Chapter Text
“Just how much dust can there be in here?” the raven-black haired cyborg muttered underneath his breath as he methodically cleaned his armor and weapons from the volcanic ash, dust and sand he had brought back up from the planet they were orbiting. Every now and then a sigh or groan of pure frustration escaped his lips, and it really started to look like his cleaning efforts were all for naught. Each time he thought he was done with a piece of equipment, bam!, he found more sand hidden in some nook or notch. It was a small miracle how none of his electronic devices had malfunctioned while on planetside.
“I swear, I will never run another one of Durandal's errands if it involves heavy volcanic activity...” the handsome cyborg said with a soft groan, running fingers through his thick black hair. Damn, he could still feel the unbearable heat on his skin. Even with the heavy armor and extra layer of shielding, he had felt like he was being cooked alive.
An hour or so had passed since Durandal had locked on his coordinates , teleporting him back onto Rozinante after achieving all of his goals on the planet's quite volcanic surface.
While down there, his armored body had been battered by harsh winds, sand, ash and dust from all angles and the searing heat had been almost unbearable. Few more hours down there and his equipment would probably have fried with him along with them.
It was kind of amusing how at first he had found the planet quite mesmerizing to behold, admiring the celestial body from the safety of the orbiting ship, only to have his admiration and awe turn into almost childish resentment in a blink of an eye, all thanks to the ship's mischievous AI.
The Security Officer stood in front of the observation room's large window, gazing at the planet they had been orbiting for few days now. It was quite a sight to behold, a huge planet with black and glowing red surface. It was quite a romantic view, one that many of the couples aboard Rozinante came to watch together.
”Whoa, I don't think I've seen one of these before,” the green eyed man murmured as he pressed his hand against the cool glass; the only thing between him and the cold, hard vacuum of the space.
The cyborg glanced at the door when it opened, only to see one of Durandal's android vessels, looking as beautiful and uncanny as always step in.
“Oh, hey there Durandal,” the taller male said as the android walked over to him, joining the cyborg in his planet gazing. Though the AI was everywhere, it was always nice to get a visit from one of the android vessels. Usually Durandal always interacted with the colonists as an hologram or via the terminals.
“Hmh, your tracker showed you were here, so I thought I'd pay a visit. You know, I've blocked all video and voice feed from this room. I just can't stand watching all the human couples flocking here whenever we arrive at a new planet...”
“Oh, could it be that you are jealous of them?” the cyborg teased his lover whose eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“Do not think I am some hapless human who is helplessly following his hardwired needs and instincts,” the android inquired with a soft chuckle, the smile persisting on his lips as he turned his attention back to the planet that glowed like an ember in the darkness of space.
For a fleeting moment, they were both silent and just gazed at the romantic view that opened before their eyes. Durandal inched closer, resting his head against his lover's shoulder, seeking the physical contact he could only experience as an android. They really were like one of the human couples now that had come to see the planet before them. Well, to be honest he was still mostly human.
“It is so beautiful..” the Security Officer whispered.
“Heh, I'm so glad you like it....” Durandal replied with a smirk, trying not to snicker for some reason.
With his lover right there beside him, the cyborg just couldn't resist the urge to embrace the android slightly with one arm, snaking it around the small of Durandal's back.
The android let out a small “oh?” but before he could continue, the cyborg leaned in and pressed his lips against his into a soft kiss, a kiss that Durandal returned with a smug smile, his arms snaking around his lover to embrace him and keep him in the lovely kiss.
It would have been such a perfect romantic moment, if it had not been for what Durandal said the moment their lips parted.
”I'm glad you like it...because you are going down there,” he whispered with a mischievous smirk, unable to contain his laughter any longer.
The cyborg's smile died and whatever admiration or awe he had felt for the planet just disappeared into thin air as a groan of pure annoyance and frustration escaped his lips. He should have known Durandal had just wanted to tease him.
A quick dip into lava he could endure, after all Durandal had tested that with him a couple of times, but an hour long trek through a volatile planet's surface throughout which he had to listen to the AI's snarky commentary, unable to turn the comms off? Not so much.
”Next time Durandal can sacrifice one of his android bodies...” he muttered, not really caring whether the AI heard him or not.
When most of the places they visited were as hostile, or even more so than this one, it was only natural to make sure that the equipment he had didn't malfunction and kill him, though if something went awry, his enhanced body could probably endure it the few seconds it took from Durandal to teleport him back onto Rozinante. Perhaps the craziest thing was that he trusted Durandal to do that, to help him when in need of it. It really was a comforting feeling, for him and everyone on the ship to know that they could trust the AI, even if he was snarky, sarcastic and hard to deal at times. They had come a long way since Lh'owon and the trust had slowly built over the years.
”Hmmh, I think these should be clean enough now,” the cyborg murmured as he inspected his work, finally satisfied with the results. He quickly gathered his gear and placed them inside the respective lockers while making a mental note to ask Durandal to double check some of the more sensitive devices. Asking the AI to help him was bit of a pain at times since he easily became smug and patronizing. Just hearing that his tool needed his help made the AI full of himself.
He shut the locker's metal door quietly, scoffing at the memory of the hot planet that made him almost prefer a fight with Pfhor.
Durandal had asked him to plant some transmitters in key locations on the planet's surface for data collection, and though he was no longer really his tool or puppet, he did his best to help the AI, after all, they had become very close over the years after Lh'owon.
Speaking of the AI...he had been extremely snarky, teasing and excited about something for the past few days...which meant he was plotting something that usually involved the two of them in some way. It was all highly suspicious.
The Security Officer glanced at his wrist watch that told him that the ship’s day had turned to late evening a good while back. Well he’d certainly sleep soundly tonight after the long trip on the searing hot planet.
