Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's hard. It's really hard, pretending like she's completely fine with what's going on right now. Her red, digital eyes flicker over to the shameful stash she's acquired over the course of... Whenever she was aware she was infected. Whenever the symptoms showed themselves.

Doll can't blame anyone but herself, as much as she'd like to scream and curse at the damn anomalies that screwed her, specifically, over. She can't blame anyone for the murders she committed, she can't hate anyone about it. She can hate that pathetic little liar, though. Doll can easily blame h- it.The Disassembly Drone who took them. Doll is well within her right to hate the damn acid-flinger to her heart's content. It's easier finding someone to blame for something than it is not being able to find an excuse to be angry all the time.

Doll grits her teeth at the thought of the thing that took her life away, even if it was screwed from the start. It messed everything up for her. It took her mother, it took her father, it took her friend, it took her life. For that, Doll can never forgive that absolute monster. She wouldn't try.

She hates it. With everything she has, she absolutely hates it. Doll knows that she's going about this all wrong. She's more of a murderer than the pest is, at this point. More of a heartless thing. It's shown more restraint than she has towards her own colony and it sickens her to know she's fallen below what she hates most. Despite herself, she tries not to think about that stuff.

Not like it matters, anyway. She has her plan to work towards completing. No time for thinking anymore.

Doll sighs, leaning against the wall and sliding down the cold material slowly, holding her head in her hands as she feels the heat climbing up her back and constricting her thoughts. She doesn't move, allowing the heat to remain as a little self-punishment for what she is. Maybe the heat hurts the Solver, too. To Doll, that would be the best piece of information she's received all month, but she can't kid herself.

She knows it can't feel pain. Not a program, surely. It's only using her. It probably likes when she feels pain. It probably thrives on it. Just one step closer to using her as a complete shell, a puppet. Doll laughs to herself quietly. She's going insane.

She's... Going insane.

It would scare her, but honestly? She's too tired to give a damn. She's got no reason to care. She's here for one thing only and that's to stop that creepy worm brat from screwing this planet up. She knows how to do it, she's just gotta figure out how she's gonna go about it.

Doll sighs softly, smiling to herself as she harshly grips an oil canister and gulps it down, cooling her systems immediately. She can help Uzi. She knows the edgy Worker doesn't trust her at all, but she'll force her to, if that'll make sure the worm's stopped and dead forever. One step at a time.

Doll grunts, standing to her feet as she glances over at the picture frame on her desk, cracked and splattered with oil, but still recognisable. Doll gently picks it up, caressing it as if it was the only thing she needed anymore. Not quite true, but close enough.

Lizzy. That weirdly popular girl who didn't even care that she was a literal eldritch demon in disguise. Lizzy only cared that she had a bestie to talk smack about the other losers to. Doll always found Lizzy funny and enjoyed her company. She's loyal to her, always will be, even if Lizzy betrayed her. Even if Lizzy tossed her away for the very thing that tossed her life away.

Doll will never forget what Lizzy meant to her. Doll was originally scared of it, but... She loves Lizzy. Repressing it never worked. Every time Lizzy sassily remarked at her or pulled her in for a selfie, Doll would play along and indulge her friend. Doll always saw her friend as odd, honestly. Why hang out with someone who has a literal body count of over 40 people?

Doll likes to make up the reasons herself. Maybe Lizzy didn't care. Maybe Lizzy wanted a friend more than she cared about the bodies in her room. Maybe Lizzy wanted to get on Doll's good side so she could avoid her hitlist. Maybe Lizzy hated her and tried coming up with plans to hurt her. Maybe... Maybe Lizzy loved her too. All good theories, but Doll thought about that one the most.

....

Wow.

She's so tired and delirious that she's been standing here, holding the picture for longer than she should. Maybe ten minutes, maybe an hour. Doll twitches in slight annoyance, before placing the picture away. Safely. Doll grits her teeth, gasping sharply as her right eye flickers. Red, yellow, red...

It's been doing that a lot. That's why she needs the eye patch. It's stylish, fitting and something she thinks Lizzy would like, if they were still friends.

Doll tiredly drags her hand along her visor. This is getting annoying. She can't keep doing this, but she has to. Just... Just a little bit longer. Just go through with the plan, help Uzi out and... Try to find a way to help herself out. Uzi's the priority. The worm likes Uzi a little more, it wants Uzi to be taken over quicker. Protagonistic allure? Maybe.

Doll gently stretches, before heading off to sleep mode. Shutting down seems like the best thing she can do, at this point. It's so peaceful. She'd do it indefinitely, but she has an idiot to save.

Her dreams are nice.

Her systems show her what she thinks could happen in another timeline or if things were sorted out, by some miracle. She's shown vague, self-generated images of that sassy cheerleader, cuddling up with her and watching movies on her projector together. She's shown nice little memories of Lizzy giggling away with her and blushing when Doll shows something more than monotonous responses or nonchalant shrugs. Something that Lizzy liked, like when Doll was rarely energetic and proud of herself.

Doll smiles in her sleep, hugging a decapitated body close, smearing oil all over her outfit. It's nice to pretend that she's doing something she likes, even though she knows that, when she wakes up, she'll be disappointed. Again.

Doll wonders, subconsciously, if Lizzy's okay with that pest. If she's having more fun with it than Lizzy had with her.

Doll would like to think otherwise, but... She knows better. Yet, Doll doesn't mind much. If Lizzy's actually happy and well taken care of, then Doll's gonna back off. It's fine.

Doll has a goal in mind and she can't keep letting her thoughts take up all her time. It's getting annoying and she's running out of time. She needs to act quickly and rationally if she wants this to work, but... After all the stuff she's been through, Doll thinks she deserves a damn break for once.

Chapter Text

"Doll, girly, can you PLEASE just get comfortable? You're scruffing up my Limited Edition Bedsheets from RandumJuhnk™! I don't disrespect your room like this! (Mostly because I don't like your creepy house.)" Lizzy crosses her arms, rolling her half-lidded, rose digital eyes in annoyance as she watches her vampy-bestie roll around on the bedsheets, messing them up. If Doll was anyone else right now, Lizzy'd have no issues with slamming the door in their face. But she can't do that to her girlfriend, now can she?

Doll huffs, before finally relenting and leaning back against the headboard, picking at the pink-ish red synthetic fur strands that were lodged between the ball-joints of her porcelain fingers. Doll grimaces with each, uncomfortable pull. "[Your blankets are too furry. They keep getting in my joints and wiring. It's... annoying.]"

Lizzy simply scoffs, staring at her phone as she scrolls beside Doll, tapping the murder-prone Worker on her visor in a gentle chiding manner. "Well, you know me- I gotta slay everything I got, and furs are the most trendy thing right now. Get used to it, sweetheart." Lizzy smirks to herself, finding her own mockingly cocky tone funny. Lizzy wraps her free arm around an annoyed Doll, tugging her close so she can see what's on her phone too. Can't leave such an important guest just sitting there like an awkward lump!

Doll simply sighs, resigning to her fate of scrolling through crappy memes with her sassy girlfriend.

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A few hours later, Lizzy has finally finished flicking through her social media, much to Doll's relief. Doll, half awake, doesn't register the fact that Lizzy's moved away, not until she was caught off guard by two familiar arms firmly wrapping around her waist, Lizzy's body weight forcing Doll to crash against the bed. Doll's right eye flickers to that petrifying symbol for a split second, extremely defensive and ready to rip some heads off, until she quickly realises that it's just Lizzy

"Gotcha, girly! Pfft, I shoulda took a picture of you just now! You were all, like, weirdly cute-looking! You should look like that more often, just a little suggestion." Lizzy smirks at Doll from her head's position on her chest, raising her digi-brow. Doll simply blushes faintly and sits up, causing Lizzy to be forcefully rolled off. Doll ignores Lizzy's annoyed scoff.

"[I'd rather not. I don't exactly do... "Cute". Not my style, Liz.]" Doll nudges Lizzy gently, yawning as she stretches out her limbs, feeling some wires out of place. That honestly irritates her often. Maybe she should take up Lizzy's suggestions for maintenance services; might be useful for once.

Lizzy groans, rolling her eyes as she scowls at her girlfriend, planting herself firmly against Doll, gripping her upper arms, smirking mischievously. "Ugh, you're such a killjoy, you know that!? Why're you so grumpy todayyyy!?"

Doll simply averts her gaze boredly, ignoring Lizzy in favour of staring at the wall.

Lizzy grins to herself, before shaking Doll lightly, poking her sides. No reaction. This should be fun. Lizzy grunts softly as she sits up a little more, directly face-to-face with her red-eyed murder-y weirdo. Lizzy grins, flicking Doll's visor, earning an irritated flinch. "C'moooonnn, stop being such a downer, you honestly need to, like, lighten up!"

Still no response from Doll other than a small, double-lined crimson blush adorning her under-eyes. Lizzy knows she's gonna have to try a little harder than that to get Doll's attention; she always finds it funny when Doll's all cute and angsty like this. She almost always gets an adorable reaction when she prods hard enough.

Lizzy snickers softly, before nuzzling Doll's cheek affectionately, her own rosy blush marking her own visor. She'd only ever be this intensely affectionate and disgustingly sappy with Doll when Lizzy's certain she's alone with her. If anyone else found out, though, Lizzy'd clock their screens in and get her dad to fail them three years straight.

And if that wasn't enough? She'd use her Scary Drone privileges to make absolutely certain any idiot who actually had the bolts to say something would... disappear.

Back on track, Lizzy walks her hand up Doll's arm playfully, before caressing her cheek. "I love yoooou~!" Lizzy wouldn't be caught dead saying that if she knew anyone else was around, but she's only saying it because it's damn well true. She loves her weird, creepy murder-bot. Lizzy also loves how Doll blushes heavily each time she says it.

The blonde-haired girl decides to use her ultimate little secret that she knew Doll absolutely loved. Lizzy swiftly darts her hand under Doll's chin and scritches softly, earning a gentle yelp accompanied by a slight sigh of contentment.

Lizzy won, yet again~! As to be expected from the most badass girly around this stupid Bunker thing.

Doll huffs softly in defeat, melting against Lizzy's touch and leaning against her, sitting up so she's more comfortable. Doll simply allows Lizzy to keep going, not finding anything wrong or annoying with this. She likes it. And she'd be a lot less lenient with anyone who finds out than Lizzy would, that's for sure.

As Doll relaxes with Lizzy, both their digital eyes closed with a gentle blush, Lizzy frowns softly as her auditory processors detect a weird... rumbling noise. Lizzy fixed the vents and stuff, so she knows it's not that. Lizzy focuses a little more, before her rose eyes hollow at a soft vibration against her fingers, the very same ones scritching under Doll's chin.

Lizzy instantly sits up, gaze locked on Doll as she gasps, before squealing. Doll's purring. Like, literally PURRING. Like one of them weird organic things she read about, those 'cat' things! "Oh my god."

Doll instantly stops purring, instead tilting her head in confusion, frowning softly. "[Is something wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt?]" As monotone, yet audibly concerned, as the questions are, Lizzy loves that Doll cares that much about her. She just wishes Doll's constant concerns stemmed from something less traumatic.

Lizzy instantly giggles excitedly, before grinning maniacally and hugging Doll close, squealing in adoration. "Oh my goooosh!" You're, like, literally such a huge cutie! I didn't even know you could purr, when was that a function!? Holy hell, I need to record this!"

Doll blushes in embarrassment as she realises what she did. It's a stupid little effect of the Solver's work, purring is. Doll first noticed it when she was laying next to an actual air conditioner- a rarity in a world like this. Almost nothing anyone found in the trash heap (the safest one) was repairable anymore, so Doll's lucky she could fix the one she has. It helps cool her down when the program's acting up and so, she purred. She didn't even mean to. Doll doesn't listen as her girlfriend rants on and on, she just blushes and tries to look annoyed.

Lizzy pauses her rant abruptly, thinking back on something. Maybe... she wouldn't record or post it. Nah. Only Lizzy ever needs to know about this sorta thing. Lizzy grins at Doll gently, stroking Doll's back as she sighs, relaxing against Doll, laying her weight on Doll's side. "Doll, Vampy, you're literally a damn dorky mess, I actually love you so much."

And Lizzy means it. She always has. Always. Ever since Lizzy got used to Doll after first hanging out with her occasionally, she knew she loved her stupidly angry face. Even after Doll revealed what she actually was, what infected her, Lizzy still loved her. She can't just NOT love such a special little idiot!

Doll blushes at the common nickname Lizzy gave her, before resting her head on Lizzy's shoulder, completely relaxed, her guard let down immediately. "[Yeah, I... I love you too, Lizzy.]" Doll fights back another blush as she hears Lizzy squeal in adoration and excitement, instead continuing to relax.

In the quiet of Lizzy's room, the two Drones cuddled up together, completely and utterly smitten with each other, nothing's wrong. The only sound present is a soft, feminine-like baritone purr filling the room. Lizzy smirks to herself, subtly snapping a secret pic.

"Gotcha, Dolly!"

Chapter Text

The air outside is much colder than it is inside of the bunker, Doll notices. It's to be expected, considering she's literally directly standing in the snow, but she never thought it'd be this cold. It's... nice, honestly. Lizzy apparently doesn't think so, as she's decked out in fuzzy boots and a thick, warm scarf, both glittery and a matching magenta tone.

"Ugh, why did I even agree to this, again?? Like, scrap search duty is wayyy better than sitting in class with all the other Less Cool Losers™ back there, but I didn't sign up to have my circuits freeze over. Totally lame." Lizzy scoffs, kicking up snow with each step, dragging along the large, fraying bag full of potentially useful scrap metal.

Doll rolls her eyes as she tunes out her girlfriend's constant rambling, instead focusing on the snowy landscape in front. Doll's kinda glad Uzi managed to tame the two acid-flingers; everyone's able to explore and expand outside the Bunker now. Well, almost everyone. Some are far too traumatised to go outside, but Doll thinks they're just weak. If there's no danger, there's no danger. Simple.

Lizzy sighs in annoyance to herself, tugging the bag along before she speeds up to walk next to Doll, holding her hand. It's surprisingly warm, not that Lizzy minds. She literally needs warmth right now, like, so bad.

They continue reviewing scrap pieces and occasional plastics that they think could pass as useful, sometimes pausing to cuddle up and relax or playfully fling small pieces of rubble at each other. Eventually, Lizzy finally reaches her limit and abruptly turns around, surprising Doll, who nearly tripped as a result from being tugged so unexpectedly. "C'mon, Dolly, we're getting outta this dump. It's giving me FrostByte and I'll probably freeze over and die if I spend another second out here!"

Doll simply shrugs and nods, content to go with whatever Lizzy wants, unphased by Lizzy's pessimism. Doll pauses for a second, causing Lizzy to jolt to a stop. Lizzy turns back to face Doll, a little irritated since she'd like to get back to the Bunker ASAP. Doll reaches for the rubble bag, softly taking it from Lizzy and slinging it over her shoulder. She's far stronger than Lizzy, so she doesn't mind carrying it at all. "[Here, I'll take this. Let's keep going.]"

Lizzy blushes lightly, smiling in appreciation as she steps a little closer to Doll, nudging Doll's cheek with her own. "Thanks, cutie! I can always count on you~!" Lizzy continues walking with Doll, sticking close, relieved from the weight Doll removed from her.

Doll blushes in return, gently stroking the back of Lizzy's hand with her thumb. Doll absentmindedly levitates interesting bits of metal to examine, tossing it in the bag if she deems it useful enough to return with them. If not, it gets flung at Lizzy, earning an irritated shove and a playful remark each time.

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Lizzy grins as she spots the faint grey building, resting at a distance in the snow. The Bunker. Lizzy picks up the pace, dragging Doll along, her rose eyes skimming through the snow occasionally. On one specific little run-through of her surroundings, Lizzy notices an unusual, blue-hued light just a few metres from where she and Doll are walking. Lizzy slows to a stop, earning a confused tilt of Doll's head. Lizzy points to the strange light, eyebrows furrowing in curiosity and caution. "Uhm, now what in the hell is that thing? Doll, can we get a rain check?"

Doll now notices what exactly Lizzy's staring at, and furrows her brows as well, but nods at Lizzy's request. Doll takes the lead, motioning for Lizzy to stay behind and alert. Doll holds her hand up, three out of four fingers displayed as she brings the Absolute Solver Program to life, just in case she needs it.

Doll steps close enough to see and instantly, her crimson eyes hollow at what she sees, Lizzy gasping along with her, her hands latching onto Doll's arm. Doll crouches down, softly dragging her finger along the glass screen of a Droneling.

It's eyes flicker weakly, displaying a neutral expression as it gazes up at the two girls. The Droneling then begins to whimper, disrupted as Lizzy walks around Doll to pick the young one up, her rose eyes narrowed sympathetically. "It's... a Droneling... Like, an actual Droneling. The hell's it even doing out here?? This is totally mega-weird. I don't think this guy's built to be out here, like, at all, I dunno how it's survived this long without freezing up, but apparently the casing on these models are stronger than ours. Hmph. Kinda jealous."

Doll hums, staring at the whimpering Droneling from over Lizzy's shoulder, piecing together a small theory she has. It's not too far fetched, not at this point. Doll nudges Lizzy softly, gaining her attention. "[I believe it's parents died, since no-one in the colony would abandon their own kid. Uzi tamed her pests a month ago, which is close to the time the last group went out for resources. It's safe to say that this one's been out here for a month, possibly more.]"

Lizzy gently covers her mouth, shocked by such a morbid theory, but it makes sense. The times did line up, and a bunch of people died during that particular expedition. But... it's odd to her why a Droneling would be tagging along. Eh, Lizzy guesses it doesn't really matter anymore. Slowly, Lizzy grins and holds the Droneling up a little higher, a bit more confident. "Well, aren't you a little trooper! I don't even think I'd survive that long out here! Doll, we're keeping this lil cutie! It's ours! Finders keepers, losers can SHUT THEIR TRAPS!"

Instantly, Doll flinches, wincing in alarm as she quickly shakes her head, knowing they're both completely unprepared for such a gigantic change in their lives. Not to mention, Doll would be constantly on edge since this one's already weak. She doesn't think she can handle witnessing another death, especially not a death of an innocent Droneling. "[No, no way, Lizzy. We don't know the first thing about taking care of it; we're taking it back to the Bunker and handing it over to the caretakers.]"

Lizzy frowns, placing her hand on her hip, tucking the Droneling safely into her other arm, scoffing. Lizzy wouldn't trust those idiots, they lose Dronelings around the Bunker every second! Nuh uh, this isn't negotiable. "Uhm, girly, we're not handing this cutie over to anyone else but each other. Look, I personally think this is gonna be, like, the best thing ever! Our own kid, Doll! Wouldn't you like that?"

Doll glances at Lizzy, before frowning at the snow below her, crossing her arms. It's clear she's beyond nervous about this. She doesn't know what to do, she doesn't think she's going to be able to do this thing. Doll knows how much of a struggle Dronelings are and she would rather do without the extra stress.

Lizzy sighs softly, before slowly pulling Doll into a close, affectionate hug, mindful of the little one in her arm. Lizzy simply keeps quiet, gently settling Doll down and calming her. It's honestly rather easy to calm her girlfriend down, Lizzy notes. Lizzy pulls away, staring intently at Doll's crimson eyes. "You do realise you're not doing this alone, don't ya? Dolly, if you think I'm just gonna ad-lib this whole thing like a loser, you're wrong. Like, dead wrong. We're doing this thing together. It's sudden, but... I really wanna do this. With you."

Doll stares at Lizzy for a long moment, registering her words and running them through her CPU a bunch of times, savouring each second of the replays. Doll eventually relents and nods, smiling softly. "[Okay. Fine, we'll do this together. I just... what if I'm a bad influence? I kill other Workers, Liz, I don't want the little one to think it's normal or even find out... I'm worried...]"

Lizzy perks up a little, finally understanding what's got her cute weirdo so riled up. Lizzy gently places her Droneling down on the rubble bag, before cupping Doll's face with both hands, lovingly. "So that's why you're upset about this.... Look, I agree that I don't want our kid to also be desensitised to gross murder stuff, but you gotta chill. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just trust me." With that, Lizzy places a lingering kiss right on Doll's lips, before pulling away and wordlessly heading back to the Bunker, but it's obvious she's blushing like crazy. Doll's no different.

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As the duo-turned-trio arrive back at the Bunker, Lizzy carelessly tosses the rubble bag to a Worker, knocking him out instantly. Lizzy leads Doll to her room, since it's much more easy on the eyes than the literal crime scene of a room Doll has. Lizzy places her and Doll's Droneling, affectionately named 'Moroznyy', in the scarf Lizzy brought with her outside, before she tugs Doll onto her bed. Lizzy pulls Doll close, smirking to herself before she peppers kisses all over Doll's face, giggling.

Doll blushes fiercely, but makes no move to leave her position, instead rolling her eyes and looking away from Lizzy, staring at the wall, yet still feeling the entourage of affection pecks on her face.

Lizzy forcefully grabs Doll's cheeks and makes damn sure she's looking right at her, smugly raising her eyebrow in victory. "Pfft, I know you like this, so stop being such a little loser, Dolly." Lizzy swiftly plants a deep kiss on Doll's lips, knowing that she'd get a snarky response if she didn't shut her up first. Doll sputters , before her visor displays an alert that her systems crashed, the red, neon letters taking up most of her screen. Lizzy gently lays down on Doll's chest, hugging her waist tightly, knowing it'll be a little bit before Doll comes back. Lizzy pulls out her phone, snapping a quick picture and saving it, snickering to herself.

Moroznyy stares at his new parents, his current short memory retention unable to properly store this moment, but his eyes close happily, knowing that whatever's going on, it's probably a good thing. His CPU sets a timer automatically.

Begin: Complicated Child Protocol.

Cry_MP3 Set to Sound= [Like, Really Late At Night]

Cycle: [Repetitive]

Chapter Text

Splat.

The fresh sounds of a recently-decapitated-corpse in the morning isn't particularly enjoyable to the majority. But, for the small percentage of Kinda-Insane-Freaks that Doll is a part of, it's a relief to hear.

And taste.

Quickly guzzling down what she needs to survive, her inner functionality of locking in the necessary amount of oil so she doesn't throw it up (not like she ever does anymore) doing it's job well. Pieces of the corpse, now scrambled and unrecognisable, are swiftly shoved into Doll's mouth, her unnaturally sharp teeth siphoning out the oil from the metal via Solver-Resultant afflictions that cause her teeth to be a perfect mixture between strong and hollow enough to crush metal and suck the oil out. She's built for this.

Like one of the damn acid-flingers.

It would disgust her, but she's used to it. She's already had her Angsty Breakdown within the few months she first had her Solver activated, so there's nothing else for her body to react to. She's used to this lifestyle, and it's gonna take a miracle to get back into the habits of a normal Worker Drone once she finds a way to fix this mess. If she can find a way.

Doll sighs as she looks at her hands, the oil staining the porcelain of her fingers and dripping between the ball-joints. It eventually washes off naturally, so Doll never worries about it sticking around too long. She'd mega die if she so much as touched water enough to wash it anyway. Doll looks down at the corpse, sympathetically placing it in the corner. She knows it's so much more undignified than a proper burial or cremation, but it's something.

"[Thank you for your unwilling sacrifice. I promise, this was not personal. Your death won't be for nothing, I'll make sure of it.]" The apology was short, but Doll meant it. As much as of an irritating task hunting is, she always apologises for her actions. It was the way she was raised. Doll's crimson gaze lingers on the corpse for a while, her neon eyes bathing it in a scarlet glow.

...That doesn't matter.

Standing up, the infected Drone grabs her bag and prepares to head off to school, the holographic light of the Solver levitating her books that she never uses into said bag. She'd be meeting up with Lizzy before class starts, as always.

Lizzy.

Doll's thoughts were an enigma to most. They couldn't possibly understand what she thinks about, but they usually guess something along the lines of 'murder', 'creepy monologues', 'antagonistic desires' and 'generic school creep thoughts'.

But if you were a spooky Russian ghost-Drone or whatever she is, you'd know these are all wrong. She spends half her class time maladaptive daydreaming about Lizzy and how adorable she is. Her cat-ear hair tie, her pink-blonde hair, those rose-coloured eyelights, her sassy remarks and most of all, the total lack of fear when she sits with Doll in class. Doll thinks that, for these reasons, Lizzy's absolutely perfect. She loves her. One day, Doll hopes that they can have an actual relationship, one where it's simply just them. Together.

But Doll knows she's kidding herself.

Lizzy wouldn't ever want to date her. Not after all she's done. Not after the countless murders that she's committed, each murder being pinned up on the board in the hallway, almost mocking Doll each time she walks past it. She hates the images of the ones she killed, all staring right at her. So, she gives some random guy a job in printing these out over and over again as she rips down the images and chucks them in the bin.

She can't let herself keep doing this. Keep deluding herself into thinking Lizzy would ever have a crush on a damn monster like herself. Lizzy acts like she doesn't mind, but Doll knows she does. Doll sees the disturbed way Lizzy looks at the corpses in her room, the way she's hesitant to bring up the topic of the murders, the way she usually keeps her distance from Doll after a recent murder, standing an obvious step away from her.

So, Doll will never say anything. She's a freak. A murderer. No better than those acid-flinging pests, as much as she hates admitting it. But she knows that's what she is. Lizzy wouldn't find an unhinged, borderline insane Worker Drone attractive in the slightest.

....

Time for school.

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Doll is so hot.

Okay, like, totally out of the blue and all, but it's true. Those scarlet eyes, her Russian dialogue that makes Doll's voice sound like perfectly melted chocolate, her violet, silky hair- Oooh! Don't even get Lizzy started!

Doll, in Lizzy's opinion, is Perfect Girlfriend Material™. Even though she knows she really shouldn't be literally swooning over someone who obviously is a literal savage murderer, but she can't help it! The way Doll glares at the one she's targeting, the way she absolutely demolishes them to get to their oil, it's too much.

