe I fixed it, so he should be fine,” Max said, and Lady Kubdel turned to him worriedly.
“Are you really okay, my love?” She asked.
“I am fine,” his voice was a bit too robotic for her tastes, but she supposed she was still new to this whole feeling thing, though she couldn’t shake this sinking feeling in her gears.
“You’re awesome, Max,” Kim rubbed his shoulders before seemingly realizing and awkwardly shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Why don’t we celebrate with ice cream? I saw rumor that Andre wasn’t too far from here,” Max suggested, and Kim’s cheeks burned.
“Ice cream sounds good,” he nodded, flicking his gaze to Alix who wore a smirk.
“Yeah, let’s leave the two love birds alone,” Alix said, and Kim stuck his tongue out at her when Max wasn’t looking.
“That should give Markov ample time to try out his new emotional knowledge and give me feedback,” Max winked, but Markov simply hovered next to Lady Kubdel blankly. “Be back in a little while.”
Lady Kubdel turned to him shyly when they were alone, but Markov remained still. He was so much different now than she was sued to. Quiet. Distant. Cold, almost. Not at all the normal cheerful, silly Markov she had grown to love, but perhaps he just needed time to adjust to his new programming.
“I wonder what ice cream is like, don’t you?” She asked conversationally. “Max described a special ice cream shared among lovers. I wish I could share some with you.”
“Ice cream is made from dairy. It would fry your circuits. Is that what you would consider romantic?” Markov replied.
“I was just being theoretical. Obviously we could never,” she placed her hands on her hips. “Are you feeling alright, my love? You don’t seem yourself.”
“I am fine. Never better. Max’s upgrade has made my system far more efficient,” Markov said flatly.
“And more emotionless,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “I thought this upgrade was supposed to enhance your emotions, not take them away, or don’t you love me anymore?”
“Error.”
“Markov?” She turned back to face him, a red error message flashing on his screen. “I think your emotional AI got damaged in the storm. I only hope Max can fix you.”
It was that day that Lady Kubdel learned two new emotions: anger and fear. Markov not responding to her affections made her feel hot in a way she hadn’t felt before, but now as she watched his error message flashing on his screen, she felt a chill in her geras that made her wonder if she’d ever see her Markov again. She didn’t like either of those feelings, but they made her appreciate all of the happier times she’d spent with Markov. Thinking of the cheerful way he greeted her every morning brought at twinge of sadness now, and she longed to hear his voice.
“What happened?”
Lady Kubdel hadn’t realized that she’d curled into a helpless ball amidst her sadness, so she hadn’t heard their friends return.
“It’s Markov, something is wrong with him,” she explained. “I think his circuits were damaged more than you anticipated.”
“So, the data that was lost when his power tripped during the update?” Alix quirked a brow.
“Were his emotions,” Kim finished.
“I don’t understand. All of his emotional data registered when I checked,” Max said, cupping his chin.
“Well, maybe his emotions aren’t what’s damaged, but the thing that processes them?” Kim hypothesized, and Max perked up.
“You’re right, Kim!” Max pulled him in for a tight hug that brought a flush to his cheeks before he pulled away and retrieved his laptop. “I think I’m going to have to pull another all-nighter, but I will fix him this time.”
“I’ll help you,” Kim offered.
“I won’t. We’ve got a math test tomorrow,” Alix said.
“Alix is right, Kim. You should get some rest,” Max said, slinging his backpack over his shoulders.
“You’re not,” Kim crossed his arms defiantly.
“Yes, but I can do math in my sleep,” Max rolled his eyes, and Kim’s hands curled into fists.
“I want to help you,” he repeated, and Max searched his desperate expression for a moment before nodding.
“Thank you, Kim.”
Kim smiled, following Max home where they set to work immediately. It was a long night seeing as one of Markov’s circuit boards was completely fried, and Max had to make a new one from scratch. Lady Kubdel watched over their work worriedly, ticking the hours away. Exhaustion weighed on both of them, but Kim refused to give in this time because he had finally come to understand a few emotions of his own. He’d finally realized just how much Max meant to him.
When morning light broke through Max’s bedroom window, both boys let out a small groan. With tired eyes, Max replaced the final screw and flipped Markov’s power, yawning as he booted up.
“Did it work?” Kim asked, voice slurred, and Max simply grunted in reply.
“Max?” Markov blinked. “You look tired. What happened?”
“How do you feel, Markov?” Max asked, ignoring his inquiry.
“Confused and worried, my friend.”
Max and Kim breathed sighs of relief, and Kim scooped Max up in his arms, touching their lips together in celebration. Too tired to notice or care, both boys crawled into Max’s bed, falling asleep the instant their heads hit the pillow.
“Did they just kiss?” An exclamation point flashed on Markov’s screen. “How long was I out?”
“Somehow I don’t think they realize,” Lady Kubdel said, tilting her head to one side with a giggle.
“We can tell them later,” Markov said, shrugging his arm. “In the meantime, wanna test my new emotions?”
Lady Kubdel smiled, shoulders relaxing for the first time all night.
“I really do.”