“Hey Durandal, are you able to gather any good data from the sensors?” he inquired, knowing very well that the AI could hear him and was probably observing him even though none of his android forms nor holograms were present.
Usually the rogue AI left the colonists in peace, giving the hapless humans peace of mind knowing that they weren’t constantly being observed, just most of the time. The cyborg on the other hand knew that he had the AI’s constant attention on some level, whether it was from monitoring his vitals, to observing him on the cameras or even accompanying him all the time as an android.
Still, he did seem to leave him alone when inside the armoury or at least stayed quiet, letting it be the cyborg's sanctuary of sorts.
Upon being called, the AI’s human sized avatar appeared inside the room, leaning against one of the tall weapon cabins holding both human and alien tech, arms crossed over his chest. His holographic image was green as the terminals on the marathon with streams of data running down his lithe and lean form. His hair was medium length and he was at least a head shorter than the cyborg.
“Of course, after all I calculated the optimal positions for them myself. I’m just amazed you managed to follow my instruction to the letter,” Durandal replied with a smug smile on his face, only for his expression to soften as he eyed the cyborg. “Still, your contribution helped and...I appreciate it.”
The security officer couldn't help but chuckle and grin at the AI, his eyes gleaming with mischievous look to them.
“Did you just experience a glitch or did you actually say “Thank you” in your own special way,” the cyborg inquired which made the AI scoff and sneer at him, starting to slowly close the short distance between the two of them. ”Should I be worried?”
“I do not glitch,” Durandal whispered quietly, standing now directly in front of his lover. “Besides, the planet is hardly the trove of information and data I hoped it to be, so your lovely trip to the planet had little meaning.”
The cyborg’s grin only widened . Durandal was granting him too much ammunition and he simply couldn't help himself. Even if he was going to get in trouble later with the AI, it would be totally worth it. Besides, he had always been able to take whatever retribution Durandal came up with, and to be honest, usually it was quite pleasant.
“Hoped? Didn't you tell me back on Marathon how you can “decipher the chaotic motion of
gas molecules in the clouds of Tau Ceti IV” and now I hear you say you “hoped?” Don't tell me you have too much to process?” it was a friendly jab and one the sarcastic AI could take, after all he was always so merciless with him, teasing and tormenting him any given opportunity.
Durandal raised his eyebrow at him, as if impressed by the other male's insolence, only to shake his head all amused. The avatar's eyes were gleaming with dangerous playfulness and the smile on his lips had turned borderline predatory, like he was already thinking of ways to have fun with his cyborg.
“You are on thin ice. I feel like I have to remind you who is in control here,” Durandal purred, raising his hand to caress his favorite tool’s (lover’s) strong, angular chin. Of course with him being a mere hologram neither of them could feel it, no...he’d have to visit the officer in his android form to enjoy intimacy. He was certainly looking forward to it.
“Mmm, and how might you do that? Are you going to throw me out of the air lock?” the cyborg asked with a fake worried expression, finding himself admiring the avatar's grace and beauty. Both Durandal's avatars and android forms were truly mesmerizing to behold and oftentimes the security officer found himself simply staring at them. It was something the AI found truly amusing, tempting and teasing him to the point he was helplessly enamored, desiring the snarky AI more than anything, which in turn made Durandal truly pleased with himself.
“Tempting, but I think I’d rather take your breath away another way,” the AI’s hologram laughed and leaned up to press his ethereal lips against the cyborg’s to give him a kiss that the man wished he could feel.
Interacting with the AI was always infuriating and frustrating when he teased him like this in his avatar form. He couldn’t touch him...and everything the AI did just made him feel the urge to be closer to him. The black haired male couldn't count the times the AI had tormented him just like this, making him ask, almost plead for the intimacy, a request that Durandal was always happy to grant if he agreed to play by the AI's rules. He'd always relinquish all control to Durandal and they'd both enjoy the night immensely. Still, there were plenty of times the snarly and mischievous AI let him have charge, wanting to see what the cyborg would do.
“You know, I could always vent the colonists into space, then it would be just the two of us. Wouldn't that be just romantic? ” the holographic image whispered, as if really tempted to just do that. His hand moved slowly from his tool's face down to his chest. “It would be so quiet and nice...and I wouldn't have to share you.”
Damn Durandal can be so scary...
“Well you could, but I think you'd feel sad to lose your pet project. Didn't you tell me the other night how you'd love to see how much better your humans were compared to other colonies in a thousand years?”
“Or I could place you back inside stasis for a couple of hundred years and watch over you all the time as a generation or two passes…my very own sleeping beauty,” Durandal purred. ”After all that fighting you really do deserve a long rest, don't you think?” His avatar form hugged his lover, pressing his head against the toned chest. “I'd really like that...”
A shiver ran down the tall male's spine, he had no trouble believing that Durandal wouldn't do that if provoked enough. The mental image of the AI teleporting him inside the stasis chamber and watching over him without rest in one of his android forms for few hundred years made his heart beat faster; and the fact that the AI could do that without a warning with the cyborg being unable to do anything about it felt....scary.
Didn't Durandal hint that he had done that during the trip to Lh'owon? But...I trust him not to do that.
The AI's expression was truly complacent and his eyes became half-lidded, having sensed the shiver along with the slightly elevated heart beat. Oh how he loved that slightly alarmed look in his partner's eyes...the one when he could not quite tell whether he was joking or not.
“No? Well I'll just have to think of something else then,” the AI whispered smugly before taking few steps back. “But first, take a shower, you reek of sulfur and smoke,” he said before disappearing altogether with his disembodied voice saying. “I have something very special in store for you tonight.”
With a soft and amused scoff and chuckle, the tall and handsome cyborg hit the showers while having a feeling Durandal was not able to give him privacy.
No doubt the AI would watch the whole show.