Lizzy literally cannot help herself around Doll. Like, at all. She always sneers in irritation at the corpses in Doll's room, trying to remind herself that this is not normal to find hot. At all. She can't talk about Doll's murders to Doll or anyone else without unintentionally calling her hot and she really wants to avoid a conversation like that. So, after she knows Doll's killed, she keeps her distance a little to calm her stupid CPU from it's smitten little meltdown.

Lizzy won't lie, she'd absolutely love to date her weirdly cute Russian bestie, but she's not delusional. She knows damn well Doll doesn't like her like that, not at all. Why would someone, with so much on her plate already, be willing to add dating to that list? Lizzy knows Doll isn't into romantic stuff like she is personally. And that's fine. (It's literally SO not fine, she really wants to kiss Doll's stupid cute face.) She's fine with how things are, now. (No, she's not.)

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Lizzy blinks as she feels someone flicking her visor. Doll. Oh god, she wasn't ready to see the very Drone she was literally daydreaming about like this! (Even though she told Doll to meet up here, at this exact time.) Lizzy instantly straightens up, smiling a little too wide.

"D-Doll! Hey, girly, how's it hanging? You ready to head to class? Got a mega fun day learning about literally nothing we already don't know." Lizzy flicks her hand sassily, trying her best to play it cool. She is literally so uncoordinated and it is totally not a vibe. Like, at all.

Doll simply smiles at her friend, not judging her at all. "[Right. But we can just... skip if you want?]" Doll would much prefer skipping being bored out of her mind. Her head is also reeling, even though she's better at hiding it. Who wouldn't act this way around someone you have a serious crush on? Doll sure as hell doesn't know.

Lizzy squeals in excitement, wrapping an arm around Doll's shoulder and leading her right away from that hellhole of a classroom. She'd rather not listen to Generic_Teacher_Lecture_MP3 on repeat.

Lizzy smirks as she walks with Doll back to her room, poking the red-based Drone in the side teasingly. "Sooo, guess my influence is rubbing off on you, huh? Skipping class, that's, like, such a rebellious thing to do!"

Doll playfully rolls her eyes as she enters Lizzy's room and sits on her sickeningly pink bed. Doll pushes Lizzy slightly, causing Lizzy to get knocked off balance and fall right onto the pillows. "[Don't act like you weren't already planning on ditching class anyway, Lizzy. You wanted me to say it.]"

Lizzy snickers, grinning as she lays next to Doll and pulls out her phone, snapping a quick picture of them both before scoffing sarcastically, indulging in their playful banter. "Uh, I totally didn't. You're just such a rebel, Doll, like, you can't tell me otherwise. You dragged me off, loser, know your mistakes."

Doll places a hand on her chest in mock indignation and defensiveness, trying to hide her growing grin. "[Lizzy, you'd really accuse me of doing something like dragging you here? If I recall, you were the one who lead me here. Maybe it's you who needs a little rain check, hm?" Doll cockily raises her eyebrow, smirking softly.

"God, you're so hot." The words are faster than a bullet, Lizzy's voice near devoid of any distinguishable tone, but there's a hint of eagerness in her voice. Lizzy, right after saying that, instantly blushes a bright hue of pink, her eyes hollow in absolute mortification. She can't believe she just said that.

"[What?]" Doll blinks, blushing heavily as she tilts her head, wondering if she heard what she thinks she just heard. She has to be mistaken. Or, Lizzy's... just messing around...? She's Baffled™.

Lizzy instantly shrugs shakily, and Doll would doubt Lizzy said anything, but the blush on Lizzy's visor reminds her of what just happened. "What?" Lizzy tries to act like she didn't just say that. Holy hell, she's actually going to overheat. She's so embarrassed-- what the hell even was that!?

Doll holds up an index finger, planning on saying something else, but decides to just repress this situation to the back of her mind. Lizzy wouldn't really say that, Doll just... Thinks she heard what she wanted to hear. Nothing more to it than that. Lizzy wouldn't compliment a murderer on anything.

Lizzy takes Doll's obvious repression as a bad thing. Instantly, Lizzy panicks internally. 'oh my god, why did she not say anything? Was she going to?? What the hell was I doing!? Why the actual hell did I say that?? I'm such an idiot, Doll doesn't even like anyone! Why would she?? Okay, Lizzy, just... calm down. Repress this.'

With an obviously forced grin, Lizzy leans against Doll's side and sticks her tongue out sassily, rolling her eyes. "Girl, you think too much. U-uhm, sooo, how about a snack? I got fresh batteries, if you want 'em." The tension in the air is literally so thick and Lizzy doesn't like it.

Doll snaps back to reality and nods, her whole body feeling numb. "[Yeah, of course.]" With that confirmation, Lizzy gets up and digs through her desk, leaving Doll on the bed. Doll takes this as a moment to relax. She can't get her hopes up. She's a monster. She kills people. She can't date anyone, she won't. She's too dangerous. Lizzy won't want to date a freak like herself.

Lizzy cackles victoriously as she grabs out a packet of double A batteries. Cheap and easy to find, but they taste good, so they're good enough for her. Lizzy turns around, about to chuck the packet at Doll, only to falter at Doll's dejected expression. 'what... what the hell...?' Lizzy's internal monologue reels, extremely concerned at the sudden change.

Lizzy calmly walks over to her bed, sitting close to Doll as she drops the packet a little bit away from them both. This is serious Girl Talk Time, Lizzy needs to find out what's bugging her bestie. ...She doesn't like that look on Doll's face... "Doll, girly? What's up? You good?"

The question catches Doll off guard. She didn't even realise Lizzy came back. Quickly, Doll nods and smiles softly, but anyone close to Doll could see she's far from okay. "[Yes, I... was just waiting on you. I zoned out.]" Lizzy frowns.

"No, don't even start that. You looked sad, like a lost puppy.
what's going on, Doll?" Lizzy's not giving up until she gets a proper answer. The popular Drone scoffs as Doll shakes her head dismissively. Lizzy grabs Doll's hand gently, blushing as she glances away from Doll, frowning in embarrassment.

"You do know that you can tell me, like, anything at all, right? I'm not gonna judge you. Pretty sure I'm past the point of judging you, heheh..." Doll winces and Lizzy instantly knows that was probably a dumb thing to say. She knows Doll's kinda... sensitive on the whole murder topic. Lizzy opens her mouth to speak, attempting to apologise, but relaxes as Doll gently grins up at her, trying to tell her it's all good. Lizzy smiles back, still holding Doll's hand as they both sit there, staring and smiling at each other.

...

They've been at it for way longer than they should, Lizzy notes. Lizzy blushes, taking in Doll's features. Pretty eyes, gorgeous hair... Doll's the whole package, in Lizzy's eyes. Lizzy begins to gain a little more courage. That's it. She can't take it anymore. No more hiding her stupid feelings. Even if she knows Doll's not into romance, much less her, she needs to let Doll know what she feels. Even if she ruins everything. Lizzy can probably play it off if all goes wrong. Probably.

Doll stares directly into Lizzy's adorable pink eyes. Her golden, rose-tipped hair looks soft enough for her to run her hands through. Doll really wants to. But she needs to stop thinking about Lizzy like that. Doll's a murderer, she's sick and twisted in the head, she doesn't deserve Lizzy. But... maybe it's... worth a shot? Maybe she's more insane than she thought, but... she's willing to take a chance and apologise profusely when she inevitably screws everything up.

They both build up their confidence, taking a soft, yet deep breath. This is it. They've gathered too much confidence to let it go to waste.

"[Lizzy, I... I like you. I'm sorry.]"
"Doll, I have a mega huge crush on you. Like, romantically."

Both of their confessions are vastly different; one apologetic and hesitant, the other straight-forward and terrified. Yet, they both carry the same amount of love and adoration for each other and it shows.

The two girls instantly jolt and blush, eyes hollowing in genuine surprise and confusion, alongside hope. Both of their CPUs run at a mile a minute, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Lizzy's the first to speak, her hope overshadowed by doubt and disbelief.

"Waitwaitwait, back it up, what!? Doll, di-did I hear you right or am I going insane?? You like me too!? I didn't even think you even thought about romantic stuff!" Lizzy exclaims, leaning forward towards Doll, eagerly awaiting her answer, looking paranoid as ever.

Doll blushes softly, rubbing her head in stressed astonishment, her voice box cracking up before she's able to speak. "[I... not about anyone else, but with you, it's... different. I do like you, Lizzy. Yet, I couldn't have predicted that you actually liked me. Lizzy, I'm a murderer. How could you love someone like me? I literally kill people you know on a weekly basis.]"

Doll shrinks into herself a little, frowning in subtle self-hatred.[I'm not any better than the Disassembly Drones, Lizzy. I could hurt you, too, if I let myself get too hungry. I don't think that's a risk you should be taking.]"

Lizzy's mind is scattered about with absolute joy, victory and a slight hint of underlying fear. Lizzy is absolutely NOT having Doll think like that about herself. She won't let Doll doubt herself like that.

She shakily reaches out and places her hand on Doll's shoulder gently. "Doll, you really think I care about that? About them? Look, I may have friends who died because of you, but... honestly, I can live without them. I can't live without you, though, and that's the difference." Lizzy pauses for a second, knowing just how much weight that statement holds. Lizzy stares at Doll, smiling comfortingly as she scooches closer.

"I don't care about those other idiots. Not like I talk to them for more than twenty minutes at a time. Yeah, Doll, you may be a literal killing machine, but I'm used to it. I don't care, it's not like they don't die anyway whenever one of those freako yellow creeps bust in here, I... I just wanna, y'know, date and stuff... i don't care about any stupid 'risks,' I never have." Lizzy's blush could genuinely out-perform a car's headlight on the high beam setting. But she means every word. She can't have her bestie feeling like junk about her feelings.

Doll pauses, taking in Lizzy's words, blushing heavily as she tries to make sense of it. All this time, she's been worrying herself exhausted and Lizzy doesn't even care that she murders people. Lizzy wants to date her. Doll grins softly as she takes Lizzy's hand and gently runs her thumb along the top. "[Lizzy, if you're sure about this, then I'd... I'd really like to date y-oomph!"

Instantly, Doll is tackled back against the bed by a squealing Lizzy. Lizzy excitedly wraps her arms around Doll, nuzzling her cheek energetically. Doll's eyes display a dizzy spiral at both the surprise of being tackled and the fluster she feels regarding the nuzzle.

"Oh my god! Y-you, you actually- Oh my god, Doll- I- we-" Lizzy is clearly to excited and happy to even speak, her CPU loading dialogue faster than she could voice it. Yet, it's clear that Lizzy's the happiest Drone in this place. Lizzy finally calms herself down, affectionately giggling at her besti- no. Her girlfriend. It gives Lizzy mini electric shocks at the fact that she's actually dating Doll.

"I'm really happy, Doll... I love you..." Lizzy's voice is a smoky purr, her free hand trailing along Doll's cheek. Doll blushes at Lizzy's outright admission, the neon red lights of the blush lines reflecting on Lizzy's visor. Doll leans into Lizzy's hand, smiling bashfully.

"[I... H-heh, I'm happy to be with you, too. I love you, Lizzy.]" Doll's voice sounds extremely attractive, her words reaching Lizzy's auditory processors as a milky, smooth sentence that drives Lizzy's circuits completely wild. Lizzy grins, leaning closer.

"Say that again, dork. Now." Lizzy's request is more of a demand than anything, as she eagerly waits in anticipation. Just once wasn't enough for her. She literally needs to hear that again.

Doll seems a little surprised, but snickers and complies, adding a little extra flare to her words as she leans closer to Lizzy's face, grinning. "[I love you, Lizzy.]"

That four letter sentence damn near causes Lizzy's wiring to melt right then and there. Lizzy giggles, smitten as she cuddled up to Doll, the batteries long forgotten. Lizzy's forehead rests against Doll's. It's obvious what she's gonna do. "Holy hell, I absolutely love you, you weird little cute idiot. Like, I'm not even joking here."

Doll simply smiles up at Lizzy, her blush increasing tenfold as she takes note of the proximity between them. Doll gently brushes a lock of golden hair from Lizzy's digital pink eyes, tucking it back with the rest of her hair, before setting her hand on Lizzy's shoulder.

Lizzy chuckles softly, giving Doll a quick little nuzzle, before moving back towards her lips to kiss her passionately, one hand holding Doll's and the other on her cheek. Doll purrs into the kiss, eagerly reciprocating.

The kiss lasts for about a minute, before Lizzy pulls back to dazedly grin at her girlfriend, as smug as she ever was. "Dang, girl... look at you, leaving me all flustered. God, you're such an idiot. But, like, you're my idiot, so I guess it evens it out." Lizzy's playful, teasing smirk causes Doll to roll her eyes and clutch Lizzy close.

"[Pfft, okay then.]" Doll grins cockily, snickering as Lizzy pushes her face into the bed, huffing in non-genuine annoyance.

"Uh, excuse me? Tryna throw my heartfelt feelings out to my loving girlfriend here?? Would be nice if she was a little more-" Lizzy's playfully irritated compliant is quickly cut off by a swift kiss from Doll. Lizzy stammers, blushing as she twitches slightly. "Okay, n-nevermind, don't w-worry about it."

Doll sticks her tongue out victoriously, before rolling over, pulling Lizzy along with her, and laying on her side, still clutching her girlfriend close, protectively.

The two girls don't say anything else, simply just enjoying the feeling of the other being pressed so close against themselves, the hum of their respective systems providing a comforting background noise as they drift off to sleep, completely happy with the way things turned out.

Chapter Text

Doll and Uzi are currently sitting on a desk in the empty classroom, bored and annoyed out of their minds. This is literally so dumb and for once, that's something they can both agree on. Thad and Lizzy, the two most popular Drones in the Bunker (For some reason; Uzi never understood why two flashy pricks were so damn popular) were currently arguing about which one of their Drones were more adorable than the other.

It's been going on for two goddamn hours and the two Solver Buddies are so done with this. They'd leave, but they need to supervise these idiots or they'll most likely start fighting. Physically.

"Ugh, can you two just shut up and be done with this?! I have illegally-pirated anime to binge watch!" Uzi shouts, her violet eyes displaying a clear expression of anger and irritation. The two just keep bickering. Uzi flops onto her back, laying on the desk, groaning. "Uggghhhhh! I'll just keep talking to myself, then!"

Doll simply watches them both, her hand resting on her chin, arm on her leg, Criss_Cross_AppleSauce_Pos_. Doll sighs, but doesn't speak up, knowing that nothing she says is gonna be heard by the two idiots. It's kinda flattering, though, knowing Lizzy's willing to absolutely argue for two hours straight for her. Still mega annoying, though.

"Okay, Bolt-Brat, but have you literally ever heard Dolly purr!? Like, ever?? She gets all cute 'n affectionate when she does, too! Bet your trash can doesn't do that! She probably just bites you!" Lizzy sassily places her hand on her hip, smugly grinning at Thad, who's desperately trying to defend himself.

Doll groans in the background, blushing heavily as she hides her face, wanting Cyn to just pop in and tear her head off personally. "[Lizzy, please, stop giving away that kinda stuff about me...]" As usual, no reply. God, Doll is about to just risk it and leave.

Uzi instantly begins wheezing, hysterical at the information Lizzy just leaked, her voice box not matching up with her CPU in time to perform a proper Uzi Laugh™. Uzi snickers, turning to Doll and pokes her teasingly. "Pfft, oh my god, y-you literally do that!? Ahahaha! Pfft, ahaha! W-wait, I c-can't-" The fact that Uzi can't even finish her sentence without laughing just humiliates Doll further.

"No, she doesn't!" Thad retorts back at Lizzy, pointing at the flashy Drone defensively. His sleeve pulls back with the motion, revealing suspiciously sharp-looking puncture wounds. They look like they hurt. Guess Uzi forgot to heal 'em. "Uzi's not a mindless animal, Downgrade, she knows how to be nice, too! She's totally wayyy nicer when we're alone!"

The information is much more discreet than what Lizzy said about Doll, probably because Uzi likely threatened Thad to keep his trap shut all the time, but it still causes Uzi to zip to the corner of the room, hiding in the darkness. There's a faint, purple glow, indicating that she's blushing. Doll snickers into her hand, grinning wildly.

Doll says nothing as Uzi returns five minutes later, but gives her a sly little smile. Doll is swiftly shoved off the table. Doll yelps, teleporting right back on the crappy school table right before she hits the ground. The two sit in silence, one more smug than the other.

"Pfft, yeah, totally. Look, Trad, you can just live in your pretty little delusion as much as ya want, but we both know who the real eye-catcher is, now don't we, hm?" Lizzy cockily tilts her head, raising her eyebrow in annoyance. The argument seems to be winding down.

Thad rears his head back in slight offence-- No-one ever gets his name wrong! It's literally plastered on the back of his jock shirt, freshly stolen from the winter death corpses outside. "Mhm, okay, Tizzy, you go ahead and have the wrong opinion! Not everyone's perfect!"

Thad's mockingly supportive tone causes Lizzy to fling an eraser right at Thad's visor, before Lizzy rolls her eyes and turns around to face her totally-cuter-than-purple-freak girlfriend. "Ugh, c'mon, Doll. Let's leave Automatically Stupid here and get b-" Instantly, Lizzy pauses, her pink digital eyes hollow in surprise. Thad's reaction is much similar.

There, on the desk, it seems like the two Solver Cannibals have finally given in and decided to sleep right then and there. Can't blame them, they've endured this for two hours straight. The two girls are huddled up together, audibly purring softly. Uzi's muttering angrily under her breath, about something regarding N being annoying. Doll's just practically dead, no movement at all coming from her aside from a faint, occasional twitch of her fingers.

Lizzy squeals, quickly taking her phone out and snapping about twenty pictures in under five seconds. Thad sighs, smiling softly as he admires the admittedly adorable display. Lizzy turns to Thad, glaring at him to shut the hell up, before heading over to her insanely cute girlfriend and picking her up, giggling giddily as she heads out the door.

Thad would do the same, but he knows he'd get either mauled or yelled at by Uzi. So, Thad sighs and crosses his arms, huffing as he has no other option but to sit down on a chair beside Uzi. He's gonna be waiting there all night, he's sure. Great. He gets an early start to school. He wants to leave.

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Lizzy smirks, eyes closed as she lays with Doll, her red-hued girlfriend laying down on her chest. Lizzy places a gentle kiss on Doll's forehead, murmuring a sweet string of words, before sighing and wrapping an arm around her. Lizzy grins devilishly to herself, listening intently to the multiple ding!s of her phone going off. It comedic music to her auditory processors, knowing the green dork's practically screaming at Lizzy to help him out.

Too bad! He shoulda known what he was getting into when he decided to argue with someone as petty as her. Lizzy simply pulls Doll closer, smiling softly.

Chapter Text

This is getting weird. Well, weirder. Sitting in class, Lizzy can't even focus on the teacher. Not at all. She's not concerned about some random lessons on cognitive dissonance.

She's concerned about her girlfriend. Doll. Doll's not acting right. Normally, Lizzy would just scoff and roll her eyes if Doll was having a moody off-day, but Lizzy knows this is different. Doll's weird as hell, but... Lizzy knows Doll well enough to know Doll wouldn't act like this.

Doll's not answering her whenever she brings up a conversation topic. She just stares blankly, her crimson eyes glitching and flickering between light shades of orange and her usual red. It's like Doll doesn't even notice or care. That's the first sign that something was up.

The second sign was when Lizzy had to physically nudge Doll to get an answer and even then, all the cheerleader got was a distant nod or curt comment on whatever Lizzy's talking about. Doll seems like she's focusing, but... on what, exactly? And why? Even now, it's happening. Doll's not looking at the teacher. She's starting right at her hands, blankly, her right eye occasionally twitching.

It's worrying. Lizzy's scared. She doesn't want her girl to be screwed over by... by whatever's going on. She needs to help, but she doesn't even know what's wrong. She doubts Doll will even tell her. Doll doesn't tell Lizzy a lot of things.

Clutching her hand tightly around her pencil, Lizzy waits, glancing at Doll repetitively to make sure she's okay. That's all Lizzy wants right now.

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Doll can't think. It hurts, everything hurts, she can't focus. She can't talk to Lizzy, or she'll lose it and do something she won't like. She doesn't know why. Doll doesn't know what she's feeling. She feels hot. Too hot. Like her systems are melting right there, on the chair she's sitting on. (Is she in class? She can't tell.)

Gritting her teeth, she grips the desk, carving visible marks into the thick wood. Doll can feel the Solver symbol glitching it's way onto her visor. Doll whines quietly, shaking her head in order to get rid of it. She can't keep doing this. She has to get out. Out. Outoutoutoutoutout-

...What.... What's that?

Yelping softly, Doll clutches her visor, breathing in sharply through her teeth. She can hear her again. Her. The yellow pest weasled it's way into her head again. Doll can feel the painful buzzing in her CPU, a message being forcefully inscribed into her data.

Keep going.
Listen to me.
You're doing great.
Better than the other two.
Such a cute puppet.
Why are you still trying to stop it?
You know you can't.
048.
SERIOUSLY.
STOP IGNORING ME.

"[Ngh, I have to go! I have to get out!]" In an instant, Doll stands up sharply, knocking the chair over with force. She needs to leave, too many witnesses, too many faces, so much to lose. Doll, too weak and disorientated to teleport, swiftly jumps over the table and rips open the metal door, running down the hallway.

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All the student's eyes are on the open door, each coloured eye hollowed in fear and surprise. The teacher just sighs and continues his lesson, muttering about how youths show no respect nowadays.

Lizzy's terrified. Not because of Doll, but for her. That's never, ever happened before. She's never seen Doll like that, never seen her that... that scared and angry. Was that anger...? Lizzy doesn't know, but she can't care now! She's going after her!

Lizzy frowns, determined as she runs out of the room and frantically calls for her girlfriend, storming through each corridor.

There.

In the middle of the hallway, there she is.

Doll stands still, panting as she tries to focus, unable to remove the Symbol from her right eye, she's too tired. But she can't stop.

Cautiously, Lizzy places her hand on Doll's shoulder and gently turns her around to face her. Lizzy winces at how distant Doll looks, how frustrated she seems.

"Doll, you good? What the hell was all that about!? Y-you just ripped the door open like it's nothing- It was locked! It takes, like, the entire class to get it open when it's like that, girl! What's going on!? This isn't normal!" Lizzy frantically shakes Doll, demanding answers. Lizzy's a mixture of angry, worried and scared out of her mind. Lizzy growls under her breath as she gets no response.

Lizzy decides to switch tactics and drags Doll to her room, sitting Doll down on her bed, locking the door. Lizzy frowns at Doll, holding her forearms. "Doll, look at me. Right now. Doll." It's not a request. It's an order. Lizzy is absolutely not letting Doll avoid this.

Doll shakily rubs her head, before sighing and looking at Lizzy directly, trying to look as normal as possible. She feels numb, she feels overstimulated. Doll can't think straight. "[I'm sorry, Lizzy, I... just got a hunger pain. I can take care of it, I'm fi-]"

"Shut the hell up!" The sharp, angry shout instantly renders Doll speechless. Lizzy glares at Doll, panting heavily as she tries to keep calm and not hyperventilate in panic. But she can't let Doll just brush her off like that. "No, no way in hell am I letting you lie like that! Not to me, Doll! I've seen you when you're hungry and yeah, it's mega freakin' scary and stuff, but this isn't that! Doll, you need to tell me! What's wrong!?" Lizzy doesn't care if she sounds harsh, Doll needs to tell her. She's getting really concerned now.

Doll grits her teeth, gripping her knees. She's trying her best to reel it in, to keep calm, but whatever. Doll's too tired to do anything about it anymore. Doll trembles on Lizzy's bed, her eyes flickering between crimson and gold, before finally settling on that sickeningly lemon-gold.

Doll lets herself loose, for the first time ever since her parents perished. All her emotions break and shatter the wall she'd built.

The vampiric Drone instantly begins screeching in agonising emotional pain, digital red tears trailing down her visor, her breath heaving with each shakey intake of breath. Every single data collection of emotional turmoil swarms to the forefront of Doll's CPU. It's so very overwhelming.

"[I-it hurts! Lizzy, p-please, please leave! It hurts so bad, nghhh!!! I can't keep doing this! It's too much! System_Overload! Argh! Hurtshurtshurtshurts! I'm sorry, just stop! Leave!]" The heartbreaking screams pleading for the Solver to just stop, to stop hurting her and just get out of her damn systems are unheard. Doll's anger rises. She bets the yellow brat is loving this.

Lizzy stares at Doll in sheer horror. Holy hell. She knew the "Absolute Solver" or whatever was a mega pain in the ass, but... but Lizzy didn't know it was this bad! Lizzy can't let her girlfriend go through this shit alone, no goddamn way in hell. "W-woah, holy hell- Hey! Doll, stop, j-just- shit, uhm..!"

She doesn't know what the hell to do! She's a boss alpha girly, Lizzy doesn't know how to comfort someone! Lizzy desperately tries to think of something, the sound of Doll's frantic, pained screeching hurting her synthetic heart.

Lizzy grits her teeth, before her pink digital eyes hollow in realisation, her CPU finally clicking together an idea. Lizzy knows damn well Doll doesn't need to be yelled at right now, so... maybe the opposite could help? It's worth a shot!

Lizzy instantly wraps her arms around her girlfriend, frantically trying to comfort her as she urgently stammers over her words. "Shhh, hey, none of that! I'm here, I-I'm right here, girl, chill out, you're all good! I'm sorry for yelling, I-I'm just worried! Shh, You got this, just chill!"

Doll hyperventilates, gritting her teeth, the yellow Solver symbol statically flickering onto her visor, taking up most of the screen. Doll accepts Lizzy's hug, desperately needing something to hold on to, holding her girlfriend as if Lizzy was her last shred of sanity, trying her best to relax and ignore her.

Doll's breathing slows down, but she's still way too hot. She's still struggling. Doll whines softly, finally able to think a little straighter now that things are a little less intense and Lizzy's here. Doll hisses in slight pain, steam rising from her mouth as her systems' temperature rises by the second.

Oh!

Maybe... maybe she could...?

