Work Text:
Virus stood in front of a tank, lid pushed open. It didn’t make sense, to keep an allmate in a tank. They’re robots, not actual animals after all. It hadn’t taken him long to settle on the snake-type allmate currently wrapping itself around his arm as it slithered up to his shoulder. He had known what he wanted prior to coming in to the store which even focused on specialized allmates.
“Trip,” he said, looking up at the man standing a few paces away. He was staring into one of the tanks but didn’t appear to be focusing on anything in particular. “Anything interest you?”
“Not really.”
Did you even look? Virus narrowed his eyes. There had to be something in here that Trip would fancy.
“I’ll just get whatever model you’re getting.” Trip gestured to the allmate Virus was holding up. He turned back to the tanks, looking at the much smaller snakes curled up in a tangled heap.
Virus sighed. “Not that I care one way or the other, but if you’re not going to get one that complements you--for the sake of compatibility if nothing else--is there a point to you getting an allmate at all?” Virus had been the one to suggest them afterall. They’d be useful for...work, he explained. Trip didn’t seem to have opinions one way or another and just accompanied him to the store as he normally would. Virus, on the other hand, had just assumed Trip would be purchasing one as well.
“Work.” Trip shrugged, but his brows knitted together in what appeared to be confusion.
Turning to the young salesclerk nervously hovering behind, Virus motioned her forward. To which she naturally complied. “Show me the biggest…” He turned back to Trip, sneaking a quick glance at the man. “...most incomprehensible allmate you have in stock.”
“Ah, y-yes!” She tittered, her own allmate flapping beside her head. “Karin, can you be a dear and fetch me they keys to the backroom?” With a quick affirmation, the little bird flew off as the employee led the two to the back of the store where her allmate was waiting with the keys.
“We don’t keep this one on the floor due to his size and how he seems to...unsettle the customers.”
“Ah?” Virus inquisited, wondering as to what the allmate could possibly be. Ah.
They were greeted by a lazy rumble as a large lion stared back, making unbreakable eye contact. Virus understood how some could find such uncomfortable. Trip stood in front of the large robot, the two locked in some type of wordless communication as they stare at each other. Neither seemed particularly interested in the other.
“It probably doesn’t help much that he’s still on factory settings, but--”
The woman didn’t have time to finish her sentence before interrupting herself with a harsh gasp as Trip collapsed backwards on top of the lion, his head resting on the lion’s thick mane. It turned his head to observe the man on his side, slightly curious. Trip dug around in his pocket, pulling out a half melted candy he had stuck in there some time ago.
“Sir,” the woman blanched as the lion licked the gooey pink mess off the man’s large palm. He didn’t eat it, of course, and the candy slid off his tongue and clicked as it hit the hard tile floor, but Trip didn’t react.
He stared up at the ceiling, almost unaware of Virus’s eyes still intently on him. His hand snaked up into the lion’s mane, in something almost resembling a pat. “Welter,” he muttered, in a sort of christening.
Virus couldn’t help but find the man idiotic at first. But at second glance, he noted Trip’s lazy contentedness. How he leaned back into the lion, fingers entangled in its fur, and his eyes starting to shut with no other expression on his face. There were only a few other times when he had seen Trip so at ease, and it unsettled him for a moment as he stood there frozen. The only movement about him, the snake on his arm. But the foreign feeling disappeared as sudden as it arrived, and he pushed his glasses back up on his nose. A slight smile playing on his lips again.
Trip had opened his eyes, looking at the salesclerk as he pointed at the snake wrapped around Virus’s shoulders. “Make him that color.”
The woman blanched, and one could wonder if she even had any blood in her body. “I, uh, don’t think we can do that, sir.”
Virus smiled at her. “I believe for the amount of money we’re paying you can do as he requests, correct?” The politeness in his voice was feigned at best.
“I...yes.” The lady agreed, defeated.