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The ground shakes furiously under 2B and 9S as it tries its best not to tear apart by the immeasurable power of a massive volcano shooting up lava and smoke into the air.
It takes everything from 2B to stay upright, the low but deafening rumble of the erupting volcano loud in her ears.
Not too loud to pick up on 9S’s voice, however. She’s made sure to maximize those settings.
Admittedly, maybe she hadn’t done so for situations like these, per se, but she’s thankful to herself regardless.
“This… Doesn’t seem like it’s going to end well.”
She turns her head around to look at him, the lava flowing dangerously close to them behind him. A quick look around confirms what she was afraid of.
They were surrounded by streams of scorching lava, the slightly elevated ground they were standing on offering them only temporary safety at best.
They are entirely at the mercy of this beast of the earth itself with nowhere to run.
Their pods start giving their statuary warnings, which are nothing but a waste of energy at this point.
Yet, 9S smiles.
"I know, I know. Did the data transfer finish without any issues?"
“Affirmative."
“Great,” he says in that cheerful tone of his and swipes his remaining screens closed. “Then I order you to escape here.”
2B looks at him, slightly surprised. It’s not often that he gives up, even if the situation was as inescapable as this.
… Nor is he ever as nonchalant about it.
“Warning: Unit 9S and 2B’s chances of survival will decrease significantly if–”
“Our chances of survival are so low that you two being here won’t make a difference at this point. Return to the Bunker and salvage the data we were able to gather at least.”
“... Understood.”
If 9S says there is no way out, 2B isn’t going to question it. She turns to her own pod.
“... Pod, follow 153.”
“... Understood.”
The pods seem to hesitate briefly, but ultimately they have no choice but to obey their orders as their support units.
The two androids watch as the two pods disappear into the thick cloud of smoke, hoping for their safe return, preferably with their last uploaded data with them.
“... So what now?” 2B finds herself asking despite being unsure if she wants to hear 9S’s answer. She looks away, not trusting her facial expressions to betray her if 9S were to ask what she half-expects him to.
Being melted alive by lava doesn’t sound too enticing, after all. A carefully aimed stab of a sword would be a much faster and less painful way to go in this situation…
Her hands clench into fists at the thought.
“Guess there’s nothing left to do but to make the most out of the few minutes we have left,” 9S says instead, just as casually as before. As if he was talking about the weather rather than their impending doom.
“What do you mean?”
2B turns to look at 9S and is surprised to see him untying the knot of his visor, revealing his beautiful eyes to her.
It makes her breath catch in her throat.
“The pods are gone, lava will surely melt away our black boxes and the machine network here is making connecting to Bunker impossible,” he explains, tossing his visor into the stream of melted rock.
“In other words, no one will ever know what happens here at this moment.”
2B cocks her head slightly, not sure what he’s getting at.
“What do you–”
“2B…”
He calls her name in the gentlest of voices that makes her knees feel weak and her black box ache painfully.
Hearing that voice of his has never bode well with her in the end.
To protect herself, she’s about to repeat her “Emotions are forbidden” mantra to him but the words die in her throat when she sees 9S spread his arms open for her with a wide smile.
His eyes are no longer trying to hold back all the love and affection he feels for her.
It’s at that moment that all his words connect in her head.
“No one will ever know what happens here at this moment.”
So in other words…
It’s okay now.
Without a second thought, 2B tears off her own visor, tossing it into the air as she rushes into 9S’s waiting arms. They wrap around her protectively as soon as she presses against him, her hands digging into hair and the back of his jacket as if her life depended on it, holding him as close as physically possible without breaking him.
“Nines…”
9S’s hold on her tightens as he buries his face into the crook of her neck. The tear prickling at the corner of her eye falls down and disappears into his hair when 2B feels his lips press against the sensitive skin.
The searing lava eventually reaches their feet but it doesn’t stop them from embracing and trying to feel as much of one another as they can with their limited time.
If anything, 2B welcomes the burning pain with a smile and a serene heart.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fade away together?”
One of her greatest, most carefully guarded wishes was finally coming true, after all.