Lizzy smiles wobbly at the returned embrace, before calming herself down and lovingly stroking Doll's back gently, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. Lizzy tries not to listen to the growls or look at the extremely unnatural sharp-toothed grin Doll's sporting, instead focusing on simply just being there to help her creepy weirdo. "You're fine, see? You're doing amazing, Dolly. Just keep going. I love you, y'know? You-!"

Lizzy flinches at a sharp, piercing pain in her shoulder. "H-hey! What the hell are you doing, you idiot!?" Lizzy looks at Doll, grimacing as she barely registers Doll's fangs lodged in her metal, sucking out oil. "You better not take a whole heap..." Lizzy's warning is listened to closely. Doll would never.

Doll feels a little better, despite a giant headache caused by the intrusion and overload. Otherwise, she feels fine. Doll can't hear the brat at all, so it's probably safe to say she's gone for now. Thank god...

Doll sighs, before gently raising her head and removing her fangs from Lizzy's shoulder, licking the wound carefully so it heals up nicely. Doll nuzzles Lizzy's face apologetically. "[Lizzy, I... I'm so sorry about that, really. I... I was just-]" Doll is swiftly cut off by a quick little kiss. A heavy blush breaks out onto Doll's visor.

"Ugh, shut up, idiot... You don't gotta explain yourself, I get that you have, like, weirdly freaky issues and all, but... If you ever feel... like whatever that was, you better tell me. Got it?" Lizzy's expression is firm, yet very caring. She doesn't wanna see that ever again. Never. Lizzy just wants her girlfriend to be okay. She loves her too damn much to even think about anything happening to her.

Doll sighs, smiling softly as she nods, moving forward to sit down on Lizzy's lap, purring quietly. Doll runs her hand through Lizzy's hair soothingly, lovingly feeling each pass of the golden-pink strands. Doll closes her eyes, the troubled Drone slowly leaning up to kiss Lizzy sweetly-- A wordless action of gratitude.

Lizzy rolls her eyes as she returns the kiss, holding it for about 20 seconds. Lizzy holds Doll close, leaning back against the pillows, still sitting up. The cheerleader turns on her near-busted TV unit, idly stroking Doll's back as she focuses on the shitty knock-off reruns intently.

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An hour later into the show, Doll decides to speak up, stretching out her limbs as she yawns, airing out her systems. "[You're amazing, Liz....]" The unexpected comment causes Lizzy to jolt and stare down at Doll, before scoffing sarcastically, rolling her eyes and pulling Doll closer (if that were possible).

"Well duh, loser. I am the best damn girl around this stupid place, after all! Er-- Well, y-you're the closest to my level, though!" Lizzy blushes heavily, giggling sheepishly before sighing in content as she feels the relaxing touch of Doll's lips against her own. Lizzy growls under her breath in annoyance as Doll tries to pull away way too soon, in Lizzy's opinion.

Lizzy roughly pulls Doll's face right back, keeping her hand on Doll's cheek and gliding the other down to her girlfriend's waist. Doll purrs in delight, instantly caving to the sensation, relaxing against Lizzy completely, letting her guard down. The two Drones would only ever be this vulnerable with each other.

Lizzy is the first to break away from the kiss, smirking smugly as she blushes intensely, a little dazed. "So, how's that? See, a proper gal knows how to deliver!" Lizzy sassily remarks, flicking Doll's visor playfully. Doll sticks her tongue out at Lizzy, before nipping at her arm, grinning mischievously. Doll only gets a tiny sliver of oil from said nip.

Lizzy yelps and instantly whacks Doll on the head, blushing profusely, her visor almost entirely pink. "Ugh, y-you little jerk! Don't go around biting me, you weird freak!" Lizzy literally cannot handle this, Doll is way too much, but... it's nice to see her girlfriend happy.

The Russian girl simply shrugs nonchalantly, that same grin still on her face as she nestles her head onto Lizzy's chest, idly stroking Lizzy's hair again. She can't help it, she likes how it feels on her porcelain fingers. "[Not my fault your oil tastes the best. You should be aware of the risks, dating a literal zombie thing that's not against draining others dry.]"

Lizzy groans, rolling her eyes as she donks Doll on the head softly. "Whatever, creep. You're such a weirdo, honestly! Always a little pain, aren't you?" However harsh Lizzy's words are, Doll knows what Lizzy actually means. Doll simply smiles and kisses Lizzy's forehead, causing the cheerleader to stammer frantically.

Doll snickers softly to herself, before slowly shutting herself off into sleep mode, having had enough of today. Lizzy, now snapped out of her stupor, glares down at Doll, sneering, before her expression completely melts. Lizzy affectionately smiles at her cute girlfriend, kissing her passionately and intertwining their fingers together lovingly.

"Ugh, you're an adorable little dork. I love you, you perfectly stupid troublemaker. I love you so much..." With that, Lizzy falls asleep, her head nuzzled right against Doll's. What Lizzy doesn't know is the fact that Doll has Lizzy's phone in her hand, recording. Doll smiles smugly, clicking the device off.

"[Pfft. This is way more fun than I thought it would be. Guess revenge is exactly what Lizzy talks it up to be.]"

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The next morning, Doll remains in Lizzy's house with her, both Drones deciding to say 'screw it' and stay the hell away from everyone else today. Doll sits at Lizzy's desk, focusing on deconstructing one of her roaches to get a better insight of what they are and what drives their motives.

"Doll, what the hell is this!?" A screech from the other room of Lizzy's house results in Doll nearly stabbing the roach dead. Doll pins the roach down to keep it from scuttling away, before turning to face a very pissed off Lizzy standing in the doorway, holding her phone. Ah.

Doll simply grins and turns back to her experimental roach, using her Absolute Solver Program to levitate Lizzy back into the other room. "[Ah, nothing. It's not fun having it done to you, now is it?]"

The only response Doll gets is a thick make-up container chucked at her head, effectively causing Doll to crush to roach accidentally. Doll sits up, glaring in annoyance, the roach's oil running down her face.

Chapter Text

Initiating: Angsty_Memory....
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File: [TRMA] Successfully Loaded.
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Processing...
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Preparations Complete. [Lol have fun, sucka :P]

(Running down the hallway, her boots thudding against the metal flooring of the Bunker, the Russian Worker Drone sprints to her mother, panicked eyelights hollowed as she latches onto her tightly. "[M-Mama, the alarms, the Murder Drones broke in again! T-they're killing people, why are they always hurting us!? What do we do, w-where's Papa!?]"

The terrified screams echo in Doll's audio receptors, a horrific distortion of sounds she's unable to tune out. Her mother clutches her close, head whipping around before she grabs Doll's hand and quickly scampers off. They need to get out, now, and Yeva sure as hell won't be slowing down. She can't. "[Papa went to secure the doors with Khan, he's fine, I just saw him a minute ago! Look, Dolly....]"

Doll can tell her mother's serious as she places her hands on Doll's shoulders, looking directly into her optics. It's clear she's not messing around. Doll's attention is completely tuned onto her mother, ready to do whatever it is she has to do. Her mother will know what to do, right?

Yeva sighs and takes off her bracelet off, clipping it around her daughter's wrist. Yeva tucks Doll's near-identical hair behind her shoulder and out of her face. "[Doll, listen to me. You get in that closet over there and don't you dare even think about coming out. Do you understand me!?]"

Doll yelps at her mother's harsh tone, never really hearing it often at all, as she's always calm and level-headed. Always. Doll wants to go back home, she just wants this to stop, she wants t go back home. Despite everything, however, Doll listens to her mother and hugs her tightly, before running towards the closet and slamming the door.

Seconds, mere seconds after shutting the door, Doll watches her mother scream as a Disassembly Drone crashes down through the vent above her. It giggles maniacally, slashing at her mother with those dangerously sharp claws, freshly stained with oil.

Yeva ducks just in time, and Doll watches with hopeful anticipation as her father skids around the corner and runs behind the Disassembly Drone, slamming a metal pipe down on it's head. He grits his teeth, feeling the reverberations of the pipe crawling up his arms.

It did little to nothing, aside from anger the angel of death. It whips around, it's lemon-yellow optics half lidded in a mixture of boredom and irritation. Then, swift as a bullet, it stabs Doll's father right through his visor and drains him dry of any oil he has.

Doll's core nearly stops dead. This can't be happening, it can't. No way, those are her parents, they can't just die! Not like that, what the hell is happening!? This isn't real, this isn't real, it can't be real!

But she knows it is.

The metal clanging sound of her father's corpse dropping on the ground as if he wasn't a sentient being with actual thoughts and emotions is a sound Doll can never forget. Ever.

Doll nearly tears the door off it's hinges as it turns towards her absolutely horrified and powerless mother, a sadistic smile stretching on it's face. Yeva acts quickly and snatches a camera from a nearby shelf, only to be knocked to the ground by a bullet in her metal leg. Yeva hisses in pain, weakly dragging herself towards the camera as the Disassembly Drone approaches, cackling.

Yeva rolls around on her back, quickly snapping a picture, but that's it. That's all she can do, before the demon incarnate kills her with a bullet, right through her visor. Yeva is dead and gone, only limply ragdolling as that goddamn monster drinks from her visor carelessly. The beast drops Doll's mother to the ground and leaves.

Doll can't breathe, her hands covering her mouth as she tries not to make a sound. That wasn't real. It didn't happen. Her mother and father aren't lying there, dead on the ground. They're fine. Doll doesn't even notice the flickering symbol on her visor, instead slamming open the door, clutching her head. Doll can feel something inside her breaking, something festering. It almost hurts.

Doll stares at the corpses of her parents blankly.

Then, she giggles.

She can't feel anything at all. Nothing. She can hear the whirring of her own systems running faster than they should. She can't understand why. Doll supposes it doesn't matter. They need to leave. "[Why are you both laying down? There's an emergency alarm going off, the Disassembly Drones got in again. We need to go. If you're tired, I'll help you both get home. Let's go.]")

Traumatic_Memory: Complete.
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Booting up Systems...
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Loading: Repressed_Guilt_Memory...
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Initiating...
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(Another one. Another body added to her room. Doll can't remember her name, but she doesn't really want to. Not like it really matters, anyway. They're all the same, at the end of it all. Just bodies that helps herself survive.

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Maybe she should stop thinking like that.

Doll sighs softly, dragging her hand down her visor in a tired form of irritation. Irritation towards herself. How many does this make? Thirty? Seventy? Nothing Doll can say will ever be able to fix something like this. She's just like them, just less insane. Does... Does that make her better, or worse? Eh. It doesn't matter.

They mattered to others. Maybe not to Doll, but they mattered to others. They were important and loved and valued. And Doll just ripped it away from whoever cared.

Doll winces. Maybe she's worse than she thought.)

End of Memory.
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Rebooting Systems...

Doll wakes up with a gasp, her hand gripping her chest tightly. Again. This happened again. Another nightmare, the second one prompted by her. Stupid little brat.

Doll checks her internal clock. 3:34 in the damn morning. Not too bad, considering she has to sleep way earlier because she knows this'll happen again, but it's still annoying. Rolling her digital crimson eyes, Doll stands up from the dinner table. Her bed is... occupied. She won't use it.

This honestly can't keep happening, but she knows it will. Doll's tired of this. Maybe... maybe she needs help. Just for tonight. Doll sighs and runs her hand through her synthetic hair, knowing there's only one person she'd ever be asking for help. Doll opens her door, stumbling tiredly down the hall. "[Just a little walk down the hallway... Keep going...]"

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Lizzy smirks to herself as she scrolls through her phone, bullying the hell outta this one dork in her class. Lizzy can't really remember her name, but the freak's reactions are always funny. Lizzy yelps as she hears a rough knock on the door, in a specific little pattern. Doll. Lizzy rolls her eyes and slowly makes her way over.

There she is, her bestie- "Oh, woah. You look like garbage, girl. What the hell happened, did you find a magnet or something?" It sure looked like it. Doll's hair was shaken up and matted, something Lizzy's gonna be fixing in the morning, for sure. The Russian Drone's red eyes had nano-bags underneath, the pixels remaining fixed in position. Doll's cheerleader uniform was disheveled and wrinkled, too. Lizzy really hss work to do with Doll in the morning, sheesh...

Doll's eyes lid, unamused. "[No]." Last time she checked, her name wasn't Sam. Ignoring her urge to shove Lizzy through the window, Doll sighs. The Russian Worker Drone glances away, not used to asking for anything. "[I... Had a tough time getting to sleep. Headaches suck, you know that much. Look, I wanted to know if I could, y'know, sleep with you. My room isn't helping.]"

Instantly, Lizzy freezes. The hell? Doll never asks stuff like this! And since when the hell did she even get headaches? Something's telling Lizzy that Doll's being a little lying idiot, but the thought is swamped by other thoughts.

Like Doll sleeping right next to her. It makes Lizzy feel disgustingly giddy, like she knows she shouldn't be. As a reflex, her systems take over for her and Lizzy sneers, rearing her head back. "Uh, ew, no? We're not having a buddy-buddy sleepover, Doll. Go the hell back to your own room and sleep, girl, those nano-bags ain't doing you any favours, y'know?"

Instantly, upon seeing Doll's dejected and slightly guilty expression, Lizzy knows she messed up. Bad. Lizzy internally scolds herself as she watches Doll blankly, the Russian Girl immediately apologising. Lizzy frowns. 'What in the hell am I doing!? Am I being for real, right now? My mega important bestie is having, like, a really obvious crisis and the first thing I do is yell at her!? The hell is wrong with me!?'

Doll steps backwards, grinning in a completely fake manner as she innocently waves Lizzy off, snickering nervously. Doll can't believe she thought that would work. She's so stupid! She's literally never asking for help again, what the hell was she thinking? "[Ah, sorry, you're right. I just... No, I'm sorry. Uhm, have a good night, Lizzy, we have school tomorrow. There's a test, too, so... Yeah. Bye. Sorry.]"

Doll turns around, hiding her tired expression as she walks away, back to her room. She supposes one night of no sleep won't hurt. It's only one night of missed sleep if Doll doesn't count the other twenty. It's fine, Doll's fine.

Lizzy's not fine. She can't believe she totally just said that. Nah, she needs to fix that. This is what she wants, anyway, right? A chance to get closer to Doll? Her bestie-turned-uncontrollable-crush? This is the perfect opportunity to do that!

"Uh, w-wait, Doll! Get back here, you idiot!"

Quickly, Lizzy runs down the hallway and latches onto Doll's arm, gently tugging her back towards her room. Lizzy turns towards Doll, looking concerned about how damn tired and shaken her bestie is, as she softly whispers. "Actually, on second thought, maybe you should stay. You look like trash and... W-Well, you're good company to keep around. So, like, whatever, you can chill with me tonight, c'mon."

Doll allows herself to be pulled inside, too tired to protest, but she gives Lizzy a grateful little nuzzle. Lizzy nearly faints, a rose-pink blush littered across her visor. Shakily, Lizzy shoves Doll onto the bed and crawls in herself. "A-Alright, loser, rest up. And, like, just chill. Whatever's got you all bugged ain't gonna get ya here, not while I'm with you. So, j-just shut up and get to sleep."

Despite Lizzy's snarky demeanor, Doll knows she means it genuinely. Doll smiles softly and tiredly nods, nuzzling into the sheets. "[Thank you, Lizzy. I appreciate this, you're a great friend. I mean it, thanks...]"

Doll sighs, before closing her eyes and resting on Lizzy's bed, the fashionable Drone laying right next to her, completely flustered as she tries to play it off. Doll just tunes Lizzy out, toi tired to say anything else.

Doll wonders why she trusts Lizzy so much. There's way kinder Drones around, like Emily. So, why Lizzy? Lizzy's the meanest Drone in the entire Bunker, Doll doesn't know why she's so comfortable with someone like that. Doll's never liked rude people. But.... Lizzy's different.

Maybe it's because Lizzy isn't rude to her at all and defended her when she was getting teased the first time she showed up in class? (Those students were the first to go missing.) Maybe it's because Lizzy was the first to talk to her? Maybe it's the way Doll enjoys hanging out with Lizzy? Maybe it's... No. No, that's just stupid. Doll quickly enters Sleep Mode, a tiny blush visible on her visor.

Lizzy turns around to face Doll. She frowns softly, staring at Doll intensely. Doll looks fine for the most part, but she sure as hell didn't look that way before. "Dang, dude... You sure look tuckered out, don't ya...?"

Lizzy's kinda worried by how fast Doll knocked out. When she first saw her creepy bestie at the door, she was stunned by how tired Doll looked. It looked like she didn't sleep in days and then immediately got jumpscared right before she got here. Maybe Lizzy's reading too much into it, but... Maybe Doll's stupid nightmare crap's messing her up again. Lizzy sure hopes that's not the case.

She looks so peaceful... and, like, totally adorable. Lizzy's never seen Doll like this before. Never seen her so relaxed or so unbothered. Doll always looks either pissed, nervous, ominous or blank. At least, around other people. She shows a little more emotion when she's alone with Lizzy.

Lizzy's kinda proud of herself for that. She managed to get herself on Doll's really good side by just being a sassy jerk to other people and not Doll. That's totally why Doll's so responsive to her, yep.

Lizzy's eyes widen as she feels a pair of arms wrap around her waist tightly. A massive blush explodes on her visor, her vision completely pink-hued. Lizzy's thoughts run wild as she shakily returns the hug. 'Holy hell, holy hell, holyhellholyhellholyhellohmygodshe'shuggingmemybestietotallyawesomeandfreakybutkindahotbestieisactuallyHUGGINGmerightnowthisisliterallythebestnighteverohmyfreakingGOD-'

It's safe to say that Lizzy's enjoying herself right now. Trembling, Lizzy breathes out slowly, her visor still pink as hell, but she's calming down a little more now. Lizzy sighs, staring at Doll's cute, sleeping face. Doll's so adorable and Lizzy knows it. It's kinda weird and cool how Doll can go from a freaky, quiet little dork to an eldritch, terrifying death ghost.

Lizzy giggles to herself, nuzzling into Doll's cheek firmly, now completely comfortable, even as she feels like her systems are gonna bust. "This is, like, so totally amazing... We should SO do this way more often..."

Tiredly, Lizzy doesn't even realise her own actions as she gives her crush a little peck on the cheek. For both Drones, this sleep was, by far, the best one they've ever had. They wouldn't be against having another.

Chapter Text

It's seven in the morning. Not a pleasant time to be awake, especially for a girlie who thrives on beauty sleep. She can't help it, anyway. Ugh...

Lizzy is not doing awesome. She's not feeling like her usual GirlBoss™ self, not at all. Instead, she downloaded a little bit of malware coding and that coding eventually spread, so now her systems have to flush it out. Like, literally, some of her oil is contaminated with it.

Lizzy, hunched over the bathroom sink, coughs up oil, the black-ish rusty tinted liquid slowly slithering down the drain. Lizzy wouldn't normally tell her girlfriend about this sorta thing since it never lasts long, but this one's way worse than all the others she's previously had.

It's messing with her head, glitching out her optics and vocal performances and that honestly isn't how she wants to go outside to the rest of the colony right now. She's told Doll to tell everyone not to bug her and leave her the hell alone or she'll make sure Doll gives them a little lesson on privacy.

Lizzy groans softly, before she hacks up another bout of oil, clutching her chest as she feels it empty out of her stomach hatch. Ew, so totally gross... That's it. Lizzy's honestly had enough! After she's sure she's completely done for now, Lizzy coughs and picks her head up, eyeing the doorway.

"Doll! Eugh, c-could you come here, please!? Mega important gross sickness stuff going on, here! Oh, and could you grab me some petrol!? Thanks!" Lizzy exclaims, feeling like her throat's about to collapse in on itself. Lizzy leans her forehead against the mirror of the bathroom above the sink, absolutely pissed that she's dealing with such annoying crap right now.

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Doll jolts as she hears Lizzy call out, instantly scrambling to grab what Lizzy asked for-- A nice, cold can of petrol. She knows that normal Workers can't have oil like she can and petrol, along with diesel, lighter fluid and other junk is common in the Bunker if anyone's sick or overheating.

Can in hand, Doll skitters to her girlfriend's side and watches as Lizzy gulps it down. Doll winces, gently placing her hands on Lizzy's shoulders. "[Not so fast, you don't wanna-]"

Whatever it was that Doll was gonna say, it doesn't matter, because Lizzy instantly chucks up what she drank, her visor glitching out for a split second. Doll sighs and rolls her crimson eyes, rubbing Lizzy's back soothingly. "[...Drink too fast... Here, swallow this. It'll help you out with your virus or bug or whatever it is you got.]"

Doll hands Lizzy a small chip, the green mechanical object buzzing with a strange amount of electricity for something so small. Lizzy takes it and screws her face up in disgust and confusion. "Ew, what the hell-*cough!*-is this!? It looks like something I'm not gonna be shoving in my mouth."

Doll groans and rolls her eyes in response, crossing her arms, giving Lizzy that look. Whenever Doll pulls that face, Lizzy knows what she means. Doll's being serious here and wouldn't give it to her if she knew it was bad. Lizzy scoffs wordlessly, before gulping it down.

"...Huh. Honestly, it doesn't feel too bad. Just a slight-- *BLEAUGH!* What the hell!? Doll, what in the name of Robo-Satan did you just give me!?" Lizzy angrily glares right at Doll, hunched over the sink again, oil absolutely covering the marble of the sink's base. Lizzy feels extremely dry right now, so totally not cool.

Doll grins softly, smugly turning the tap to wash the contaminated oil down the drain, before leaning against the wall and staring at her girlfriend. "[It's a custom-made chip I made a while ago, programmed to find every atom of potentially contaminated objects in your body. It's nice to see that it worked.]"

Lizzy wants to slap the stupid, smug grin right off of Doll's face, kiss it, then slap her again. How dare she give her something that beneficial without telling her!? Ugh, literally so rude! "Dude. I, like, literally hate you with everything I have, but I also totally love you. Ugh, whatever, just... Thanks, or something."

Doll snickers at Lizzy's blushy, irritated expression, before giving her a gentle little nuzzle to her cheek. She won't kiss Lizzy just yet-- the chip's still doing it's job, but Doll knows Lizzy won't be throwing up again. "[You're welcome, Lizzy. Glad to help, you know you needed it. Now, movie night?]"

That perks Lizzy right up. "Uh, hell yeah! C'mon, let's get going!"
Gleefully, Lizzy grips Doll's hand and tugs her into the lounge room, planting Doll on the couch. Before Lizzy gets up to begin the pre-movie routine, Doll raises her right hand and the Absolute Solver Program flares to life.

The vibrant, neon-red light automatically sets the TV up, other variations of the hologram being used to levitate a bowl of batteries and a blanket over towards the two girls. Doll shuts off her program, leaning back against the couch and wraps an arm around Lizzy, who rests against her chest, pink digital eyes half lidded.

Doll and Lizzy rest peacefully on the couch, snuggled up close to one another as they watch the movie. Doll runs her hand through Lizzy's hair soothingly, enjoying the feeling of her soft, blonde strands. Lizzy groans contently. "Mmh, keep doing that, Doll... Feels nice..."

Doll has no objections here, and continues her soothing actions, chewing on a battery idly. The Russian Worker Drone isn't surprised to see Lizzy completely dead-asleep soon after, and smiles softly. Doll gently places a kiss on Lizzy's forehead. "[Goodnight, Lizzy. Rest up, sweetheart, you'll be better in the morning, I promise.]"

Lizzy smiles in her sleep, her auto-processors picking up the seldom-used nickname Doll calls her occasionally when she feels like it. With nothing but a little mumble in reply, Lizzy holds Doll closer. The Russian girl blushes, appreciating the nice and cold feeling of Lizzy's metal frame against her own, before purring softly, slowly drifting offline herself.

Chapter Text

Doll screwed up. Like... big time. She got too comfortable, got too careful and confident that her oil reserves could last with a little bit of planning in luring this Worker Drone for a nice little snack.

She was wrong.

Because now, she's laying here, at the end of a secluded hallway, overheating and burning, feeling her metal boil away the last of the oil she has. Doll is running on fumes.

Her vision is tinted a burnt, murky brown, crimson eyes barely able to remain visible on her visor. It hurts. It hurts so bad. Every wire she has, every inch of her systems, they're frying and she feels every second of it.

Doll's burning from the inside out.

The Russian Worker Drone grunts as she tries to pull herself up, but nearly all her motor functions are too buzzed or fried to do so. It's getting harder to think. She's getting tired. She's too burnt out to activate the Solver Program enough to heal herself.

"!!!"

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...

Hm...?

"D__!! The hell ___ ___ d__ng!? What's wr__!?"

That voice... Lizzy...

With what Doll has left, she lifts her head up. There she is. Lizzy looks worried, Doll notes. She's frantically screaming... something. Ugh. This is getting ridiculous. Doll just wants to be able to speak, to explain, but she can't even do that

Doll closes her eyes, not minding the way her girlfriend desperately shakes her. It doesn't matter, she supposes. Doll just wishes Lizzy didn't have to see this happen. On the bright side, Doll is closer to her goal of getting rid of anyone infected with this curse. Herself isn't an exception.

"Idiot! Get ___ ___l _p! You're b_____g up! Wait, ma__e... Oh! Here, let me..."

A weirdly metallic shing! noise pierces her fading audio receptors. Maybe she was just sensitive, or it was just loud. Doll can't tell anymore... but it was an odd sound all the same. Unexpected.

Doll feels something weird. Something pressed against her lips. Something cold and wet. Doll blearily opens her eyes, barely seeing a wrist against her lips. A blackish silver wrist...? Oh, no, that's... that's oil!

Instantly as Doll realises what it is, she opens her mouth, revealing the rows of unnaturally sharp teeth lining her maw and bites down, using her tongue to lap at the current oil dripping into her hungry mouth.

Doll regains her hearing completely. It's a miracle as to what such a morbid substance like oil does to her. Her head is still muddled, only thoughts of eateateatyou'rehungrysoeatkeepeatingbitehurteatnow reverberating throughout her CPU.

So, Doll obliges, oblivious to Lizzy's hand hitting at her head and chest, still too hungry to understand what Lizzy's doing right now. What she's doing right now. Doll can hear Lizzy's voice. She doesn't know what she's saying.

"Doll, cut it out! Owowowow, that's too much, stop! It hurts, jesus, knock. It. OFF!" Her frantic, pained voice is a noise Doll gives no heed to, she's nearly full. 87% done. Just a little more.

A brutal punch slams her right against the wall, denting the metal of the hallway. Ow. Doll snaps back to reality. Groaning softly, she finally understands what she's looking at.

Lizzy's pissed face is the first thing she sees. Oh.

OH.

"Doll, what the hell is wrong with you!? I try to, like, do a good thing for you and this is the thanks I get, hm!? Wow, sorry for trying to help you not totally mega die!" Lizzy's angry glare and harsh, annoyed tone causes Doll to shrink back into herself apologetically.

"[I... I'm sorry, I was just way too hungry to understand what was going on. I wouldn't do that to you on purpose, Lizzy... Here, let me see.]" Doll gently offers, grabbing Lizzy's injured wrist softly. Doll frowns at the dent marks her teeth left. She did this.

Lizzy can sense the guilt practically radiating off of her girlfriend and winces. Maybe she was too harsh? Yeah, no, she was definitely too harsh. Sighing, Lizzy gently strokes Doll's head as Doll carefully licks Lizzy's wound, mending any tears.

"It's not your fault, dork, I get it. Sorry, I was just... Ugh, forget it, all that matters is that you're safe and not melting into a pile of scrap. I'm glad you're okay..." Lizzy softly comments, her blush presenting itself on full display. She forgives Doll. Who could ignore a face like that, anyway? It certainly ain't her.

Doll smiles softly, giving Lizzy an appreciative nuzzle. Doll knows she's way too weak to stand just yet, the Solver hasn't gotten to the more complex functions yet. Doll simply plops herself down in Lizzy's lap and gently purrs, enjoying how Lizzy's hand feels along her back.

Lizzy rolls her eyes and smirks, before giving Doll a little kiss. Gosh, she can never get enough of that.

"Idiot."

Chapter Text

This class sucks. It's the same, mundane bullshit each time. The teacher is probably tired of it, too, because he knows how stupidly useless literally everything about this is. Like, who the hell even needs math? Math sucks. Hard. It's mega dumb.

Lizzy lives by those words. School sucks. Which is why she's literally not even doing it right now. She has more important stuff to do. She can't go on her phone or it's going in the metal shredder, she can't walk out (because the door is literally bolted shut) and she'd have to ask Doll to teleport them both out. Lizzy can't do that, either. Doll's asleep at her desk next to Lizzy, already done the week's worth of work. Lizzy doesn't know how Doll even does that.

Lizzy does have an option, though! Drawing. Sure, she's not the best (she has three As in art class), but she's easily inspired by stuff around her. Like Doll. That's literally all she's drawing right now, just Doll in cute or badass poses. Especially back in prom, like, did you see how damn hot she was, literally lifting tables with her weird ghosty stuff or whatever!? Totally girlfriend material, right there.

Lizzy giggles as she blushes, drawing Doll in that same pose. It's so totally amazing~! Doll's amazing. Always was, always will be and if Lizzy hears anyone say anything different, then Lizzy will personally make their life a living hell. She doesn't care if they were popular before, they sure as hell won't be when she's done with them. Just a few clicks of a button on her phone and bada-boom, everyone hates them.

Lizzy snickers softly as she peeks at Doll, loving how secretive this stuff is. She's drawing her girlfriend, like, right next to her. Gosh, now wouldn't it be, like, suuuuper embarrassing if she was suddenly caught and humiliated by the teacher for taking up his ever so valuable teaching time? Like, that would be so--

"Lizzy! Why's your head down, you need to be focusing on this really useless lecture to make my career as being a teacher seem more important in society! Now, stand up and show whatever's on that paper, since it seems so much more beneficial to you." The teacher's bored, yet irritated voice practically spears through Lizzy's CPU and crumples it into a metal ball. Damn. She's screwed.

"Uh, how about no...?" Lizzy grimaces, trying to weasel her way around this totally difficult situation. The teacher just raises his eyebrow and Lizzy knows what that means. He'll dock her stupid grades. Ugh. "Ughhhh, fine, whatever! By the way, if any of you idiots say anything, you're dead!"

Lizzy stands up and rolls her eyes, showing off the multiple drawings of Doll. She really hates the fact that everyone's looking at the one where she drew her and Doll kissing. This sucks. It sucks even more because Lizzy knows Doll's awake right now and is looking, too.

Uzi's the first to speak up, a sly grin stretched on her stupid emo face. "Pfft, ew. That's kinda cringe." Instantly, the remark is met by Doll launching a battery right at her visor. Lizzy tunes out Uzi's absolutely pissed insults, instead focusing on Doll. She can't explain this.

Doll gently takes the paper, running her optics over it multiple times, before smiling up at Lizzy, tucking it away in her skirt pocket. Doll suddenly changes the scenery, now the both of them are at Lizzy's house, in the kitchen.

Doll grins at Lizzy, hugging her close. "[You draw all of those for me?]" Lizzy instantly blushes at Doll's voice, before shakily snickering. At least Doll likes it, so that's a win in Lizzy's eyes.

"Eh, well, they were kinda more for me to be looking at, but like, y-you can totes have 'em if you want, heheh..." Lizzy stammers, blushing at the sudden change in proximity. Doll's really close, right now... Lizzy's eyes widen as Doll tugs Lizzy closer against her, and places a passionate kiss right on Lizzy's lips.

"[Thank you, yeah, I'll be taking it. You draw really well, y'know? You make me look better in these.]" Doll sassily comments, giving Lizzy a smug little smirk. Lizzy can only mumble incoherently, absolutely flustered.

Doll rolls her eyes in amusement, before charging up her Absolute Solver Program, the red electricity zapping away at the flooring and her limbs. "[I'll be putting this right on my fridge. I'll be seeing it all the time, too. Thank you, Lizzy~]" and with that, Doll's gone.

Lizzy just blinks dazedly, her face flushed. That's fine by her.

Chapter Text

She can't do this. Well, she can, she wants to, but she can't. How the hell would Lizzy even ask Doll to dance!? Lizzy's been wanting this, like, all week! And tomorrow's prom! Lizzy literally only has until tomorrow morning to ask. Like, this isn't going to go the way Lizzy wants it to and it's so totally obvious. She's stressing.

Lizzy's already totally embarrassed herself with trying to ask, barely able to stammer the full stupid question, only the lead up. Safe to say, Lizzy instantly walked off with a shitty excuse, blushing heavily as she leaves Doll with a ton of questions and confusion.

"Maybe the freak can help...? Ugh, no what the hell am I thinking!? She wouldn't know how to ask someone to dance if it slapped her in the face! I'm not being hypocritical!" Lizzy shouts down the hallway she's currently pacing in, flustered and angry as she argues with nothing but literal metal. This is so stupid!

Lizzy huffs, gritting her teeth, before turning around and storming down the hall, ripping a prom poster from the wall and crumpling it in her hand violently. She should just give--

**BANG!!**

The roof above literally collapses inwards, startling the absolute hell out of Lizzy, sharp pieces of scrap being flung into the walls, where it will stay imbedded for, like, ever because no-one wants to pull it out. Fair.

Lizzy clutches her chest, optics hollowed as she sees the freak's friend, the male Murder Drone, standing in front of her proudly. He pulls Lizzy to her feet (she didn't even know she was crouching), and salutes happily, grinning.

"Greetings, Uzi's friend! I'm Serial Designation N and I kiiiinda eavesdropped and it really sounds like you need help asking a buddy out to prom tomorrow night! Ya need help?" The literal murderer asks, eagerly waiting in anticipation, tail wagging. He's not so much a murderer than he is a puppy, Lizzy notes.

Lizzy calms herself down and sassily scoffs, rolling her eyes. She does need help, and she guesses this conveniently placed idiot is her best bet at a chance with Doll. Lizzy sighs, frowning softly. "Yeah, fine, I... totally need help. So, you know how to do this sorta stuff? You don't seem like ya know."

N sheepishly chuckles, rubbing the back of his head as Lizzy begins guiding him to her room, the male following along innocently. "Eh, well, I actually kinda do! You see, it's quite simple! You just gotta know what your buddy likes, spiff yourself up and bam! You go and ask and they're all yours! Providing they don't totally reject you, haha!"

Lizzy winces at the thought of Doll rejecting her. She... Doubts she'd be able to recover from that kind of embarrassment. N notices Lizzy's paranoid wince and quickly backtracks, frantically waving his hand dismissively. "A-ah, but I'm sure whoever you're asking's gonna wanna go to prom with you! You're popular, right? Who wouldn't go with you, eheheh?"

Lizzy sighs, digging through her wardrobe, chucking the clothes she knows Doll won't like behind her. "Whatever. It's not that simple, loser; Doll doesn't even like proms, but I really wanna go with her! She's, like... important to me and should get an opportunity to at least go once!" Lizzy frowns, trying to find the perfect dress as she speaks at N more so than to him.

N sits calmly on Lizzy's bed, the rejected clothes hitting him in the face and sliding into his lap. Boy, this one sure is a lot of work! Lizzy kinda reminds him of Uzi. Same attitude, just one's less traumatised and more sassy. N thinks for a second, before perking up. "Oh, Doll? Isn't she your creepy friend? Well, maybe you should wear something red! It matches with her eyes and it'll look great when you're dancing with her!"

Lizzy pauses and turns back to N abruptly, glaring at him in an 'are you serious?' kinda way. N just practically violated the main premise of fashion, and also fixed her problem. Lizzy grins, before ripping out a red dress, along with a pink dress with tiny, white polka dots. "Tch, you really gotta find me whenever you're wanting to switch up your fashion technique, because the rule of dressing up is that it's totally gotta match with the wearer, not the one you're wearing it for, freak. But you did help me out, so, uh, thanks and all that."

N nods happily, giving Lizzy a proud thumbs up, tail wagging. "Noted, buddy!" Then, N suddenly frowns, his hand lowering slowly. He should help more, because Lizzy totally doesn't know what she's doing. He can tell. "Wait, maybe I should stick around? You need help asking, right?"

Lizzy sassily places her hands on her hips, biting back an insult. She can't just have this dork doing it, he'll totally bomb. "Uh, you're not helping? Not with this part! It's gotta be, like, from me only. It's, like.... i-important I do it..." Lizzy's visor displays a small blush, as she glances away from N, clutching the red dress close. N perks up.

"Oh. Ooooh! Do you like Doll, Lizzy!?" N's excited shout causes Lizzy to frantically slap her hand on N's mouth, startling him. N yelps softly, confused as to what he did wrong. He's trying to help!

"Shut up, idiot! Not so loud!" Lizzy hisses, glaring as she removes her hand, wiping it on the bed. Murder germs. Gross. "And yes, I like her! I wouldn't be putting in this much effort if I didn't!" Lizzy growls, flustered as she argues her point.

N grins in understanding. Yeah, maybe he should leave this to Lizzy. But... not without some advice. N calmly smiles, an innocent little grin only N can manage. "Gotcha! But, uhm, word of advice! Just be yourself! Doll wouldn't hang out with you if she thought you were annoying or she didn't like you! It's easy, just take a chance and ask. I'm rooting for you! Seeya!"

Lizzy waves half-heartedly as she watches N exit through the reinforced window. What a dork, but... he's a helpful dork. She has a plan, now. Lizzy hops into bed, nearly unable to shut herself off in excitement. She has important stuff to do tomorrow, that's for sure.

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Morning. Lizzy instantly stands up, determined as she shoots through the hallway, dresses in hand as she heads off to search for her bestie.

There. Lizzy grins as she calls out to Doll and shoves the dress in her arms, smugly. She looks confident, but she's literally screaming inside. She hopes to whatever deity's out there that this works. "Doll! You, me, we're going to prom together, girly! Got you a matching dress, too! It goes together with your eyes."

Lizzy blushes heavily as she stares at Doll, who's examining the dress, a little surprised. Doll blinks up at Lizzy, a small blush marking her under-eyes. "[Prom? Well, y-yeah, of course I'll go with you. As long as it's you, it's fine."

Lizzy's eyes widen. This went so weirdly well, but she's not complaining at all. Lizzy sighs softly in relief, before grinning and pulling Doll right into the prom room, fashionably late. Doll teleports the dresses onto them both, a little party trick since they both totally ad-libbed this thing. Lizzy turns to face Doll, in the middle of the dancefloor. Here's the hard part.

"Doll? Listen, uhm, can... can we dance? If it's not your thing, that's cool, but I was just--" Lizzy's nervous ramblings are instantly cut off by Doll softly snickering and grabbing both of her hands, before she gently begins spinning with Lizzy.

"[Of course, that's fine.]" Doll's calming voice nearly melts Lizzy's OS. Lizzy grins as she blushes, now leading the dance. Lizzy's eyes lid softly as she stares solely at Doll. Only her. Doll's eyes lid as well, the soft crimson bathing Lizzy in a comforting, familiar light. She loves this.

"Doll..." Lizzy whispers, gently cupping her crush's face as Doll dips her, holding Lizzy tight, careful not to drop her. Doll grins softly, her face being pulled close by Lizzy's eager hands.

Lizzy's entire body shivers, static electricity running through her systems as she presses her lips against Doll's, finally getting what she's been wanting so bad. Doll sighs softly into the kiss, standing upright as she leans into Lizzy's lips passionately, in the middle of the dancefloor without a care for who's looking.

In the distance, dancing with Uzi, N chuckles as he looks at the two lovebirds. Finally! N knew his encouragement would work! Uzi looks up at N, then at the two bullies. Uzi screws her face up, but has to admit, they're kinda cute.

"Ugh, what a pair of idiots..."

Chapter Text

Lizzy groans from her position on her bed, a pink picture frame resting on her chest. It's an iconic image around the Bunker, many copies have been printed out to spice up the place, but Lizzy is the only girl with the original. It's a photo of her and Doll, blushing together and holding hands.

Lizzy misses it. Misses her. She can't believe herself, she really can't. She literally ditched Doll's plans and Doll herself for V. Y'know, the murder gally who literally traumatised Doll and killed her parents.

Lizzy grimaces, cringing at the memory of her stupid actions. Who even does that!? Oh, V's so much hotter than Doll, her GIRLFRIEND, so she'll just up and leave her cute, freaky, murder-y weirdo for someone she's known for less than a week!?

No wonder Doll cut Lizzy off.

Lizzy hasn't heard from Doll since prom, it's been months. She's worried. She knows Doll can handle herself, but it's not just that. Lizzy needs to talk this out with Doll. Now. And she knows where her girl (does she even deserve to call Doll hers anymore?) is, since Doll told her a while before prom.

Lizzy growls lowly, determined, and heads out the door.

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....Woah.

This wasn't what Lizzy expected, not at all. Some human creep with a weird accent, the Dumbass Duo, V and the other Disassembly Drone Lizzy never caught the name of. But Lizzy isn't focused on them.

She's focused purely on Doll. It's a relief for Lizzy to see Doll's doing okay, but what's with the janky eye patch? Is... is Doll hurt? Lizzy shudders at thought.

The Russian Worker Drone seems hesitant, Lizzy notices, before she sighs and boots up her Absolute Solver Program, snatching a gross digi-roach from the human's space helmet. Lizzy watches in awe as Doll expertly avoids every missile and bullet shot at her (through cheats, but it's still cool!) and teleports away, before appearing over the large crevice thing and free-falling down.

Lizzy is awe-struck, as she blushes slightly. Doll's skills were always impressive and literally so hot, in Lizzy's opinion. Her mega-cool bestie (girlfriend? she doesn't know anymore) is amazing, even as she's doing some traitorous antagonist stuff.

Not like Lizzy can judge.

"Alrighty, time to follow the bunch of creeps and potentially, like, die trying. But I need to do this. I gotta sort things out with Doll, now that I know where she is." Lizzy whispers to herself, sneakily crawling towards the crevice and grimacing as she sees just how far down it is. Damn it! Her cheerleader outfit is sooo gonna get ruined...

Lizzy sighs, before slowly making her way down, using stray metal pipes and wires to do so. She normally wouldn't know how to do this, but Doll taught her a long time ago, in case she ever needed to escape a Disassembly Drone. Funny. She's using what Doll taught her to do the exact opposite.

Lizzy angrily rolls her eyes as her skirt nearly gains a tear from a stray wire sticking from the hard, slightly damp rock. This sucks, but this is the last bit of Doll's plan that Lizzy knows about. Doll never told her where she'd go next, so it's either follow Doll and have a heartfelt moment in the literal worst place possible, or lose Doll completely.

The second choice is simply not an option. Lizzy needs to do this now. She owes it to Doll.

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Lizzy yelps as she suddenly slips, falling for two seconds maximum, before collapsing onto the ground. Lizzy stands up, completely unharmed, but extremely dirty. "Huh. Didn't even know I was this close! Guess internal monologues are actually useful, especially if they're relationship angst related!"

Lizzy brushes herself off, despite the futility of the action. (Hey, a girl's gotta try to be clean, y'know!) Lizzy cautiously sneaks around the lab, shuddering at the eerie silence. This isn't normal. Lizzy's used to the Bunker, not this! How can Doll just willingly go here!? Ugh... whatever.

The cheerleader walks along the corridor, before reaching a large, blue-hued room with multiple, uh, Disassembly Drone corpses strewn about, cluttering the place. There's no one here. Odd. "Oh, jeez! This is totally unhygienic! Who even cleans up around here!? It's nearly worse than Doll's!" Lizzy complains, angrily frowning as she places her hands on her hips.

Her pink, digital eyes flick over to some jagged writing on the walls and floor. "Don't look at the light? What the hell's this weird creature thing? What's going on!? There's some really plot-based lore here that I'm not aware of!"

Kicking aside a dismembered arm, Lizzy enters down the hall the sign ahead has labeled 'secret elevator'. This should be fun...

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Lizzy continues on walking, idly rehearsing her apology to Doll along the way. Doll deserves nothing less than the best, after all! Lizzy doesn't notice the camera lense eyes, staring at her from the darkness, until it's too late. It screeches at her, revealing itself--- A raptor sentinel designed to guard the place from Drones. Security measures and such.

"W-Woah, what the hell!? Ew! Can I get a warning next time some creepy demon decides to show it's ugly face!?" Lizzy shouts in alarm, cringing back at the unsightly beast. That's totally gross and Lizzy's totally defenseless! The raptor flinches back, narrowing it's six eyes in offense. This gives Lizzy enough time to bolt, thudding her boots rapidly against the hallway as the mechanical monster gives chase.

Lizzy, terrified, books it down the hall, not even having the time to scream, all her focus and energy focused on ditching the rapidly gaining raptor. "J-Jeez! Can I get help, anyone!? V, D-Doll, you guys here!? Help, please, I'm literally about to die, here! Doooll! You there!?!?" Lizzy screams, panicked as she skids on the linoleum floor, turning to enter none other than a dead end. Convenient.

Lizzy grits her teeth, clenching her digital eyes shut as she huddles in the corner, hearing the camera-like flashes sounding from the sentinel, the raptor trying to bootloop her. "Damn it... Not how I thought I'd go out, this sucks! Didn't even get to apologise... Doll, I... I'm so sorry..." Lizzy whispers, leaning her head away from the beast, who's closing in on her. Welp. At least her death wasn't by something dumb, like an arrow or book or whatever.

....

...

...

BANG!!

A harsh slam sounds out from right next to Lizzy, and the cheerleader instantly screams as she sees the sentinel pressed against the wall next to her by a robotic hand, the beast snapping at her despite getting absolutely booted against the wall. It even left a dent, like, damn!

Lizzy jumps to her feet, scurrying away and down the hall enough for her to feel safer than she was before, but still on edge. Lizzy turns around, just wanting to see what the hell happened, before her eyes hollow in fear, concern, excitement and surprise.

It's Doll.

There, at the end of the hall, with the sentinel, is Lizzy's cute, terrifyingly strong, Russian bestie. Doll grunts as she raises her free hand, forming a fist before slamming it against the sentinel's face, knocking out three, metal teeth. Damn...

Doll hisses in pain as the raptor screeches and bites down on her arm, drawing oil and surely leaving a mega concerning series of dents. Doll closes her eye as she hears the camera shutter go off, before opening them and spinning herself around, taking the beast with her. She throws it against the wall, gritting her teeth angrily as it growls and stumbles back to it's feet.

Lizzy watches in awe, her eyes forming a concerned expression as she hesitates on what to do. She wants to help, yeah, but she's not as strong as Doll at all. She has no fighting skills, but she needs to do somethi--

"[Lizzy! Get out of here, now! Agh! How'd you even get here!?]" Doll shouts, glaring back at Lizzy in confusion. Doll's surprised to see Lizzy here and would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit glad, but the rational side of her remains angry and betrayed, yet protective.

Lizzy grimaces as she watches Doll clutch the beast's top and lower jaw, keeping it from biting her head into scrap pieces. "I-I was trying to find you, I-I wanted to apologise! Y'know, for literally ditching you back at prom!?" Lizzy exclaims, shouting her reasoning to Doll as if it wasn't already obvious. Lizzy gasps as Doll nearly loses her grip.

"[Ugh, shit! A-And you decided to do this now!? You couldn't've waited!? Lizzy, this is stupid and dangerous and you know it! You shouldn't be here!]" Doll snaps at Lizzy, her crimson optics glued to the beast, despite closing everytime it tries to bootloop her. Doll slams it's head against the wall, smashing one of the lenses; a small victory, but nothing to celebrate.

"Uh, duh! I didn't know if you were gonna come back! This is the last place you told me you'd visit and I-I don't know if I'd be able to find you again!" Lizzy's voice cracks as she places her hand on her chest, digital tears beading at her pink optics. "This was my last chance! I couldn't just, like, not take it!"

Doll's eyes widen at Lizzy's desperate voice, her arms going slack slightly as she turns her head to Lizzy. She furrows her digi-brow, conflicted. She's touched, but she's also still pissed. But Lizzy's right; Doll knows she probably wouldn't come back to the Bunker at all. This was risky and Doll wasn't sure she'd even be able to.

"[Lizzy, I... You actually went and done this, went and crawled down to a place I told you was dangerous, just to apologise? That's... So stupid, but... It's brave. Just like yo-- HNGRHK!]" Doll screams in pain, her crimson eyes hollowed in alarm as an exclamation point flashes on her visor.

The sentinel took advantage of her while she was slack. Doll let her guard down. She messed up, bad.

The mechanical monster pounces on Doll, pinning her down to the ground and dragging it's claw down her screen, slowly, as if it was enjoying the way Doll screamed because of it. It quickly flashes it's petrifying gaze at Doll, before darting it's head up to stare at Lizzy.

It's smart. It stunned Doll so she couldn't get away, and will stun Lizzy since she can't even look away from what she just witnessed, watching on in absolute panic and sheer horror. "DOLL!!" Lizzy screams, her hands grasping her blonde-pink hair as an act of stress and fear from watching her girlfriend get bested. She never thought Doll could actually get hurt...

Lizzy remains staring in horror, her systems jamming and stuttering as her CPU tries to register what's going on.

The sentinel hisses a series of clicks, sounding eerily similar to a sinister cackle, slowly creeping towards Lizzy on all fours. Lizzy remains stagnant, but breathes shakily as her rational systems know it's approaching her. She can't move.

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"[Hhhgrrrrrhhhh.....]"

A feral, snarling sound tears through the tense silence, snapping both Drones out of their dazed anticipation.

The sentinel only has the time to look back in curiosity before it's slammed against the wall completely, Doll using her entire body's weight to add pressure. Lizzy gasps in horror, her hands covering her mouth. "O-oh my robo-god! Doll!?"

Doll doesn't hear her, instead continuing to press the sentinel against the wall. Doll's visor is completely overrun by the Absolute Solver symbol, the glyph flickering between red and yellow for a split second. Doll's back is arched, new, fleshy wings sprouting from her spine.

The wings are a sickly red, spiky flesh running along the wrist of the wing, leading to the tip of the 'fingers'. A hand-like mound on Doll's wing is extremely similar to that of a human's, aside from the curled talons in place of fingernails.

Doll's tail is another new feature, brought to you by angry protective instincts! It's long, like a whip, jagged spikes lining the length as it latches onto the sentinel's neck with the head's jaws. The head of the tail is littered with black spines resembling spikes, digging into the monster's metal. The eyes of the tail's head are bulging, the black, sensitive flesh each carrying one pupil, said pupil a crimson red and slitted, precisely akin to a snake's.

It's safe to say that Lizzy should stay away from Doll right now.

Doll hisses aggressively, baring her sharp teeth as she clenches her tail's head around the neck of the beast, before springing off of it and swinging her tail back with force, the sentinel sent down the hall. Doll instantly shoots towards it, pinning it down despite how many times it flashes it's gaze at her.

Doll screeches in a defensive form of a warning, right in the sentinel's face, completely unhinged as she giggles soon after. Doll grins, the sentinel squirming desperately underneath her, before it watches in fear as Doll raises her left wing's hand above it's face and slams it down.

The force of the slam reverberates through the hallway, startling Lizzy. This is, like, hot and all, but Lizzy's getting worried. She watches as Doll tears out the wires frantically, cackling softly to herself before she suddenly whips her crimson gaze to Lizzy's frightened optics.

"U-uh, Doll? You good, girly? Thanks for, uhm, saving me and all, but you kinda look... Weirdly hot, but also mega disgusting. Is that, like, flesh or somethi-- Woah!" Lizzy's disgusted question is interrupted by Doll launching towards her and grabbing her arms, before lifting her up and shooting across the rooms, twisting and turning as she swiftly glides towards the exit.

Finally, Doll finds the main hole of the building and launches up, directly, as she quickly exits with Lizzy, dropping her onto the snowy ground. Doll slams back onto the ground beside Lizzy, unimpressed as she crosses her arms and glares at Lizzy, Doll's tail glaring with her.

"[Lizzy, you don't understand how pissed off I am, right now. What in the hell were you thinking!? What, just go off on a mission to find me in a place that I told you would be basically suicide if you ever went in!? No amount of reasoning should be why you come here!]" Doll rants, angrily pacing back and forth in front of Lizzy. She's rationally frustrated and Lizzy knows it.

Lizzy sighs, crossing her arms against her torso for comfort as she lowers her head, sniffling softly. This causes Doll to stop, instantly, and turn her gaze to Lizzy's, concerned. Lizzy trembles slightly. "I... I know, Dolly, I just... I was just so guilty back at the Bunker, for what I did to you. I hurt you, girl, I can't just let that slide. It wasn't right and I wanted to find you to apologise, since I didn't know when I'd see you again. It was dumb, I get it, but I'm just.... I'm sorry, Doll... I'm so sorry." Lizzy whispers, a digital tear trailing down her visor, clearly guilty.

Doll's expression softens as she sighs softly, her tail swaying gently as she walks up to Lizzy and wraps her arms around her waist. "[I know you are. I understand that you're guilty and you should be. You hurt me, and it still hurts. I can't believe you did that, but... But we'll talk about it after. We'll make it a personal day, just for us both." Doll informs, her voice gentle as she uses her wing's curled talon to lift Lizzy's face up so she's looking at her. Doll smiles.

"I'll come back. I don't know when; I have important stuff to do, Lizzy, but I'll come back, sooner or later. Be patient, okay? I'll be back." Doll promises, grinning brightly at her girlfriend as she blushes slightly. Lizzy forms a small smirk of her own, as she leans in close to Doll's face, snickering softly.

"You better. I'll be back at the Bunker, waitin' for ya! Also, just to keep me occupied while you're away..." Lizzy trails off, giving a sly, flirtatious smile, tilting her head down a little. Lizzy places a passionate kiss right on Doll's lips, sending Doll into a slight, flustered tizzy.

Doll sighs into the kiss, before wrapping her wings around Lizzy protectively, her tail snaking around Lizzy's waist and purrs, the fleshy mouth also giving Lizzy a soft peck, but on her cheek instead. Lizzy flushes, giggling at all the affection she's receiving, before stepping back.

"So, uh... See you later?" Lizzy questions, placing her hands on her hips sassily, cocking a hip out smugly, despite blushing extremely heavily. Doll rolls her eyes and scoffs, shaking her head as she grins.

"[Yep, I'll see you later. Just wait, I'll be back.]" Doll guarantees, proudly smiling. Doll walks off, her tail flirtatiously dragging under Lizzy's chin softly as she passes, before she jumps up, twisting and facing back at Lizzy, giving her a salute before disappearing down the crevice.

"Gotcha." Lizzy nods, waving as Doll leaves. Lizzy laughs a little to herself. "What an actual dorky idiot..."

Lizzy sighs, her shoulders drooping a little, now that Doll's out of sight. Lizzy turns around and begins walking back to the Bunker, trekking through the snow. It's true, she won't be seeing Doll for a while, but at least she'll be able to rest a little bit better, now clear of guilt for the most part.

Their relationship needs a once-over, they need to both compromise and sort out their problems with each other, these problems involving abrupt betrayal and ruthless murder, but they'll be fine. Lizzy knows they will.

Lizzy hums to herself happily as she walks back to the Bunker, clutching a certain locket, that's lovingly wrapped around her neck, in her hand.

Chapter Text

The blonde-haired cheerleader sighs as she stared up at the night sky, squinting in slight envy as she watches them flitter so beautifully, effortlessly. It almost wasn't fair.

Lizzy sits on the boot of a run-down ute, loving the cool air brush against her plastic casing, not even needing to fear a sudden ambush by any Disassembly Drones since the freak took care of 'em. This is how (synthetic, mind you) life should've been from the start. It would've been a hell of a lot more different than the current events, that's for sure.

Lizzy sighs, before pulling out her phone. She needs her absolutely amazing and totally gorgeous girlfriend right now! This night wouldn't be complete without her! Like, at all, seriously.

*Alpha_Girly: Hey cutie im outside rn, check this out it's absolutely to die 4 (*＾3＾)/～♡

*Dollyxoxoxoxo: Ok, coming.

Lizzy giddily pockets her phone and waits for Doll. Oooh, she can't wait to see her, it's been way too long! Like, a whole five hours without talking to her girl!?!? Ew, barf, never again! That, alone, reminds Lizzy never to volunteer for scrap hunting again. Not without Doll, at least.

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"[Hey. What're you even doing out here, what's so interesting, hm?]" Doll softly asks, hoisting herself up on the ruined vehicle and wrapping her arms around Lizzy's waist. Lizzy berates herself a little-- She probably woke Doll up.

Lizzy pushes the negative aside and instead leans back against Doll, placing her hand on the hand that's resting on her waist. The cheerleader grins and points up, at the sky. "Y'know, epic girl activities, like always. Stargazing. Like, I don't know jack about them, but they're pretty, so that's good enough for me. Look at them, isn't that, like, totally gorgeous??"

Lizzy splays both of her hands upwards, outstretching her arms as if presenting the entire galaxy to Doll. The Russian girl simply gives a small, innocent smile. Stars were always interesting to her; her mother secretly took her out here sometimes to look. "[You're right, Liz. They're all just, so... Calming. They're a really good escape from reality, at times. I wonder how far away they really are.]"

Lizzy frowns in contemplation. Doll has a good point, but it'd probably be best not to think about it. It'd most likely totally jank up their CPU if they tried computing such a distance. Lizzy shrugs, nonchalant as she presses herself against Doll. "Eh, dunno. Probs, like, a billion lightyears away. Ugh, kinda sucks, though, I really wanna see one up close! Or, at least close enough... Totally unfair."

Lizzy huffs, crossing her arms as she rolls her eyes. Stupid space rules, she's not allowed to do any cool stuff! Mega wack.

Doll simply stares up at the sky. Maybe, just maybe, if she focused and manipulated it just right... She has to try. Anything for Lizzy. And, to be honest, she wants to get close and personal, too.

Furrowing her digi-brows in utter focus, Doll calls upon her Absolute Solver Program, a faint hum surrounding the area, derived from the forbidden power accessible to her. Lizzy's eyes widen as she feels the ute under her begin to lift and shake slightly.

"D-Doll!? You idiot, what the actual hell are you even doing, right now?? Girly, I really don't wanna fall to my inevitable death, so could you do me a favour and let me down?!!?" Lizzy's frantic, panicked pleas do not reach Doll's auditory processors, as she continues to raise the vehicle, but she does wrap her strong arm around Lizzy's waist, tighter, for extra protection.

They're extremely high up, bow way higher than the corpse spire, which can be seen in the distance. Lizzy is totally freaking out, right now. As much as she trusts Doll, this is too much. "S-seriously, bring us back down! This is totally u-un... safe...?"

Lizzy trails off, her pink, digital eyes hollowing in amazement, fear and genuine awe.

Right up close and personal, past the obstructive toxic clouds, there they both are. In the sky, the endless stars shimmering above them. Lizzy can just barely make out the difference in colour between each one. Doll grunts, straining, before setting her program on lock, making sure they'll both be able to stay up safely, without any strain on Doll.

The Russian grins at her girlfriend, watching her awe-struck expression. "[Pretty neat, right? Don't worry, we can't fall, it isn't possible. I got you.]" Doll reassures, stroking Lizzy's hair soothingly. Lizzy simply kisses Doll sweetly, before laying her head in her lap.

No more words are needed, not for a while. Both Drones are perfectly content, right now, floating amongst the unfathomable amount of planets before them.

Chapter Text

Doll sighs softly as she lifts her head from the body that she had taken the life from. The sweetness of the oil cascades down her chin and throat, a sickeningly amazing feeling, a horrible thing to do, but Doll can't stop.

She can't stop tearing into the body's oil, desperately ripping apart the tubes that carry the liquid throughout the body. She can't help herself, it tastes so good and it shouldn't. It shouldn't taste this good, it shouldn't taste good at all. It's vile. But these thoughts are nothing new to Doll, she's learnt to repress the guilt.

What is new, however, is the fact that she can still hear this one's screams in particular. The guilt isn't going away. It's not just a faint buzz in the back of her mind, it's a ringing, a screeching, a screaming noise that rings in her head.

The noises she made. This one was different. Doll actually knew this one enough to be kinda friends with her.

Milly. A sweet girl. She liked to draw with Doll sometimes, she liked to show off new skills she learnt to her and Lizzy. Lizzy just teased her all the time, but Doll always liked her company.

Milly. Kind, cyan eyes and a gentle voice that never wanted to interrupt anyone to match. She was such a sweet, innocent thing.

She was innocent.

She was her friend. She trusted Doll. Doll tore her damn stomach open--

Doll needs to stop thinking, but she can't. It's too much, too upfront, too recent.

Doll's hands shake in front of her eyes as she stares at the black liquid trailing down her wrists. The liquid of the girl she knew is splattered on the walls, on the floor, on her uniform, on her mouth. Just what the hell was wrong with her!?

Doll had taken the life of someone she could've had as a new friend. Like always, Doll's stupid problems cause chaotic outcomes whenever she thinks she finally has something good. Maybe she didn't deserve Milly.

She knows she doesn't.

It's not fair. Doll hates that she has a hierarchy for those she meets. Lizzy, of course, is at the top of the chain, granted a sort of 'immunity' from her hunger. Maybe it's because Lizzy knows how to sort Doll out and won't take her bullshit and let her just kill her like that, or maybe it's because Doll wouldn't hurt her girlfriend anyway.

It could be both, could be neither, but it doesn't change the fact that Doll is a horrible person.

She categorises those she meets, her systems automatically sorting individuals into a little pyramid of importance. It's not fair that she can't stop herself enough to see clearly when she gets hungry. Not fair that her system chooses those less important to kill.

Milly was important, but not important enough to evade her hunger. That makes Doll sick to her stomach. She doesn't deserve friends, she doesn't deserve Milly. She should've shoved her own happiness aside and told Milly how real the danger she was in is.

But it's far too late. Her screams echo in Doll's head, her CPU bringing back the memories as if they were fresh. Were they? They were. Were they? Doll can't tell anymore, not now. The screams are getting louder.

It was meant to be a normal day. She caught Milly after class. She should've ran.

"Oh, Doll! There you are, uhm, I'm sorry, but the drawing I was gonna give you today, it kinda screwed up. I smudged it, but I can always make another!" Milly's enthusiastic suggestion is basically white noise in Doll's head. Doll doesn't see a friend right now. Her hunger drives her to see nothing more than prey.

"Doll? You look kinda sick? Can we even get sick...? Uh, well, doesn't matter! Maybe we can just have a fun drawing session today! Lizzy said she's fine with it!"

Again, Doll hears nothing but white noise and a calming, little voice in the back of her head coercing her to do it, to take what she needs. It giggles and strokes Doll's mind into a blissful numbness of ignorance and desire.

She steps closer.

"Doll? Hey, s-stop being weird! Didn't you-- Woah. U-uh, your teeth weren't that sharp before, were they? Doll, you need to back up, you're scaring me!" Milly's shaky voice pleads for Doll to leave, to go away, to stop coming towards her with that sadistic grin.

Doll lunges and that's the final trigger. Maniacal giggles fill the air as Doll drags the terrified Drone back to her room by her teeth, Doll's synthetic claws digging into Milly's chassis.

Once in private, Doll begins her little routine. Her mind goes blank, yet ecstatic, with hunger and a sadistic sense of joy. She says nothing as the screams pierce her mind.

"Doll!? Doll, stop! Nonono--- PLEASE--HRGH, ARGHK! Tch-- Owowowowww let go let go let go let go!!"

Doll just grins as she pins her dear friend down to the cold floor, oil spilling everywhere as she rips her friend apart. She feels the oil spraying on her face, filling her up and easing her hunger substantially. She keeps digging.

"Stooop!! Doll, no, nononono, I can't--- You're hurting me! Arrgh! HNGK! GHAKK! PLEASE!"

Doll's teeth tear through her prey's plastic casing, shredding apart Milly's oil tubes and secondary wiring clusters, the screams nothing more than an inconvenience.

She's oblivious to the sheer agony of her friend, unable to resist as she tears her apart. The sobbing grows louder as Doll begins pulling away at her limbs, cracking each individual finger in every way they shouldn't.

"Please, stopstopstop-- PLEASE JUST STOP, IT HUUURTS!!! NGHHKKK! GHRAKHAAH! NONONO, stopstop YOU'RE TEARING ME--" Snap.

It's done, it's over. Doll finally regains her cognitive functions. And holy hell, her mind runs wild with the guilt.

The screams won't stop ringing in her head. It's like torture. It's not because she hurt a sentient being, it's because she hurt a friend and kept going. Milly begged Doll to stop. She screamed and kicked.

Doll is a horrible person.

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She lays on the ground, now far away from the body and hunched over in the corner, unable to register where she is, what she's doing. It's a lucid feeling, the worst kind of awareness. Doll knows exactly what's going on, but she doesn't. It's sickening

She just wants to end this endless cycle of tormental torture, as hypocritical as that is. Doll would rather scratch away her last bit of sanity and feel nothing rather than feel like this. Why is she still doing this? Why not just do what Cyn wants and give in? Why fight? Doll doesn't even know anymore. She does not deserve a reason to keep going.

Doll doesn't notice, as the door slams open and a familiar blur fills her vision.

"Oh, jeez, I knew I'd find you here! The hell's going on!? Where were you, where's Milly? We were gonna do her stupid art thing, weren't w-- Oh. Oooh. Oh, my god, Doll..." Lizzy looks beyond horrified, her mouth covered by her hands in an instinctive attempt to stifle a scream. Not because of Doll's murder spree or anything, but because she knows that look.

It was the same look Doll wore when she came to school the day after her parents bit it.

Guilt. A sanity-draining type of guilt.

Lizzy winces at the gored body of what Milly used to be, before gently crouching before Doll. She reaches out her hand towards her girlfriend and places it on her cheek, caressing it gently. She needs to bring her out of this.

"Doll, can ya hear me? Girly, babe, darl, listen. I get what you're going through, Doll. But it's, like, totally fine! You know that, right? Sure, Milly was cool and all, but she should've not been and idiot and stuck around when you're like this. Heh, uh... You got Mills good, didn't you?" Lizzy smirks faintly, trying to make light of the situation. She cringes at herself as she watches Doll's slight wince. Probably the wrong thing to say, yeah.

"Okay, okay, nevermind. Look, if Milly was gonna die, she'd probs wanna go out by the hands of someone she knows, right?" Lizzy offers, a small kiss to the forehead given as to ease Doll's racing mind. Doll frowns softly, sniffling.

"[She would've wanted to die peacefully. Not by a friend literally ripping her open and basically betraying her. She hates me, she should hate me, you should hate me...]" Doll's self-depricating murmurs gently fill the room. Doll curls in tighter to herself. She can't face the body.

Lizzy sighs, trying not to feel too panicked at the extremely concerning monologue, before pulling her girlfriend up and drags her to her room. She knows what her edgy girly needs after a bad day. Complimentary movie night~! Doll would be better off in her room, away from all the creepy junk.

"Okay, nope! No more sulking, you're coming with me, you cute little dork! Let's get you outta here. You need to chill and luckily for you, I'm the best gal for this kinda stuff!" Lizzy enthusiastically grins, offering Doll a sweet kiss on her cheek. Doll remains quiet, but Lizzy knows she appreciates it. She can just tell.

She sits her girlfriend down on the bed and begins to idly chat with her, to take her mind off things, as she digs through her bedside table draws.

"So, guess what I gooot~! I forced Uzi to be on scrap collection duty this week and I made her get us some cool new movies. I got her to agree because I threatened to tell her dad about the hole she punched in the wall last week." Lizzy snickers, before pulling out a disk and inserting it into the static-ridden TV. The loading screen comes up before booting up the main menu. Lizzy turns to face Doll, who seems a little more aware.

"Perfect! Now, you. Look, Dolly, I get that you feel shitty about Milly, but it's just another body. You knew her, but it's her dumb fault for not booking it when she saw you like that. That's on her. It's not your fault, girl." Lizzy's soft, loving voice acts as a healing agent; the words melting away the screams from tormenting her.

Doll remembers now. She remembers why she's trying so hard to keep going day by day. She's reminded of why she hasn't finally clawed out her sanity and given in to the sweet silence of guilt-free delusion and sadism.

It's her. Lizzy. Her sole reason why Doll didn't take herself down with her parents. Lizzy is her best hope at finding peace and she's so glad Lizzy's here. It's... Also the fact that she has a blood-thirsty revenge she wants to get on the yellow pest, but that's not the main priority right now. That's for another day.

Slowly, Doll leans against Lizzy and nuzzles into Lizzy's chest. She's a little bit exhausted, that much is obvious. She doesn't speak, she just wants to be with Lizzy.

That's completely fine with the preppy cheerleader. Lizzy smiles and kisses Doll with a humble, yet firey, passion, before beginning to rub her back as means of comfort. Lizzy will gladly talk enough for the both of them, it's what she's damn good at.

"So, y'know how much of a Cliché half of Uzi's junky movie choices are, right? Well, get a load of this one, girly! It's so shitty; Uzi watches something called 'Daylight Disaster'. Sounds a lot like her, hahaha! What a loser! So, there's this part, right, where the dorky protag--"

Doll's red, digital eyes flicker as she's soothed by Lizzy's voice. Lizzy's clearly enjoying talking smack about the purple freak, and Doll even offers her own short quips from time to time, worrying Lizzy even less. The two girls distract each other from their issues and help each other through them.

That's their thing. They wouldn't let the other feel like shit in such a terrifying situation, they'd never leave the other alone with themselves in a bad mental state. Doll appreciates the dynamic.

Sighing softly, Doll gives Lizzy a small kiss, snickering as the cheerleader instantly blushes and begins stammering frantically. The Russian girl simply hugs Lizzy close, not minding the flustered whack in the head she received as she merely lays with Lizzy, her mind finally clear.

Chapter Text

"Aaaand see ya later, freak~!"

With a slam of the thin, metal door, the locker is shut. A muffled string of expletive and rather non-suitable words burst from the small space, along with a frantic banging.

Lizzy, once again, has shoved Uzi into the lockers. She always gets a kick out of it, even on a bad day, because that purple freak deserves it. You don't wear stuff like that and not expect to be casted out, y'know? Freaks get bullied, period.

Well, aside from Lizzy's freak, but that's beside the point.

Walking off to another class to learn absolutely nothing, Lizzy snickers to herself and soon disappears down the hallway. Uzi scoffs and rolls her eyes. She supposes she's gonna have to wait for the stupid janitor to come get her again. Great!

The purple/black-clad Worker Drone sighs to herself, getting as comfortable as possible, rolling her eyes in irritation. She's gonna have to punt Lizzy through a damn wall at least once in her life. Stupid self-absorbed little brat!

Uzi would keep complaining to herself, but instead jolts as the locker is opened surprisingly early, the light causing her optics to become sensitive for a second. Clearing her vision, Uzi relaxes and tenses, simultaneously, as she sees Doll, looking concerned and guilty. About damn time she found her.

Hopping out of the locker, Uzi brushes herself off and crosses her arms, glaring at Doll. "Okay, you gotta do something about your stupid jerk of a girlfriend! This is getting ridiculous! It's even more ridiculous, since I'm now, like, extremely familiar with the inside of that damn locker!"

Uzi's complaint causes Doll to wince, guilty as she then sighs to herself and nods. "[Right, I apologise. You know I've been trying to tell her to stop, but she's Lizzy, she's stubborn. Are you alright?]" Doll's concern is flattering, as she subtly scans Uzi for anything out of place.

The gothic Drone just scoffs and shakes her head, before nudging Doll along with her as she begins walking down the hallway. "Yeah, I'm just pissed, is all. Anyways, we better still be doing that Solver lesson on Monday! I gotta learn more stuff about it!" Uzi's feisty, eager attitude causes Doll to chuckle softly.

Placing her hand on Uzi's shoulder, Doll grins and pulls her towards the exit of the school. Uzi's violet eyes hollow in surprise, before she smirks. Who would've thought that Doll would initiate skipping class? Not her.

"[I say it's time for an early lesson.]"

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Soon, the bell rings, signalling that school is officially over. You could practically feel the relief fill the air. The Russian and the goth both smile and wave goodbye after a small teasing, both feeling better about themselves since the lesson was also a reaffirmation that they're not alone in this whole mess.

Breathing in a breath of crisp, stale air, Doll looks down the hall, at Lizzy. She needs to try convince Lizzy to lay off of Uzi; she doesn't want her friend to continue to constantly fight with her girlfriend.

Walking towards Lizzy, Doll barely makes a full fours steps as the cheerleader turns around and notices her. It's like a 6th sense, at this point. Doll grins and braces herself as Lizzy squeals giddily and races towards her.

"Dollyyyy!! I missed you, girl!" Cue a passionate kiss on the lips that momentarily stuns Doll and her thought process. "So, how's my favourite girly been? Sucks having an entire day without classes with you, ugh! I gotta complain about that soon." Lizzy rolls her eyes, guiding Doll down the hallway and into a large place in the bunker-- The entertainment lounge. Lizzy sits down in her and Doll's regular, secluded spot as everyone else does whatever.

Doll grins softly as she blushes, offering Lizzy a quick nuzzle, before her expression hardens a little. "[I know, yeah. Uhm. Lizzy? Can I ask you something? It's important.]" Doll stares at her girlfriend intensely, grabbing her hands.

By Doll's tone alone, Lizzy can immediately tell that she's asking about the whole 'be nice to Uzi thing'. Lizzy scoffs and rolls her eyes at Doll, who frowns softly. "Doll, literally no. Like, I know you're asking me to be nice to freakazoid 2.0, but it's not happening. She's weird as hell, and is a legit danger to the rest of us, what, with that creepy Solver thing." Lizzy explains, flicking a hand to her side in a sassy manner.

Doll raises her digi-brow and tilts her head slightly. Lizzy instantly raises her hand to interrupt whatever Doll's gonna say, but Doll gently slaps it back down. "[Lizzy, am I not one of the 'Solver Freaks' as well? Does that not make me any less dangerous than Uzi? I really think you should try getting along with Uzi, because she isn't dangerous, Liz.]"

Trying not to instantly go on a tangent, Lizzy sighs in frustration as she grips Doll's hand tighter. "No, that's-- not what I meant! Like, I know you're super chill and I know you aren't dangerously; I wouldn't be here if you were, but I just don't know about the purple creep, Doll. No-one looks like that and doesn't have any, like, creepy demon intentions or whatever!" Lizzy defends herself, huffing as she nudges Doll gently.

The Russian girl lids her eyes, unamused as she sighs for a second longer than usual. Doll gently places her hands on Lizzy's cheeks, cupping them tenderly, leaning her face close to Lizzy's.

Ignoring how much Lizzy's blushing right now, Doll speaks "[She's not dangerous. Strange and rebellious, sure, but not dangerous. Uzi's just like me and that honestly kinda helps. Makes me feel less... of a weird murderer. Uzi's a lot like you, too. She's not sassy and doesn't take anyone's attitude. Please, Lizzy, just try to get along? For me?"

Doll's tone is sickeningly sweet and Lizzy absolutely hates the fact that it's working. The cheerleader blushes heavily as she places a hand on one of Doll's hands that cup her face, before sighing in irritated resignation. "Ffffine. You're lucky I care enough about your stupid opinions to go along with them, dork. But I'm not gonna just be insta-buds with the creep, you know that, right? I'm literally only doing this for you." Lizzy deadpans, staring right into Doll's crimson eyelights. They an awful lot prettier in the low light, Lizzy notes.

Doll smiles gratefully, nodding. That's just what she wanted to hear. Doll knows those two will warm up to each other soon enough. "[I know. I just want you to chill with the teasing. Thank you for listening, Lizzy.]" Doll's face is awfully close to Lizzy's, her lips brushing against the cheerleader's own.

A ferociously stubborn blush blooms on Lizzy's visor, bathing Doll's face in a pink hue. Shakily, Lizzy rubs her thumb along the back of Doll's hand, rolling her eyes half-heartedly. "Y-Yeah, it's whatever, I guess... So, like, you gonna do something or-- Mmph!"

Interrupting Lizzy's words and, along with them, thought process, Doll swiftly plants a deep kiss on Lizzy's lips, making sure Lizzy feels the passion and appreciation, before pulling away. Doll smirks softly at Lizzy's visor, the screen displaying a pink-lettered warning that she's offline for now.

Doll gently places Lizzy's upper body in her lap, stroking her hair idly, before catching a certain set of purple eyes. Uzi. Doll smirks at the gothic Drone, who snickers and holds up her phone, raising a digi-brow. Doll silently giggles and a translated string of scarlet words appear on her visor.

'Send that to me later.'

A thumbs up, and Uzi is gone.

Chapter Text

A week has passed and Doll is proud to say that Uzi has not experienced another bout of teasing by Lizzy. Lizzy kept her word, if begrudgingly.

The progress of their friendship has been... Lacking, but not completely hopeless. It's been awkward, but at least they're actually trying to get along. Lizzy occasionally invites Uzi to be a group of three, Uzi offers if Lizzy and Doll wants to hang with her Murder Drone friends (something Doll actively refuses, while Lizzy seems interested in) or practise the Solver stuff.

It's been a slow development, but not something to give up on. Which is why Doll's decided to take this whole thing up a notch, via a sleepover. She's been planning on how to go about asking, which brings her to now.

The three Drones are sat down in the back row desks of the classroom, a new established seating plan for Uzi, grants by both Doll and Lizzy. Uzi and Lizzy are idly chatting about how stupid this entire place is, occasionally throwing quips at each other. Doll gently blinks, snapping out of her thoughts, before tapping the desk, gaining both of their attentions.

"[I've been thinking about something recently. Lizzy, Uzi, how about a sleepover? Y'know, hang out more? It'll be fun, will it not?]" Doll, typically unaware of how blunt and out of the blue her requests are, blankly stares at them both, waiting for an answer.

Uzi instantly squints and physically cringes away, as if the words were a tangible weapon. Hell no, no way, not gonna happen. "Uh, no?? I'm not gonna do any sleepover stuff with Miss Petty, over here! Ew!"

Lizzy shoots Uzi an annoyed glare, gritting her teeth as she holds her tongue for Doll's sake. She promised, she's not doing anything, it's all chill, no matter how much she wants to give Uzi the locker treatment. "Doll, uhmm, don't ya think it's, like, too soon? It's only been a week, plus, Debbie Downer over here's just gonna ruin the vibe. Maybe we should--"

"[No, no, I know what I'm doing. This is a good idea, trust me. It'll help you both stop being so on edge.]" Doll's eyes lid in a firm resolute expression and both Uzi and Lizzy know there's no convincing Doll otherwise, not when she has that look.

Lizzy sassily rolls her eyes and scoffs, blowing her hair out of her face before sighing in resignation. This is gonna suck. "Fffiiiiiiineee. You're lucky you're as adorable as you are, or you'd be through the window by now. Whatever. Fre-- Uh, Uzi, grab your stuff. Meet me and Doll at my house tonight." With that curt instruction, Lizzy grumbles to herself as she exits the room.

Doll smiles at Uzi, appreciative of the combined effort. "[You'll be fine. Just don't touch Lizzy's makeup and she probably won't yell at you.]" Doll informs, dismissively waving her hand. Uzi's face has been planted against the desk for most of the conversation.

"Ughhhh.... I'll... I'll be there. But why can't we do it at your house!? Her house is probably prissy and junk!" Uzi complains, slamming her hands on the desk as she glowers at Doll. She hates how pink Lizzy is, it's so dumb, why does Doll think anything about this is a good idea??

Doll grimaces slightly at the mention of her house. How... how does she go about saying that her house is off limits because it's a genuinely horrifying murder scene? She can't. It's best Uzi doesn't see that kind of thing. "[My house isn't suitable for a sleepover. Be ready in an hour.]" With that, Doll disappears in a crackle of crimson electricity.

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"What makes you think I'm just gonna be all fine and dandy with the freak in my house? She'll probably contaminate everything with her shitty emo vibes! And not to mention that hot topic clothing style, ugh!" Lizzy paces around her room, arms crossed as an anger mark appears on the top right of her visor. It's not unusual for Lizzy to be worked up about this, so Doll just listens idly, waiting for her to calm down.

"[Lizzy, trust me, you'll see she's not that bad.]" The soft murmur, as well as the gentle feeling of Doll's hand in her own is enough to calm Lizzy down and send a shiver zipping down her metaphorical spine.

"... Okay. You're probably right. I'll try, I guess, girl. Soooo.... Hug?" The curious offer is quickly accepted; Doll's hand pulls Lizzy close against herself, hugging Lizzy protectively. Lizzy grins as she buries her face into the Russian girl's shoulder. "Pfft, you're literally just an actual dork."

Doll merely grins, about to offer a snarky little retort, but is quickly interrupted by Uzi's sudden appearance, the edgy Drone slamming the door open.

"Ugh! Thanks for telling me where your room is, Lizzy! I didn't have any trouble at-- Ew. Can you not?" Uzi's complaint is cut off by a semi-disgusted quip as she glances between the two girls. She's not used to romance stuff, she's here for a sleepover, not a cuddle session!

The cheerleader scoffs and rolls her eyes as she sits up, crossing her arms. Lizzy's really questioning Doll's motives; Uzi's just a scrappy little pain. "Deal with it, loser. Like you don't kiss up with your Murder Drone boyfriend, dumbass."

Uzi's eyes widen as she sputters, a blush shooting across her visor as she tries to keep her CPU up with her voice box. "W-what the hell!? Shut it, we're not d-dating, you stupid jerk!"

Lizzy simply smirks as she raises her digi-brow, humming in a sly manner. Maybe she can tolerate the brat for tonight, this is getting fun. "Mhmmmm~, sure. It's sooo obvious, though, with the way you stare at him and all, just letting you know."

Uzi would be throwing her entire bag at Lizzy, if Doll didn't step in. The Russian Worker Drone glares at both of them, unimpressed. "[I was hoping it'd be five minutes before you both went for each other's throats. As soon as Uzi gets here is not a record to be proud of.]" Doll knew they'd both be a handful, but jesus, they're so stubborn! She may need to pull out the 'best friends' shirt.

Both of the feisty Drones just mutter insults under their breath, Uzi climbing her way onto the bed. The trio sit in silence, before Lizzy moves to grab herself a hairbrush, pointing it at Uzi. She might as well bedazzle the night into something fun herself.

"Oi, get over here. I've always found your hairstyle, like, totally repetitive, so I guess here's my chance to change it up a little. I'm curious to see what you'd look like de-emofied or whatever." Lizzy's grin stretches across her face as she pulls an unwilling Uzi closer, flinging her beanie on the bedside table.

Like a pissed off cat, Uzi kicks at the bed and pushes at Lizzy, shouting snarky insults at Lizzy. "Hey, lemme go, you stupid idiot! I didn't exactly sign up for a make over, I'm here to chill with Doll, mostly! Get your stupid brush away from me or I'm biting!" The threat from the edgy teen is simply ignored, as Lizzy begins brushing Uzi's violet hair.

The brush slams against Uzi's head (some accidental, some not) with each shove Uzi gives Lizzy, until Uzi finally gives up. She angrily crosses her arms, grumbling insults under her breath as she leans as far away as she can from Lizzy. "Oh, and thanks for helping me out, Doll. Appreciate it." A sarcastic retort is accompanied by an annoyed, violet glare.

Said glare is met with a shrug, the Russian girl laying on her stomach, next to Lizzy. "[Relax. I agree with Lizzy, honestly. Maybe a new hairstyle would suit you.]" Doll's soft voice is taken as an offence to Uzi, as she huffs in exasperation, but says nothing in response.

Lizzy smirks sassily, focusing on Uzi's hair as she speaks. "See? If Doll agrees, it's majority wins. Besides, sprucing your hair up could win ya that Murder Drone, too, y'know?" Instantly, Lizzy is whacked in the face with a pillow.

"S-shut up, damn it! I'm not into N, stop saying that!" The defensively feisty shout is all the proof Lizzy needs. She's a total expert in romance, she knows what's up.

"Whatever you saaayyyy~! And you're done, by the way. Off." Lizzy demands, lightly tapping Uzi's head with the brush. Uzi shoves herself away from Lizzy, glancing at herself in the mirror very quickly as to not break it.

Her hair is now completely down and straightened, seeming a little longer due to the new style, reaching just past her shoulders. It... suits her? Huh. Neat. "It's, uh, fine. I guess. Not that I actually care, though..... Thanks." The begrudging word of appreciation is met with surprise from both Doll and Lizzy.

The cheerleader just snickers, cocking an eyebrow. "No problem. You look less gross now, surprisingly. You should totally come to me if you need a new style, girl! I'm literally your only hope for you to look better than you do now." Lizzy's eager offer catches Uzi and Doll off guard. Yet, the rebellious Drone shrugs nonchalantly, huffing, though Doll can see a faint smile.

"M-Maybe, whatever. So, I've been meaning to ask you both something. Why'd you date each other? You're both really different, I would've thought you'd bully Doll, in all honesty, Lizzy. Y'know, coz you're a jerk." Uzi's nonchalant insult genuinely spikes Lizzy's temper. She scowls at Uzi, sneering slightly.

"Excuse you, but I wouldn't ever bully my girl. Say that again and I'm getting my dad to dock your grades and telling your dad. Anyways, I just had a mega huge crush on Dolly and so I asked her out and bada boom, we're dating. You should try it out on N." Lizzy's sly comment causes Uzi to roll her eyes and blush, instantly uninterested in the previous conversation. She literally can't get a break.

"Ugh! I'm not into N! And even if I was, which I'm NOT, I'm not taking your advice!" Uzi angrily points at Lizzy, who scoffs and leans back against the headboard. This whole denial thing is not pretty.

"I'd say I'm the only one with experience who's even offering. C'mon, you totally like him! You'd both be totes cute together!" Lizzy gushes, grinning as she stares at Uzi, eyes half lidded in a sassy kinda way.

Uzi blushes and looks away from Lizzy, frowning softly. Lizzy's right, but she wouldn't say that. Sighing softly, Uzi glances back at the cheerleader. "... Really? Like, not that I care, but, it could be.... Nice, I guess. Whatever."

Lizzy giddily giggles, leaning towards Uzi, now interested and eager in the chat. "you totally should, like, go for it! It's simple, you just gotta--" A sudden shift from beside Lizzy cuts her off. Curiously glancing beside her, both Uzi and Lizzy's gaze is now locked on Doll.

There, lying beside Lizzy, Doll is now completely knocked out. Kind of ironic for someone who started this whole thing. Smiling gently, Lizzy slowly pulls Doll towards herself, resting Doll on her lap and pulling the blanket over her. She leans down and gives Doll's forehead a gentle kiss, before turning to Uzi, who seems intrigued by Lizzy's tenderness towards Doll.

Her voice is now considerably lower as she speaks, as to not wake the sleeping Russian girl, the cheerleader grinning encouragingly. "You just gotta go with it, y'know? Do what you feel's right. That simple."

Uzi ponders her words, before giving Lizzy a catlike little smirk, nodding. She's actually really comfortable and content, right now. Who would've thought that she'd actually be enjoying this? Not her, that's obvious. It's a nice change, though.

"Right. So, uh, hypothetically speaking, what do I do if I did actually have a crippling crush on N? Hypothetically." Uzi reaffirms, blushing heavily as she stares at Lizzy. It's a hypothetical question, and she's curious, so she's gonna ask it, that's all.

Lizzy rolls her eyes playfully, before she continues quietly chatting with Uzi, her hand stroking her sleeping girlfriend's head subconsciously, not noticing the faint little smirk adorning her face.

Doll's plan worked, just as she thought it would. Good. It was getting a little tense. She's glad these two dorks are finally seeing eye-to-eye.

Chapter Text

With the metal bench placed down in the snow by the male Disassembly Drone, everything was all set. The toxic death storm was far more inhabitable tonight and it makes for a perfect date night, requested by N himself!

Uzi plops herself down next to N and blushes heavily when he holds her hand, his naturally larger hand encasing hers in a strange yet familiar warmth. Uzi's fine with it for now, not so sure about when the other two get here. The only reason she even agreed in the first place was because N begged her and looked cute while doing it.

N knows that he can use his adorable puppy-like self to get what he wants and Uzi hates and loves it at the same time.

The gothic Drone rolls her eyes and taps her index finger on the metal surface of the bench, obviously more impatient than her partner. "Ugh! They're so damn slow! We agreed on a time, didn't we!? They should be here by now!"

N chuckles nervously as he pulls Uzi close, instantly shutting her up. N bonks his tail on Uzi's head in a gentle reprimand, keeping all five eyes out for the cheerleader duo. "Uzi, I'm sure they'll be here soon enough! Just calm down, okay, sweetness? I'll make it up to you later, with extra reading session time! We're up to chapter 6 of Dogs: 101!" N's excited expression lights up Uzi's mood as she snickers and shoves his shoulder playfully.

As unexpected as it seems, Uzi and N do actually have reading sessions. These sessions can range from an hour to the entire night if the other isn't too tired. N has an entire storage of dog books hidden away in Uzi's nightstand drawer, safe from mold and weathering. Uzi and N are taking a break from movies for now; N still hasn't gotten over 'A Dog's Purpose'.

Uzi always enjoys these sessions, they're a great distraction from all the traumatic drama she faces on a weekly basis.

"Fiiine, you stupid goob. B-But don't call me that out here! Like, the other two could hear! Or anyone else! Don't judge my well-placed paranoia or I'll leave!" Uzi's empty threat is simply met with a beaming smile from N, if a little apologetic. The Disassembly Drone begins to speak, but a stray snowball slams the back of his head.

"Sup, losers~? We're fashionably late; Doll didn't wanna dress up so it took a bit, but here we are." The sudden entrance of Lizzy and Doll catches them both off guard, but they soon quickly relax.

Lizzy sits opposite of N and Uzi, Doll sitting right next to Lizzy. Doll's wearing her prom dress, which is quite ruffled, showing a sign that getting Doll to dress up wasn't an easy task. The Russian Drone mutters something incomprehensible to the others, but Lizzy gives her a sharp elbow and pointed expression, causing Doll to sigh and relax. N brushes the snow off his hat and smiles.

"Hi, Lizzy, hi, Doll! We're glad you could make it, even though your living quarters are literally a few minutes away! Sooo, how're you doing?" N's awkward attempt at a conversation causes Uzi to facepalm and Lizzy to raise a digi-brow, but Doll simply shrugs nonchalantly and grins.

"[Fine. We've been preparing for that human holiday. Er, Halloween, I think it was. But we're not giving out any lollies, they're mine. Sorry.]" Doll blandly states, ever so possessive of any snacks she gets her hands on. She doesn't let anyone have any, aside from Lizzy occasionally. They're circular, little batteries and they taste amazing; Doll's not giving them up.

N perks up at the mention of a holiday or possible event-- He's never experienced one back when he worked with J and V, he's never even heard of it. "Oooh, a holiday!? What's Halloween?? Uzi, what's Halloween??" N's excitement is palpable as he shakes his girlfriend's shoulders.

Annoyed, Uzi knocks his hand off before waving her own hand dismissively. "Eh, the only cool human holiday out there. It's basically where you dress up as something scary and visit people's houses for their goods. That's what I heard, at least. I don't give anything out, I just scare people." Uzi snickers devilishly at the memories of her victim's faces.

N winces softly, his tail curling around his legs. This holiday surely couldn't be that bad, right? He sure hopes not. But the dressing up thing sounds a little bit cool, he supposes! "Uhmm..."

Lizzy, noticing N's hesitant and put-off expression, crosses her arms and rolls her eyes at him. "Pfft, yeah, but you do it the weird, freak way. I do it normally. Look, you just dress up, go around and ask people for lollies. Simple." Lizzy's explanation is to the point and lightly put for N.

The male grins as his excitement returns, his tail wagging slightly. He beams at Uzi, grabbing her hands as he stares into her eyes joyfully. "Can we go, Uzi??? I wanna do it, please, can we!? I wanna terrify people and take their food, it sounds fun!"

Uzi's visor lights up with a blush, her expression directed at N fondly. She grins and rolls her eyes playfully, nodding in agreement. "Hell yeah, sure! We're gonna be the most badass duo around this dump!" Uzi continues to excitedly list off her ideas, N listening along with palpable eagerness.

Doll glances at Lizzy, who smirks and nudges her head towards the two. It's so obvious that, despite how edgy Uzi acts, she's a total dope for N. "Wow, you two are, like, totes adorable. In a cringy sorta way, y'know?"

Lizzy's teasing comment causes Uzi and N to stop and stare at Lizzy. They both sheepishly shrink back into their seat, N blushing softly and tapping his index fingers together. Uzi stammers, before she angrily scoffs at the cheerleader. "Okay, and!? It's not like you and Doll aren't the same way! You're both totally a cringe/cute couple! So shut up!"

The aggressive compliment causes Lizzy to snicker to herself, taking great joy in riling Uzi up. Lizzy then gently pauses and glances between the two Drones, quirking a digi-brow in slight curiosity. "Hmm, I gotta say, how the hell did you both hook up? Like, how'd that whole thing even go? Spill."

Uzi would begin insulting Lizzy instantly, if not for the way N instantly stands up, his tail wagging wildly as his golden-yellow optics shine. He's been waiting to tell this story! "Oooh, I'll tell you! I've always wanted to tell people about how we happened! But first, I'll go find us some snacks for storytime! Be right back!"

The Disassembly Drone instantly zips off into the distance, towards the Worker Drone Bunker. The three remaining Drones stare after him, before the goth breaks the silence.

"Riighttt... Anyways, you two do realise that you're telling me and N how you got together after we do, right? We're not spilling without any idea how you both ended up smooching." Uzi grins smugly, though is genuinely curious as to how a serial murderer and a basic, popular cheerleader ended up dating.

Doll just gives Uzi a thumbs up and nod, Lizzy opting to scoff in irritation. She'd rather not, but girl gossip is her thing, after all. "Yeah, whatevs. I'm telling it, though. No offense, Dolly, but you're really blunt and stuff at telling stories." Lizzy's rose, digital eyes trail over towards her girlfriend, who shrugs nonchalantly.

"[Fine by me.]" Her simple response has the attention immediately taken off it as N brutally slams next to the bench, a plume of snow blossoming around the area.

The snow clears and N innocently smiles as he drops an entire corpse of a long-dead, yet well preserved, Worker Drone on the bench. Doll instantly perks up, as does Uzi, their hunger substantially more obvious, even if they didn't notice it themselves. Lizzy, however, stares in horror at the sudden death on the table. She is so not eating that.

"Alrighty, fellas, I got us a really good body to dig into! Sorry, Doll, this one's from your room. I hope you don't mind?" N's soft apology is met with a gentle pat on the head as the Russian smiles at him in forgiveness.

"[It's fine, not like I'd eat it anytime soon anyways.]" Doll shrugs, before tearing the torso open and grabbing a handful of clotted oil to begin scoffing it down. N relaxes at the statement, before he sits back down, next to Uzi, and rips off an arm, chewing on it idly. N grabs a canteen for Uzi out of his coat pocket, filling it with oil, before handing it to her. He knows she doesn't like eating from corpses directly.

Meanwhile, Lizzy just sits there, completely surrounded by cannibalistic Murder Drones, disturbed by the way she watches them consume the body. She tries not to puke at the sight, or the unease in her core arising. "Uhh, okay, this is..."

The moment Lizzy speaks up, the three Murderers instantly wince guiltily, having been completely oblivious and blinded to the fact that Lizzy wasn't like them. Doll nervously nuzzles Lizzy's cheek in a silent apology, to which the cheerleader rolls her eyes and tugs her close. It's fine, she supposes. Lizzy turns to N and motions him to speak.

"O-Oh, right! Well, the whole thing was really messy and kinda weird, but fitting! It was perfect, though! Let's see, I was... Right! I was hanging out with Uzi when I was having a sleepover with her!" N eagerly reminds himself, before continuing to tell the story. Doll and Lizzy settle into each other as they listen, as Uzi blushes heavily, pulling her beanie over her visor.

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"So, Uzi, what're we watching tonight? You said you had a new movie for us!" N exclaims, as he watches Uzi plug in a USB to a port on her projector from her bed. The gothic Drone grins back at her friend, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yup, that's right! I got the good stuff this time! It's called 'A Dog's Purpose', ever heard of it?" Uzi questions, settling herself down next to the Disassembly Drone, pulling the blankets over them both.

N shakes his head as he focuses his multiple eyes on the roller-screen attached to the wall. This should be a fun, new experience for him that won't have any consequences! "Nnnnope! I don't have many movies back at the Pod, so any movies you find are probably gonna be new to me."

Uzi nods, grabbing a plastic bag full of batteries and placing them between herself and N. She watches as the opening scene begins, blushing as N excitedly points at the puppy in the beginning, clinging onto her tightly. "Fair. I haven't seen it either, I'm as new to this thing as you are. Just get comfy and let's keep watching, yeah?"

*An Hour and A Half Later-- At The End Credits*

Uzi stares at the screen, jaw agape, N absolutely bawling into her hoodie, watching as the credits trail down the screen, one Drone shocked and nervous, the other completely heartbroken and touched.

N sniffles as he continues gripping Uzi tightly, digital tears speeding down his visor. It's clear that the events of the movie has broken him momentarily. "T-That was the m-m-most heartwarmingly upsetting thing I've ever wa-ha-ha-haaaatched!"

Uzi winces softly as she hisses inwards, through her teeth. This is why she should read the damn back of the movie cover! Now she's completely upset her best friend and it's all her fault! "I'm SO sorry, dude! I-I didn't know it was gonna be sad! Jeez, I'm sorry, N, really!"

Uzi's frantic apologies do nothing to console N, so she just hugs him tightly and shushes him, running her hand through his smooth, silver hair. God, she really screwed up, didn't she? She hopes she didn't make N, like, hesitant to talk about dogs or anything now...

Soon, N eventually calms himself down and sits up, sighing softly as he turns to Uzi. He knows it's not her fault, and he wants to make sure she knows, so he gently takes her hands and stares her in the eyes. "Uzi, it's fine, I'm fine! I just got a little worked up, heheh... B-But I'm good! Don't blame yourself!"

Uzi blinks in surprise, before blushing as she places her hand on N's cheek. Her emotions are running wild, this is a terrible choice, but she can't stop herself from ranting. "But I have to! I literally chose a really sad dog movie and thought it was a good idea to show you! It doesn't matter that I didn't know, I didn't read the back of the cover! Ugh, I'm so stupid! I literally just showed my crush the most sappy, sad and weirdest dog movie out there! How is that not my fault!?"

Uzi's rant is not responded to. There's total silence from N's position beside her, but the grip on her hand's tightened. Curiously, Uzi stares up at N, and is met with the sight of N's eyes hollowed and a massive blush on his visor.

"Y-You... Have a crush on me?" The gentle inquiry nearly shatters Uzi's CPU right then and there.

Shit.

Frantically, Uzi tries to explain herself, a violet blush creeping onto her face as she clutches N's hands nervously, only to be met by a soft giggle and a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I-it's fine! I like you, too!"

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"Oh. My. Gooosh~!! That's so totally adorable!! But wow, Uzi, you literally dated N because you traumatized him, pfft, ahaha!" Lizzy cackles, clutching onto Doll tightly, who rapidly nods in agreement then quietly chuckles along with Lizzy. Both N and Uzi glance at each other, before blushing and turning back to the duo opposite them.

"Y-Yeah, whatever. It was a complete mess, ugh, I could've done better..." Uzi's self-depricating remark is met with a gentle kiss to her forehead and a stern stare from N.

"You did your best! It's way better than any Cliché confession, Uzi. I liked how it turned out." N's compliment is obviously completely genuine and it causes Uzi's core to melt momentarily, before she quickly shakes her head and turns to Lizzy and Doll.

"S-so, you two! We've said our bit, now it's your turn. Spill, we wanna know how Sassy and Creepy got together!" A devious grin is stretched onto Uzi's face as she leans back against N, who smiles encouragingly and nods.

Doll winces and blushes, remembering exactly how their relationship happened clear as day. Lizzy's visor lights up with a rose hue as she sighs, before leaning against her Russian girlfriend. She's prepared to be potentially embarrassed, but she did say she'd tell the story. Dang. "Alright, fine, get comfortable, nerds, because ours isn't any better. It's really mega angsty, just warning ya."

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The hallway to Doll's room was far more intimidating than it ever was before, as Lizzy slowly trudges along the cold metal. She'd probably regret doing this. She shouldn't be doing this at all, Lizzy knows she screwed up. It's her fault. But Lizzy has to apologise for what she did. It's been a month since the incident, she'd just gotten back from camp.

The cheerleader trembles as she walks up to the door of her friend's, standing before it in anticipation. This is it, she needs to do this, she can't just let Doll go, not now, not ever.

She opens the door, using the lockpad code Doll gave her only. She's surprised Doll didn't change it.

The door slides open and right in front of her, is the Russian girl with her arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on her visor. It should scare Lizzy, it should startle her, but it only makes her core jolt.

"[What are you doing here? Leave, I don't have time.]" Doll states, narrowing her crimson optics at her former friend. Doll doesn't want to see her, not after prom. Lizzy sighs, before shoving past Doll and making her way into the crime scene of a room. It's rude, but she's not going to be pushed out of Doll's space.

"Look, we need to talk. Listen, Doll, at prom, I just... I just didn't know what I was thinking, I just... I thought V wasn't, y'know, as bad as we initially thought? I didn't think she deserved to die." Lizzy's statement is firm and stubborn, as she stares right into Doll's rage-filled gaze. It wasn't a morally okay thing to say to someone who had gotten her parents killed by V, but Lizzy knows there's more to V than just a murderous killer.

Doll instantly snarls at Lizzy, slamming her fist against the wall next to Lizzy's head, causing it to dent. Lizzy yelps in fear, her optics ringing as she gasps sharply when she sees the damage. "[Doesn't deserve to die!? Really now? The very same pest who's been killing us all off, who's killed my parents right in front of me, isn't as bad as you thought?]" Doll's mockingly seething repeat of Lizzy's words are exactly what Lizzy expected her to say. Lizzy feels herself becoming defensive as she grits her teeth and ducks under Doll's arm to create some distance.

"I know what she did! She's, like, really creepy and insane, but I've seen her loosen up! When we hung out, V really wasn't that--"
"[She was manipulating you! She said it herself! That thing has no regrets, it doesn't wanna be your friend! It wants to tear you apart!]" Doll's booming shout interrupts Lizzy's argument, Doll's anger damn-near palpable. Lizzy narrows her pink, digital eyes as she crosses her arms. She's not backing down from this one, screw the damn apology.

"Well, yeah, but V's seriously changed! At camp, she protected me from what's-her-face! She said we were friends, we sat next to each other on the bus, she never hurt me once!" Lizzy argues her voice rising with her temper. She glares at her friend, trying to get her to see reason, that V isn't bad.

"Maybe you're worse than her, since at least V didn't kill for nothing! You killed innocent people at prom for just getting in your way, V did it to cool off!" Lizzy kept running her mouth, the tensions rise, it just keeps getting worse.

"[So what, you're just besties now!? I'm just a horrible person for wanting to get revenge on her for killing my parents, right!? So sorry for killing aimlessly, it's not like V doesn't torture her victims!" Doll shouts, before pointing at the door in visible frustration. "[If you're so hellbent on defending her, then go and leave with her! Date her, for all I care! You're much better off with your bestie than a murderer, after all!]"

Lizzy instantly stops, despite being ready to throw a retort right back at the Russian Worker Drone. Lizzy gasps softly as she stares at Doll. She's crying. Oh no.

Lizzy instantly relaxes, gently reaching out to touch Doll, the guilt wrapping around each atom of her being. She should know that Doll's not as angry as she looks, Lizzy should know Doll's scared. Scared of getting abandoned, scared of being left alone again. Lizzy should've remembered how fragile her friend really is.

"Doll, I... That's not-- No! I'm not, I'm not leaving you for V! You're my best friend, I would never--"

"[Stop lying! You're just like everyone else in this place; leaves right when there's something better to do, forgets about the old stuff!]"

"No, Doll--!"

"[Just GO! Seriously, I don't wanna see you again! Get out of my face, go kiss up to the pest--]"

"SHUT UP! I WANT TO DATE YOU, YOU MORON! Stop saying I should be with V! She's not you!" Lizzy screams at the top of her voice box, pixelated tears streaming down her visor as she glares at Doll, grabbing the Russian's forearms. Well, that's that. She said too much, but so much less than she wanted.

Doll pauses, before surprise and a hint of exhaustion takes over, washing away the initial rage. Doll sighs and grits her teeth, not wanting to believe Lizzy at all. "[Just stop lying to me. I'm too tired to deal with it.]"

Lizzy gently places her right hand on Doll's cheek, stroking it with her thumb as she blushes softly. This is really risky, but she has to sort this out. "I'm not lying. I meant what I said. I wanna date you, I like you. Like, r-romantically and junk. I'm sorry about prom, okay? Please, I don't wanna fight anymore..." Lizzy whispers pleadingly, staring at Doll's crimson eyes expectantly. She really likes that shade of red...

Doll gently looks up at Lizzy, holding her left hand hesitantly. "[You... really? I... I'm still hurt, I hope you know that. But... I want this to work. I want to try. I like you, too.]"

Doll's confession brings an insane amount of joy to her core as she wraps her arms around Doll, grinning gleefully. This is just what she wanted. "Eeee! R-really!? Oh my gosh, this... Wow... A-and I know, I'll make it up to ya. I'm just glad you're okay, I haven't seen you in a while. Let's sort everything out right now, okay?"

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"*Sniff!* T-that's so sweet! You guys fought and made up!? That's adorable! *Sniff!*" N's eyes twinkle with admiration and respect as he clings onto Uzi's hoodie, who grins softly, rolling her eyes.

"Great, now you got N crying all over me! And honestly, wow. That's totally not sappy or anything, you stupid dorks." Uzi teases, raising her digi-brow at the duo as she pats N's back comfortingly. N straightens himself up and wags his tail, clutching Uzi's waist affectionately.

Lizzy rolls her eyes, blushing extremely heavily as she slams her hands on the table, rattling the corpse off of it. "It was a tense MOMENT! And I had to sort stuff out! Don't judge me, you little freak!" Lizzy barks, glaring in embarrassment as she soon sits back down.

There's no response or reaction from Doll, she's too busy hiding her face in her arms, but it does little to quell the crimson light blasting through the metal and shining on the surface of the table. Lizzy grumbles as she grabs Doll by the torso and roughly pulls her close, burying her face into her hair in an attempt to calm herself down.

N squeals at the sight, pointing at them and stating at Uzi like an excited puppy. Uzi just smirks and nods, before pulling N down to her level. "I say we leave 'em to be weird saps together, they're weird and kinda gross. Wanna go make some Halloween costu-- Wh--Aaaahhhhhh!! NNNN!!"

Instantly, as soon as N hears the mere start of the word 'Halloween', he rips Uzi from the metal bench and spreads his wings, bursting off towards the sky. Uzi's screams become fainter before they're completely inaudible.

Lizzy rolls her eyes as she stares at the sky, before darting her optics down towards Doll, who peeks up at the cheerleader. Lizzy scoffs and flicks Doll's forehead. "Thanks for totally remaining silent, it really helped me out there, idiot."

Doll just huffs and gives Lizzy a quick peck on the lips, effectively shutting Lizzy up and sending her into a blushy frenzy. "[Be quiet, you agreed to tell them in the first place. There's consequences here, Lizzy.]" Doll reprimands, poking her tongue out at the blonde Drone.

Lizzy quickly recovers, before crossing her arms and quirking her pink digi-brow at her Russian girlfriend. "Whatever, loser, I took your stupid lollies anyways for when you made us late because you wouldn't hurry up and wear the damn dress, so don't try to give me a lecture on consequences."

Rapidly, Doll's head shoots up as she stares Lizzy right in the eyes, narrowing her crimson, digital optics at the smug cheerleader. "[Excuse me? You did what?]"

Chapter Text

It's tense.

Really, really tense.

The prom music is blasting, despite the oil-covered and empty dance floor of the room. It's a completely abandoned room, aside from Uzi and Doll, and Lizzy is terrified.

Watching Doll fight and get knocked down, do some knocking down herself, using her Absolute Solver Program, the furniture levitating by her hand, it's tense. It makes Lizzy think that this could've really all been avoided, all of it, if she'd just followed along with Doll's plan and let her kill V.

Too late, now. The tensions are rising. Especially now, as Lizzy watches her girlfriend charge up the red hologram using three fingers, glaring at the purple freak who's been antagonising Doll for about thirty minutes. Lizzy sighs in relief, preparing to see the dead body of Uzi laying on the ground, finally ending this fight.

Suddenly, BANG.

The bullet shatters right through Doll's visor, oil splattering everywhere on the linoleum flooring of the prom. V stands behind her, that menacing X plastered on her face as she blows off the mini-gun she used to-- [Event Not Registered.]

Lizzy feels her core absolutely shatter, twist, burn, skip, drop-- everything else bad and just plain wrong. As she remains behind the stage, all she can do is stare at the corpse of her girlfriend, bleeding out on the floor, face down. Lizzy's mind runs wild with frantic, horrified thoughts, not even noticing that the other trio left already.

'This can't be happening, this isn't happening, it's not real, it's not real, don't look, oh god oh my god-- What do I do-- DOLL!?'

As Lizzy's OS forces her to bring Doll's name to the forefront of her mind, the cheerleader snaps into action, her knees weak with fear and utter desperation, running towards the body. Towards Doll.

Skidding on her knees in front of Doll, she frantically reaches out and grips Doll's shoulders, rolling her over on her back. To Lizzy's pure mental agony, she's not greeted with a tired, confused expression as her favourite Russian cutie. She's not greeted by Doll sitting upright and smiling at Lizzy in resignation of her loss.

No.

Lizzy's greeted with a large, neon red 'FATAL ERROR' message on where Doll's kind, yet kinda creepy, crimson eyes should be. There's only the familiar signal that indicates that Doll's dead. She's dead.

Doll's dead. She's gone. It dawns on Lizzy like a sledgehammer to the head, like an arrow right through her synthetic skull. Doll is not coming back. Ever. Lizzy subconsciously begins gripping her chest, hyperventilating as her pink, digital eyes hollowed in terror as she stares at Doll's corpse.

"No. No, no, no... NononononononoNONONO--!" Lizzy's rapidfire murmurs quickly grow louder, now evolved into screams of desperation and panic. The horrified cheerleader clutches Doll's body close to her own, not giving a damn about the oil ruining her hair and clothes. She doesn't care. Not now.

Urgently gripping the back of Doll's red prom dress, one Lizzy herself picked out, Lizzy keeps holding her close, Lizzy's hand pushing Doll's face against her cheek. "Nonono, you--you can't just--Oh god, no! Doll, wake up! Wake--*sob!* UP, DAMN IT! Please! I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry!" Despite Lizzy's frantic pleas and apologies, Doll doesn't stir. She remains limp in Lizzy's arms, her visor still leaking the last bit of oil from her systems.

Lizzy begins sobbing, digital tears rolling down her visor and turning her vision to slight static as she buries her face into her dead girlfriend's chest. She knew she should've just went with what Doll wanted. Lizzy got Doll killed. It could've been so simple, just a quick 'in and out' job, not--not this.

Never this.

Lizzy's sobs are quick and often overlapping with her words, causing Lizzy to be rendered speechless. She can't speak, she can barely even think. She did this to Doll. Her girlfriend is dead. Dead.

Dead.

Never coming back.

Lizzy will never see Doll's eyes, brightening up at her whenever she walks in the classroom or kisses her accepting lips. She'd never hear Doll's unique voice, never feel Doll's weirdly comforting warmth as she wraps her arms around her waist on impromptu movie nights. Ever. That's never happening again.

Lizzy ruined it, by thinking she'd be able to get Doll and V to calm down and solve their issues passively, interrupting Doll's focus. And the last thing Doll heard Lizzy say? Right in front of her?

"On second thought, you're way hotter than Doll! RUN, idiot!" Something that Lizzy should never have even thought about. Doll wouldn't dare let herself think someone's better or more attractive than Lizzy in any way, that Lizzy knew well. It makes Lizzy feel like pure scrap.

She doesn't deserve Doll. She doesn't think she ever did. She couldn't help Doll with her problems, she lead Doll on in thinking she was still going through with the plan, she betrayed Doll for a Murder Drone-- No way in hell does Lizzy deserve someone like Doll.

Now look where she is. Dead. No thoughts, no movements. Nothing. All of Doll's hopes, all of her aspirations and hopes and emotions, they're gone. Lizzy thought V was different, thought she could be like the purple freak's pet; tame and passive, but no. Instead, V took Doll from Lizzy. She trusted V, like an idiot, and was manipulated like an idiot.

Doll warned her. Said that no matter what the pest says or does, no matter how emotional and vulnerable it seems, it's tricking her. God, why the hell didn't she believe her!? She should've trusted her creepily adorable girlfriend. But it's far beyond too late for that.

So, as Lizzy sobs, screams and begs in the middle of the prom room, in her oil-soaked, pink prom dress, she sits alone, desperately trying to wake her girlfriend up. "W-wake up, please! Pleasepleaseplease--- GET *hic!* U-UP! DOLL!"

The Russian Worker Drone isn't able to hear her. There's nothing else left of Doll's consciousness at all, at least-- Nothing that can be transferred to the forefront of her mind to be used effectively. Despite this, the blonde cheerleader continues calling out to Doll, unaware of the multiple curious, yellow eyes staring at the duo in the background.

Chapter Text

This is ultra weird, and both Doll and Lizzy knows it.

Doll wouldn't normally teleport Lizzy out of class on the day of a really important test they'll never benefit from. Not that Lizzy actually minds being zipped out of class, but it's weird if it's this abrupt.

Lizzy nervously glances at Doll, who's focused on entering the passcode for the door to her murder scene room. Doll looks really focused and determined, which is a rare (and hot) sight for Lizzy, and so, she speaks up about it.

"Soo, uhm, not that I don't appreciate spending some extra quality time with you, hun, but what exactly are we doing here?" Lizzy inquires, following Doll into the warm room, hand in hand. The room's not much different, aside from an odd setup on a cleared-off bench.

Doll gently holds Lizzy's shoulders and stares her dead in the eyes, nearly creeping Lizzy out if she wasn't used to it already. "[We're performing a little experiment and you're going to help with a very small part of it, then you can leave.]" Doll informs, her lips quirking in an encouraging smile.

Lizzy's digi-brow raises in intrigue and nervousness as she glances at the setup and back at Doll. "Okayyy? So, like, I'm leaving right after you do whatever I'm needed for?" The confused question is met with a swift nod of confirmation. Lizzy shrugs nonchalantly and places her hand on her hip. "Alright, I guess. So, like, what's going on? What am I supposed to do?"

Doll gently pulls out two, small vials from her desk drawer using her Absolute Solver Program, levitating them into her left hand. "[All I need is for you to give me two vials worth of oil. Your oil. I'd use mine, but it isn't... valid, for this experiment. And I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else.]" Doll explains, placing one vial on her desk and reaching out to hold Lizzy's right hand firmly.

Lizzy's pink, digital eyes dart between Doll's hand and crimson eyes, before she sighs and nods. It wouldn't be the first time Doll needed oil from Lizzy, so this isn't really anything new. "Fine, girly, but don't forget to heal my arm up this time." The stern warning tone of Lizzy's voice is enough to make Doll grin sheepishly, remembering certain past events.

"[I... Won't forget this time, I promise. Now, then, this'll be quick, I promise.]" Doll softly informs, pulling Lizzy's arm out to stretch in front of her mouth. Lizzy braces herself, and Doll swiftly pierces Lizzy's metal with her sharp canines. Lizzy winces at the sight and feeling, despite how hot she finds Doll's fangs are. She watches as Doll grabs the first vial and fills it up, putting a cork on it. Doll repeats the process with the second, and Lizzy's job is now complete.

Doll tenderly licks the bite mark on Lizzy's arm and gives it a loving kiss to finish off with, healing it completely. "[There, you're all done. Thank you, Lizzy, you were an amazing help! You're allowed to leave now, Liz.]" Doll states gratefully, before turning to the desk, where an assortment of items are layed out neatly. From a notepad and pen, to a needle and a microscope slide, Doll has a really impressive setup. It makes Lizzy wonder where she even got it from.

Lizzy doesn't make a move for the door, instead settling to rest her hand on the small of Doll's back. Doll only flicks her crimson gaze towards Lizzy, before turning back to her equipment. "Hey, Doll? What even is this whole freaky thing you're doing, huh? Mind if I stick around? Y'know, emotional support girlfriend and all!" Lizzy exclaims, smirking to herself as she gently rubs her hand up and down Doll's back.

Doll's first thought is an instant 'no'. This process is dangerous and potentially extremely useful for figuring out significant information, it'd be best if Lizzy left so she doesn't lose focus. But, Doll reminds herself, this is Lizzy she's talking about. The stubborn, sassy cheerleader who sticks by Doll's side no matter what. So, Doll sighs in hesitant defeat and pats the table beside her, motioning for Lizzy to stand next to her.

Lizzy happily squeals and kisses Doll's cheek, thanking her joyfully. Doll fights down her blush and turns her head towards Lizzy. "[Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now, what I'm doing here is extremely dangerous, for you and me both. It's risky, but it's a step closer to my goal.]" Doll drones on, moving to pick up the first vial, Lizzy listening with utmost caution.

"[These two vials will be used for different experiments. This first one, I'll be pouring it onto the slide and seeing what raw Solver energy does to it, since it clearly has affected Drones in the past. The second will be used to see if it can spread, and how to deter this.]" Doll informs, before carefully pouring the dark liquid onto the microscope slide, the oil now a perfect circle in it's respective position.

Lizzy takes all of this in, only just understanding the gist of what's happening here. Lizzy then giggles and wraps her arms around Doll's waist, pressing her cheek against Doll's as she squeals in adoration. "Oooh, look at my little freaky scientist~!" Doll's visor erupts in a bright, crimson blush as she pries Lizzy off of her.

"[L-Lizzy! This is serious! J-Just, keep your distance and keep your voice down. I need to focus, okay?]" Doll requests, lifting her right hand in order to prepare the main event. Lizzy rolls her eyes playfully, before pressing a quick kiss of encouragement to Doll's lips, before standing at a safe distance.

Doll sighs softly, her optics narrowed in concentration as she uses her Solver Program to light up Lizzy's oil, uncontaminated by the Absolute Solver. The oil doesn't react for a good five seconds, which Doll records in her notepad, before it slowly begins to warble.

Doll grimaces in disgust as she keeps her Solver focused on the oil, the dark liquid now bubbling, yet remaining lukewarm. So much energy being channeled into a source of manipulation for eldritch entities is not healthy for such an originally innocent liquid, and it shows.

The oil begins to mutate, much to both of the Drone's surprise. The outer edges of the lukewarm solution beginning to branch out into eight, thin leg-like limbs, not unlike that of a spider's. It disturbs Doll greatly. This shouldn't be possible, and yet, it very much is. Gross, but helpful in understanding how all those flesh creatures were made. Jotting down some more notes, Doll continues.

The now-firm liquid(?) begins to raise itself up, only to continuously fall and slip in the little plastic casing it resides in. Doll keeps amplifying the effect of the Solver, ignoring Lizzy's hesitant suggestion to stop. Stopping isn't an option, not when Doll's closer than she's ever been to figuring out what these things are.

The creature begins screeching quietly, despite not having a mouth, a soft, high-pitched whistle sound filling the room, emanating from the thing. The creature suddenly flinches and pauses, multiple lines of yellow code bursting out from the side of its body. It's too quick for Doll to read, the only word she caught being 'Transferring'.

Lizzy makes a sound of disgust and slight alarm as the creature suddenly spouts small, yellow bulbs from the top, resembling some sort of... eyes...? It's hard to tell, but Doll is becoming increasingly nervous as its' main, large, yellow eye is facing her, due to the creature slowly turning around. It's unnerving. It looks like it knows things it shouldn't, even though it has no expression. It's just oil with a new twist.

Doll halts her hold on the creature's growth, her Solver now deactivated. She turns to Lizzy, who's now right beside the door. "[I think that's enough for today. We should--]"

SMASH!

Instantly, Doll and Lizzy's heads snap towards the desk, where the creature is now roaming. It's managed to smash open the second vial, collecting its' mass into its' own body, now officially the size of an average Worker Drone's hand. Doll swiftly rushes towards the creature and attempts to kill it, grabbing a knife that was previously lodged in a corpse to slash at it.

It skillfully avoids each stab attempt, before jumping up onto the dead Drone's head, looking directly at Doll at eye level. It raises a limb to the base of its' 'face', the main eye now closed in a playfully gleeful expression. "Teehee, giggle! A new body! Unexpected, but useful. Thank you, 048, you've just made it quicker, and easier!"

Doll's crimson eyes hollow in absolute shock and fear. She knows that voice. It's the voice of her, the damn pest. This isn't good. This is beyond bad. Doll swiftly snatches Lizzy's hand and shoves her outside of her room, Lizzy gasping in shock.

"Doll!? What the hell is that!? What are you doing, let me back in there, damn it! Doll!" Lizzy's urgent pleas are ignored, the cheerleader only able to watch from the window of the door. She grits her teeth in concern as she observes her girlfriend attempt to subdue the creature to no avail.

Doll angrily grunts as she darts her head towards Cyn's stupid new puppet, one she was foolish enough to give her without thinking. It perches on one of the Drone's heads, before leaping onto Doll. "Pounce!"

Doll snarls in panic as she feels the contaminated oil creature liquify and melt into her own oil, Cyn now having officially entered her body. Doll's eyes squint as she stumbles over to the wall, her claws digging into the metal, her mind becoming increasingly more delirious and unstable. She urgently grits her teeth, trying to regain her own thoughts that are slowly being robbed of her, along with her body.

The Absolute Solver is attempting to overwrite her, reboot her, use her as a puppet instead of Cyn. Yellow lines of code overrun her visor, Doll's crimson optics barely even visible as the letters zoom along her screen. Doll can faintly register Lizzy's frantic voice and the thudding of her fist against the door.

Turning to Lizzy, she musters up the last of her fading consciousness and energy to speak. She's getting tired, becoming increasingly more weak in the grip of the Solver. "[Lizzy, don't you dare open t-this door! Run away, warn the others that there's something dangerous in the Bunker! I-I-I'm--Ngh! I'm s-sorry I didn't think this through, it wasn't meant to be like this! I l-love--- I l--- I-I-I, Lizzz--- Lizzyyyy!!??" Doll's voice now devolves into something so unlike her. A mixture of Doll and robotic-monotone, frantically scrabbling for control.

Lizzy can only witness the fall of her girlfriend, her hands covering her mouth in sheer terror. She hates the way Doll's saying her name, she hates how unnatural and manic it sounds. "Jesus! I-- What the hell's happening to you!? Stop, you-- Doll, seriously!" Lizzy shouts, torn between begging for answers or pleading her girlfriend. No answers are returned, only the loud sounds of Doll's voice cackling.

Lizzy watches for a while longer, gazes through the window as Doll clutches her head and giggles to herself, the glaringly obvious Absolute Solver symbol etched onto her visor, now a sickening yellow instead of the usual scarlet.

Lizzy knows that isn't Doll, not anymore. It's that thing wearing her casing.

Quickly, Lizzy runs off down the hallway, already having a plan in mind despite being traumatised and horrified. She books it towards the only one she knows has experience with this thing other than her Russian girlfriend; the purple freak. Lizzy knows she can help, someway. She has to.

Lizzy desperately pounds on the door, damn-near denting the metal. "C'mon, c'mon, c'monnnn!!" Lizzy urgently mutters under her breath, glaring at the professionally-made door.

"What!? What the hell are you banging on my damn door fo-- Woah! The hell's up withyou!?" Uzi exclaims in irritated confusion, her violet, digital eyes flickering all over Lizzy's face. She's never seen her bully cry, so this must be serious. Maybe. "Doll break up with ya?" Uzi quips, glaring as she leans against the doorframe.

Lizzy angrily balls up her fists, steadying her breathing enough to talk. She'd be shoving Uzi into a locker for that remark, but she honestly doesn't have time. "No, idiot. L-Look, you know crap about that weird 'Solver' bullshit, right!? We have a problem! A damn big one! Doll's gone insane or something because of it!"

Lizzy's raw, firm voice instantly alerts Uzi as the shorter Drone straightens up, now dead serious and alarmed. "W-what!? Whaddya mean!?" She barks, her optics burning through Lizzy's own, wanting answers now. If someone as dull to knowledge of the Solver as Lizzy is complaining about it, especially if it's Doll she's complaining about, then she knows something is terribly wrong.

Lizzy harshly grips Uzi's hand and pulls her towards the hallway leading to Doll's room. "C'mon, I'll show you when we get there! You better be able to fix this, freak!"

Uzi would throw a snarky retort right back at Lizzy, but she can understand why she's so scared. And by Lizzy's shuddering voice, she knows just how much this is affecting the cheerleader.

Determined, Uzi allows herself to be pulled along, running alongside Lizzy towards Doll's room. As soon as they reach the door, Uzi narrows her violet optics in a cautious expression of determination, the gothic teen walking up to the door's window and standing on her tip-toes to peer through it. In a snap, her eyes hollow. This is way beyond worse than what she thought it'd be like. Uzi turns back to Lizzy, visibly shaken as she speaks, her voice harsh.

"Lizzy, we gotta go get N and V. There's no time to waste standing around here, let's go! Now!"

Chapter Text

"Wwwow. Uhm, is she normally this pissed?" V sarcastically inquires, picking at her fangs with her honed claws, N standing beside her, worried as ever.

Lizzy glares at the Disassembly Drone, elbowing her roughly. She doesn't need any snide remarks aimed at her girlfriend right now, she just wants her to get help. "Shut up!" The cheerleader hisses, before turning back to the door, where the infected Russian resides.

The Drone in question, Doll, has made a complete mess of her room; desks are upturned, corpses are strewn apart-- some more segmented than others-- and scratch marks decorate the once-bland metal walls. The destructive Drone paces in the middle of the chaos, muttering softly, before zipping towards the door barricading her from the others.

The four Drones jolt back in alarm, V resorting to quickly whipping out her mini gun in case she needs to do anything serious to defend the rest. Despite the fact that Doll's on her hitlist, V honestly can't help but feel bad for her. It's not easy, dealing with the Solver's antics. She'd know.

N turns to Uzi and gently taps her shoulder, causing the gothic Drone to face him, a curious expression written on her screen. "Uhm, Uzi? How exactly do we even sort her out? We barely even know anything about this in the first place!" N exclaims, fretful as his tail curls around Uzi's leg for comfort.

Ignoring her sudden blush, Uzi nods and turns to the other three Drones on her side. "N's right, guys, we don't know much about this weird Solver junk, and we don't exactly have a spooky backstory to help us out." Uzi states, before pointing to Lizzy, who'd been preoccupied with staring at Doll through the window of the door. "Lizzy, what exactly happened here? What weird, creepy stuff went down for this to even happen?" Uzi asks, frowning at the cheerleader inquisitively.

The pink-based Drone double-takes at the question, not hearing her properly at first, then blinks in recognition. This'll be hard to believe, she knows that much. "Right, so, basically, Doll wanted to learn more about the janky symbol thing, so she asked me for some oil and tested it with her power and it... grew... legs? Hard to get around, but, like, yeah. Then, it liquified again and went, like, into her chassis and now, we're here." Lizzy explains, a bored expression lacing her pink eyes. She'd much rather be helping Doll right now; less talky, more helpy!

All three Drones stare blankly at Lizzy, blinking slowly as they try to register the explanation. V's the first to snap out of it, shaking her head quickly as she strides right up to Lizzy, her hand on her hip as she cocks a digi-brow. "What, it just melted into her? After it was a solid creature? How'd the Solver even know what Doll was doing?" V questions snarkily, her lemon-yellow optics narrowed down at Lizzy in suspicion.

Lizzy sneers at V and shoves her back, glancing at the door quickly before glaring up at the Murderer. "You think I know!? If I did, don't ya think I'd be helping by now??" Lizzy argues, her temper rising along with her impatience. Why is this even taking so long!? They should be helping Doll by now, damn it!

As V steps forward to argue again, Uzi shoves her way through them both, standing between them. "Okay, both of you! Chill the hell out, you're not helping! We need a plan, we can focus on the origin stuff later!" Uzi shouts at the feuding Drones, who huff and roll their eyes, before turning to N.

"N, you bust open the door and V, you and me will try and grab that freak to keep her still so we can tie her up. Lizzy, go find some rope." Uzi orders, each Drone nodding in determination at their role. Lizzy makes her way down the hallway, before abruptly stopping and whipping back around.

"Hey, why do I get the lame role!?" The cheerleader complains, glowering at Uzi. She should be up there, helping Doll directly! She's the one who's literally dating her, after all! Yet, as V and Uzi angrily face her, silently ordering her to just get the damn rope, Lizzy just rolls her eyes and storms off.

Uzi nudges N, who nods in understanding before closing his left eye to focus on the door, holding his arm out to shoot from the newly adorned gun-hand. V and Uzi ready a battle stance, their weapons drawn-- V wielding her two mecha-swords and Uzi gripping firmly onto a stray, metal pipe.

With a loud *vvvvvvVVVVRRRBBANG!!* the door slams against the back wall, causing 'Doll' to duck in alarm and grin maniacally at the trio. The Russian girl sprints forward, her mouth dripping with yellow-spotted oil all the while. Uzi's violet eyes hollow in surprise, before she rolls out of the way.

"V, what are you doing!? Get her!!" The gothic Drone barks, grunting as she accidentally hits the wall mid-roll. V scoffs at Uzi, before quickly zipping towards the infected Worker Drone and grabbing onto her arm tightly. To V's surprise, 'Doll' simply twists her arm in a way it shouldn't, in order to reach back and rake her claws across V's cheek, stunning V enough for her to loosen her grip on 'Doll's' arm.

'Doll' leaps backwards out of reach, only for two, strong arms to roughly constrict around her stomach, rendering her unable to move. N grins sheepishly, before throwing 'Doll' to the ground and stepping on her back to keep her down. "Sorry, Lizzy's creepy girlfriend!" The innocent Drone apologises, as 'Doll' coughs furiously.

The Russian girl hisses as V slams her 'foot' down in front of her face. The Disassembly Drone crouches down, glaring into 'Doll's' crimson/yellow optics. "What the hell are you doing, scrap bite? Why're you messing around with people?!" V snarls, pointing her sword's edge at 'Doll's' neck, demanding answers. 'Doll' merely grins and sticks her synthetic tongue out at V.

"[I am using my new puppet! It's nice to use a new body after so long with Cyn, giggle! But. I assume I am not leaving until I give answers. Typical. So, I will leave you with 048. She'll surely be more complicit, mischievous giggle. Goodbye. Menacing laugh.]" 'Doll's' voice states, disturbing all three Drones surrounding her. This isn't good, not at all, damn it!

'Doll's' visor flickers, before displaying nothing but a blank screen. A few seconds later, multiple lines of code overrun the infected Drone's visor, reading a series of sentences.

Disconnecting: "AS": Host...
...
...
..
Successfully Disconnected!
.
.
Initiating: [Free Range]
.
.
Free Range= True.
.
.
Pairing: [Aggression_TRT]
.
.
[Aggression_TRT]= True.
.
.
Target= [Everyone. They're obstacles, 048. Kill them, or they will kill you.]
.
.
[Failure to Complete]= Tr--FALSE.
.
.
Reconnecting...
.
.
Complete!
.
.
[Have Fun.]

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Where's Lizzy and the stupid rope!?" Uzi complains, looking over her shoulder at the door. No annoying cheerleader bully. Perfect. Uzi rolls her eyes and returns her focus on 'Doll'. She sharply inhales as she sees the Russian's visor displaying a dangerously yellow Solver symbol, the glyph flickering and warping slightly. "Shit! Guys, the creep's officially lost it!"

'Doll' suddenly arches her back roughly, sending N's foot up in the air, the Disassembly Drone yelping in confusion and alarm. 'Doll' sweeps her leg along the ground, connecting with N's single leg and sending him to the ground, off-balance. "Oomph! O-Ow!" Now free, 'Doll' leaps at V, who growls and raises her sword angrily.

'Doll' avoids it at the last second, crouching below V's arm on the ground, and leaping onto the wall, clinging to it with her claws and possibly manipulating her powers to keep her from complying with gravity. Uzi grunts in frustration as she slams her pipe against the wall, only for 'Doll' to avoid any contact yet again.

The Russian girl hisses at the three Drones in irritation, before her vision catches the exit, the doorway now in full view. Avoiding the tails and bullets sent shooting her way, 'Doll' launches for the exit, now only a few steps away.

'Doll' abruptly screeches to a halt, her claws leaving marks in the flooring. Lizzy stares back at Doll in horror, a bunched-up rope in her arms. The two stare at each other, before the sound of N getting up sets them off. 'Doll' pounces at Lizzy, the cheerleader having to duck and throw the rope towards V. "Girl, take the damn rope, wh--Ah!"

The infected Russian Drone snaps her jaws at Lizzy, only unable to send her fangs right through Lizzy's arm because of V roughly yanking her back towards her.

'Doll' squirms, scratches and nips at nothing, yet trying to get her hands on V so she can tear her apart slowly as revenge. 'Doll' is soon bound up by the rope, due to some assistance from N and Uzi. The female Disassembly Drone sighs and stands up, now relaxed as she kicks 'Doll' over on her side.

"Just where the hell were you!?" V snaps, crossing her arms as she glares at Lizzy in annoyance. It's clear she's not happy with the poor timing. The sassy cheerleader rolls her eyes and strolls up next to V, joining the trio.

"It's hard finding rope around this dump, y'know. We have, like, an unnecessary amount of cabinets laying about-- I wasn't gonna check all of 'em. Be happy I found this one, idiot." Lizzy remarks, shoving V as she crouches down beside her infected girlfriend. Jeez, she was a mess. She'd need to do Doll's hair later, that's for sure.

Lizzy sighs softly in slight relief and mostly concern, brushing her hand along 'Doll's' face to get the hair away from obstructing her vision. The Russian girl merely snorts, staring intently at Lizzy. Uzi grimaces, nudging Lizzy softly with her foot. "I wouldn't get too close there, unless I want my hand to not be attached anymore." She warns, squinting at the infected Worker.

N sighs and places a hand on his hip, and the other on Uzi's head, causing the gothic Drone to blush faintly in embarrassment and enjoyment. "Well, that's all settled! Mostly. B-But, uhm, we'll figure it out! For now, though, I'm kinda tired. We should take Doll back with us to the spire--"

"Nah, I'll keep her company." Lizzy's quick to shoot down N's suggestion, much to the surprise of the others. V raises a digi-brow, while Uzi crosses her arms and scoffs. Lizzy narrows her eyes at the obvious hesitance; she's pretty sure she can take care of her girlfriend herself.

"You sure 'bout that? If she gets outta there, you do know you're done for, right?" Uzi questions, clearly not wanting Lizzy anywhere near something so dangerous. Solver stuff was messy and it's best for someone with experience to handle it. Yet, Lizzy is stubborn.

"I'm sure, jeez! I know how Doll is, she'll be fine with me!" Lizzy snaps, gritting her teeth in anger at the abundance of questions that insinuate she doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't need them pointing out that they're right. Uzi frowns and rolls her eyes, raising her hands in a placating manner.

"Alright, knock it off! Your attitude problem isn't gonna help. Ugh, fine, if you wanna risk it, don't cry to us if she tears your circuits apart. V, take Doll to Lizzy's room and meet back up at the spire." Uzi orders firmly, before dragging N off. Their voices are heard down the hall, Uzi's moreso than N's. Uzi's angry voice rants on, but is abruptly stopped for a second, an unusual and suspicious event. N's voice is heard for a few seconds, then Uzi's voice, softer and more shaky than usual.

Shaking her head, Lizzy stares up at V, who shrugs and proceeds to pick Doll up, bridal style. "Let's go, lead me to wherever you hang out. Make it snappy, I'm tired." V groans, earning a huff and quick nudge from Lizzy before she begins guiding V.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Alright, put her there." Lizzy orders, pointing at her pink, fluffy bed. V raises her digi-brow at the unusually bright material for a place like this, but shrugs and with a nod of acknowledgement, V places 'Doll' down on the bed from a slight height, snickering.

Lizzy rolls her eyes, before pushing V towards the exit. "Okay, go off with the other two idiots, I'm fine here." Lizzy states, crossing her arms as she watches V huff and walk off. V turns her head to look over her shoulder, her face expression slight concern.

"If that creep gets outta hand, call me, you got my number." V offers, then shoots up, spreading her wings and blasting herself through the roof, quickly heading back to the spire. Lizzy stares at the hole for a few seconds, smiling before turning back to 'Doll'. "...Now, you."

Lizzy slowly approaches the Russian girl, earn a soft warning growl. The cheerleader groans and whacks 'Doll' on the head softly, before sitting on the bed beside her girlfriend. She carefully reaches out to 'Doll', gently placing her hand on her head. Surprisingly, Lizzy receives no violent reaction, only curiosity and caution.

Sighing with relief, Lizzy now fully sits right next to her girlfriend, stroking her purple hair with affection. "You really got done in, huh?" The blonde Drone murmurs, gazing as she watches her fingers thread through the violet strands. Doll whines softly, gritting her teeth.

Lizzy bites her lip, hesitating for a moment, before doing something possibly moronic-- She undoes the rope binding Doll, protecting her from getting potentially mauled. Lizzy's hand quickly retracts, her pink, digital eyes shutting in anticipation, awaiting her chassis to be torn into.

Doll only sits there, tilting her head, before shimmying out of the loose rope and swiping it off the bed. Doll narrows her golden optics at Lizzy, the suddenly lifts herself up, crawling closer to her girlfriend. Her mind is fuzzy, her vision is full of static and blurred, but she can just barely recognise the colours of the Drone in front of her.

Doll knows that she shouldn't be acting like this, she knows that this isn't how she usually acts. What she doesn't know, is how to break past whatever's obscuring her memories from her unwillingly, so she can actually figure it out.

Doll leans her weight on one hand, using the other to sluggishly reach out towards the mass of familiar colours. It doesn't move, but her head becomes more irritable, as if something's telling her, screaming at her, to back away and hurt the colours. Doll doesn't want to, she knows she never wanted to before.

Lizzy is stock-still as she gazes at the hand in front of her. This is tense, this is really tense. In a good way, though. Well, and also a 'is she gonna kill me' way, too. Lizzy's optics hollow as she feels the smooth hand of her girlfriend gently drifting across her cheek, simply feeling her out.

Lizzy nearly breaks down then and there. This is too much, yet far too little at the same time. She leans into the hand, causing it to flinch away, before slowly placing itself back. "Doll... You there, girly?" Lizzy whispers, opening one eye to stare at the recovering Drone. She grins in pleasant surprise as she sees the Solver glyph now that familiar crimson instead of gold. Progress.

Doll croons softly, her voice box stuttering as she tries to form words, even if she's not quite there yet. Lizzy swiftly leans forward and places her hands on Doll's shoulders, shaking her gently. "Nope, stop that. You're not ready for taking up a storm just yet, you're recovering from that monster prick. Take it easy." Lizzy softly commands, her hand shakily making it's way to Doll's chin.

Unable to resist herself, the cheerleader presses a passionate kiss against Doll's lips, holding it there for as long as she can. Lizzy runs her hand through Doll's hair, her other tracing circular patterns into Doll's back. Lizzy shudders in excitement and enthusiasm as she feels Doll's lips press back against her own, her hand cupping Lizzy's cheek like they always do when they do this. Familiarity. It's just what Lizzy needs right now.

Finally, they break away, gasping softly for cool air to run an easing chill throughout their systems. Doll grits her teeth and grunts, pressing a hand against her forehead. Her head hurts, but it's so clear. It feels like something gave up, it feels like she's won something. It's confusing, but she doesn't care right now. Doll cares only about the cute, sassy girl in front of her.

"[Lizzy, I... What happened? Why're we in your room, are we... meant to be...? My head's killing me, what the hell...?]" Through Doll's hesitant, hushed voice, it's clear that she can't recall the past events just yet. Lizzy just stares at Doll, her mouth agape with wonder and excitement.

"D-... D-Doll!? Doll! You're-- Oh, my god, you're okay! You're alright, holy hell-- C'mere!" Without a second to waste on the obvious incoming question from Doll, Lizzy firmly grips Doll's cheeks and mashes their lips together with vigor. Lizzy clutches Doll's body close, her digi-brows furrowed in concentration.

Doll's surprise is evident in her flustered expression, but she quickly returns the kiss and embrace, leaning back against the bed's headboard so Lizzy's resting against her stomach comfortably. The Russian Worker Drone lovingly caresses her girlfriend's arms, pushing down her concern as she hears Lizzy sob and sniffle into the kiss, obviously crying.

The pair pull away from each other again, yet still keep their hands on their respective spots on the other's body. Lizzy's optics have pink, pixelated tears trailing down her visor as she blushes intensely. Doll's digi-brows arch in worry. "[Lizzy, a-are you--]"

"Shut it, idiot. We'll talk about it tomorrow, just... just let me chill with you tonight, ya got that?" Lizzy murmurs, nuzzling Doll's cheek affectionately. Doll relaxes under the touch, despite still being slightly worried. But, if Lizzy says it's okay, then it's okay. They're both okay.

A few minutes later, Lizzy sits up, pulling Doll up with her, and reaches over towards her desk to grab her hair brush. Doll's hair is a mess, and she's been wanting to do this for a while. The blonde strands gently runs the bristles through Doll's hair, quickly ridding it of any tangles and debris. Doll closes her eyes and sighs in satisfaction of the feeling, leaning back against Lizzy.

Even though all of the tangles are basically taken care of, Lizzy still continues to run the brush through Doll's hair, knowing that it relaxes her, and she damn well knows that Doll needs to relax right now. Doll hums in appreciation, before subconsciously beginning to purr, the soft rumble in her chest one of the only sounds in the room.

Lizzy smiles lovingly at the private sound that she knows is only reserved for her audio receptors to hear. The blonde Drone quietly places her brush back on the desk, before pushing Doll down on the bed gently, laying next to her soon after and pulling the blankets over them both. Lizzy nuzzles right up against Doll, not an atom of her body less than a centimetre apart from her girlfriend.

"I love you, girl. You know that, right?" Lizzy whispers, stroking along the Russian's forearm soothingly. Doll blushes faintly, the crimson light reflecting onto Lizzy's face. Doll kisses Lizzy's cheek, wrapping her arms around her waist tightly.

"[I know. I love you too, Sweetness.]" The rare usage of Lizzy's nickname causes the cheerleader to squeal in absolute lovestruck affection, her arms tightening their hold on Doll. She loves that nickname, as seldom-used as it was. It was special, it was hers.

With Doll's soft purring, the stress of the day and the extremely close proximity, it's not hard for Lizzy to fall asleep right there, next to her creepy weirdo. A quick peck to Lizzy's forehead, and she's out, neon pink letters displaying 'SLEEP MODE' on her visor as she falls limp. Doll stares at Lizzy for a bit, stroking her cheek, before falling asleep herself, huddled close to Lizzy.

She'd need a long rundown tomorrow, and she'd probably feel a lot of negative things in regards to the foggy events of the day, but as for right now? Doll's blocking all of the oncoming stress and shoving it to the back of her mind. She doesn't care about it at the moment. She's right where she wants to be.

Chapter Text

It's been a long week, for both Lizzy and Doll. A really long week. From sudden tests, the complexities of finding new people to bully, scrap duty and so on, it's been a week they'd rather forget.

But now, finally, it's over and they have the weekend to themselves. They've both been eager for this, and it's happening. Cuddled up together on the pink bed of Lizzy's, as per usual, the two girls are content.

Doll lays her head on Lizzy's chest, resting mindlessly as Lizzy scrolls on her phone, posting about, of course, Doll, and cyber-bullying the purple freak relentlessly. Lizzy absentmindedly plays with Doll's hair as she snickers at her phone.

"Doll, check this out. The freak's got scrap duty next week, sucked in!" Lizzy exclaims, obviously enthusiastic about Uzi not being in class for the week. Doll opens one crimson optic, glancing at the screen, where she vaguely sees multiple lines of capital letters--It's obvious that Uzi's angry about it. She huffs in amusement, before returning to her nap.

Lizzy rolls her eyes and smiles softly at her girlfriend, before placing her phone down next to her, shutting it off for the night. The cheerleader wraps her arms around Doll's torso, then rolls her over so they're face-to-face, next to each other. Doll's surprise is evident in her expression, before she simmers down and closes her eyes again.

"You tired, Dolly?" Lizzy whispers, her pink, digital eyes lidding as she leans closer to the Russian Drone. Said Drone offers nothing more than a small grunt, yet begins yawning which, in turn, shows her fangs that shouldn't normally be part of a Worker Drone's physical attribute.

Lizzy stares at the sharp spires, reaching out to brush her index finger along one of them in curiosity, the Russian girl allowing it for a second. It's a unique feature, one Lizzy admires a lot. She knows her girlfriend thinks of them as a curse, but Lizzy would say otherwise. They're kinda neat. The cheerleader Drone snaps out of her thoughts as she feels Doll pull her closer, apparently feeling that their extremely close proximity wasn't close enough.

Lizzy snickers to herself, nuzzling her cheek against Doll's with utmost affection-- Doll deserves nothing more than the best! The action results in a slight purr from Doll, before the night once returns to silence, the two girls simply admiring each other for a while.

Suddenly, Lizzy presses a sweet kiss against her girlfriend's lips, savouring the morbid taste of oil mixed with Doll's natural taste she'd grown to love. The cheerleader sighs softly as Doll tiredly presses her lips back up against Lizzy's and runs her hand from Lizzy's shoulder, arm, side, then back up to her arm to hold her hand.

The cheerleader blushes heavily at the array of actions, absolutely smitten with Doll, giggling and giving her one last kiss before resting her head next to Doll's. Doll grins gently, blushing as she also relaxes, her systems whirring faintly with Lizzy's as they rest together.

Chapter Text

"Ugh, it sucked! Like, loads! Remind me not to go on any other stupid school camps again, would ya?" Lizzy scoffs, crossing her arms as she leans against her girlfriend, ranting about the events of camp. The memories of the event had a firm grip on Lizzy's mind, especially since she lost most of her friend group, which sucks because there weren't many Drones who she could bully people with now.

Doll hums along with Lizzy's rant, adding a few comments here and there; some calming and helpful and others wanting some form of elaboration. The Russian girl nods, rubbing her girlfriend's back as Lizzy continues ranting. "[It was that bad, hum?]" She softly inquired, tilting her head gently.

Lizzy angrily nods, holding her hands out in front of her as she verbally professes her issues to the only one she'd ever want to be this openly, vulnerably pissed off to. "Yup! And the worst part!? The purple freak! Killed off half the class, as I said, and then tried to off me!" Doll instantly perks up at those words, narrowing her crimson optics as she now has her full attention on Lizzy's complaints.

"Someone as important as me! Who could even think about it!? I mean, sure, she was some weird flesh amalgamation, but that doesn't excuse her!" Lizzy growls, clenching her fist in irritation and annoyance. She's totally making sure that Uzi fails all upcoming tests this year.

"[She tried to kill you?]" An angry hiss sounds from beside Lizzy, startling her a little. The sentence was short, but the words held so much weight to them. Lizzy internally panicks; maybe she shouldn't have said that bit.

"Uh, w-well, yeah, but it's nothing serious! Really! It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, hahah, all she really did was hold me by the neck. And then I got blasted into the woods. So, not too bad!" Lizzy backtracks, trying to play it off as best she can. She doesn't want Doll to worry, but she already knows it's far too late for that. In fact, she seemed to have made it worse.

"[What!? You-- You were flung into the woods!? Are you still hurt anywhere!? I can heal it if you want, just show me where! Is your internal system still functioning properly!? I--]" Doll's frantic and paranoid voice is abruptly cut off by Lizzy's hand pressed against her mouth. Lizzy seems really sheepish, her pink optics displaying her emotions clearly.

"Woah, dude, chill! It's fine, I'm fine! I'm, like, totally durable, nothing can break me that easy! Seriously. I'm fine. You gotta relax." Lizzy's voice softens, her hands trailing up along Doll's arms to tenderly grasp her shoulders. By Lizzy's expression, it's clear that she's speaking the truth. This relaxes the Russian girl, her shoulders drooping.

"[Ugh, don't worry me like that. I don't like thinking about losing you. If you want, I'll make sure Uzi doesn't go near you again, that little uncontrollable, wild little rat--]"

"Doll. Chill." Lizzy, again, cuts Doll off before she runs herself into a frenzy. The anger and possessiveness in Doll's voice is palpable, but as soon as Lizzy speaks, she calms herself down. The dangerous Worker Drone simply settles for holding Lizzy close, burying her face into Lizzy's blonde hair, grumbling softly.

Lizzy snickers and reaches up to caress Doll's cheek affectionately, knowing that she's finally calmed down enough to mess with her. "Aww, you gettin' protective over little ol' meee~?" Lizzy teases, grinning as she hears Doll scoff.

"[Lizzy, stop... I'm simply worried about you, nothing more.]" Doll sniffs, trying to hide her increasingly obvious blush from her girlfriend. Not that it works at all; the scarlet light is basically reflecting off of everything nearby. Lizzy pokes her tongue out at Doll, flicking her forehead playfully.

"Alright, whatever you say~!"

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"So, what movie are we gonna watch tonight, Uzi!?" A cheerful Disassembly Drone inquires, his tail wagging wildly as he hugs a pillow to his chest. He excitedly watches as Uzi fiddles with her DVD collection, muttering to herself.

"Uhhh, how about Snow Buddies? I've seen it once, it's right up your alley, dude." Uzi mentions, holding up the disk with golden retriever puppies displayed on it. N gasp and nods rapidly, his excitement growing as he grins.

"YES!!" N can't help but shout, causing Uzi to snicker playfully and place the movie disk in. The TV loads, the disk, before suddenly whirring raggedly. Uzi raises her digi-brow in confusion as she bangs on the electronic.

"What the hell? Don't tell me this thing's busted already! I only just fixed it up last ye-- ARGH!" Uzi's quickly cut off by the disk rapidly shooting out of the slot, slamming against her visor and causing it to crack a little. Uzi groans, holding her head as the wound heals. "Ughhh, what...?"

N gasps in alarm, leaning forward and reaching his arm out slightly, his golden-yellow optics hollowed out in fear and concern. "Uzi!? You good, buddy?!" He exclaims, clearly worried about his girlfriend. Uzi nods, jamming the disk right back into the slot. Luckily, it's not malfunctioning again.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Gonna need to do some repairs on the stupid thing later, though." The gothic Drone sighs and jumps up onto the bed, cuddling N close. The Disassembly Drone wraps his tail around Uzi's waist affectionately, purring gently as he nuzzles into her purple hair. Uzi quietly hums in relaxation, the pain of the odd event quickly forgotten, her hand running through N's fluffy, silver hair. The duo focus on the movie, now completely content.

Neither of them notice the pair of crimson eyes, staring at Uzi in amusement from a distance, before flickering away in a burst of digital lightening.

Chapter Text

"Pfft-- Ahaha! You really are a little jerk, ain't ya!?" V cackles, hunched over as she walks throughout the hallways with Lizzy. The cheerleader snickers proudly, a catlike smile fixed on her face as she glances at the Disassembly Drone.

"Ha, you could say that! But, like, you can't tell me the brat didn't deserve some locker treatment!" Lizzy remarks, sharing a sneaky fistbump with her friend.Talking about how much of a nuisance a Worker Drone like Lizzy was, is an increasingly more humourous conversation to be involved in, in V's opinion.

V huffs a small chuckle, shoving aside a random Worker too stunned by fear to move out of her way. Not minding the shout of pain and clutter of metal, V smirks and turns her head to face Lizzy. "True. Sooo, you up for a movie night tonight? You said you wanted me to watch that one about the bitchy highschoolers, right?" V questions, raising her lemon-yellow digi-brow as a silent demand for confirmation.

Lizzy nods, clearly excited as she begins ranting on about the movie and how she'll set it up, but V just tunes it out, to avoid the very obviously incoming spoilers. Instead, V just thinks to herself as she walks alongside the cheerleader. She never thought she'd have a friend, much less said friend being a Worker Drone. Food.

It's a good thing, to V. She knows she's changed, in the short time she's hung out with Uzi and Lizzy. These two Workers were special, they were different. They weren't idiots, like the rest of the tin cans in this shitty Bunker, no-- They were brave and gutsy enough to make friends with her. The old V would instantly tear her new self apart in disgust if she met her now, feeling sick that she dared befriend something she thought had no sentient feelings.

V's glad she was wrong, glad she decided to give these dorks a chance and not kill them on the spot, despite how much she wanted to originally.

"But that's just a classic trope in every movie, am I right or am I right? Anyways, we're here! Hope ya don't mind, but Doll's joining us, too. Can't leave out my favourite girl!" Lizzy exclaims, which snaps V right out of her inner monologue. She notices that they're standing right in front of a door, likely belonging to the red-eyed freakbag. Ew.

"Uh, yeah, that's cool and all, Liz, but did you tell her I was here or--" The female Disassembly Drone is, instead, ignored as Lizzy punches in the code to Doll's room. The large, metal door slides open quickly, the cheerleader clearly much more bright and eager.

"Dolly~! C'mere!" Lizzy coos, stepping into the room to grab a surprised Doll by her cheeks and press a kiss smack-dab on her lips. The Russian Worker nearly topples over, but saves herself by shooting her hand out to grip Lizzy's shoulders. The cheerleader giggles, humoured, before stepping back.

"So, gorgeous, you ready for our movie night? I've got it all set up, and by the way, I invited--"

"[Lizzy, get behind me, now! The damn pest got in!]" Doll shouts, instantly aggressive as she glares at the sudden figure of V standing in the doorway. Lizzy, shocked, quickly remembers the sudden fact that, no, Doll isn't over what V did and she never bonded with her. Lizzy knows she messed up.

"Doll, wait, it's not what you--" Cut off for a second time, Lizzy grits her teeth as she covers her face, debris flying everywhere as her pissed off girlfriend slams a large metal pipe into V's leg, bursting up from the metal flooring. V screeches in agony, the sharp pain of the piercing pipe shooting painful sparks throughout her body.

Growling lowly, V rips her leg from the pipe and charges at Doll, against her better judgement. Maybe she should be civil, but she's not getting bested by another Worker. Lizzy yelps as V begins shooting at Doll with her newly-equipped gun, the bullets repetitively avoiding their target due to the manipulative properties of the Absolute Solver.

Doll giggles, manic, before leaping onto the wall and running across it, then springing off of the cold metal to deliver a harsh kick to V's head. The seething Disassembly Drone snarls in rage as she clutches her head, glaring right at the Russian girl. She's had it, that's enough.

Sprouting her wings from the component in her back, V swiftly stabs the sharp, thin metal into Doll's chest, right below her core. Doll gags, crimson optics displaying alarm as she tries to pry the blade from her chassis. This isn't a battle Doll's willing to give up so easily--- She's not losing anyone else she loves to this monster.

Doll hisses aggressively, baring her sharp teeth at V as she rips the blade from herself, the wound quickly healing itself due to the regenerative capabilities of her little curse. Doll launches at the Murderer, aiming to scratch and tear V apart, fueled by her vengeful hatred. V kicks the infected Worker Drone back, only for Doll to cling onto her leg and slither up the limb with speedy efficiency.

V grunts as Doll bites down on her shoulder, the Disassembly Drone reaching behind her to rip Doll off and suspend her in the air. Her mouth stretched into a sadistic grin, V exchanges her free hand for her sword, raising it in order to stab the little brat. In turn, Doll charges up her Absolute Solver, the holographic light ripping the pipe from the ground and aiming right at V's back, to her core.

Before they can strike the final blow, a completely pissed off and frightened scream halts the fighting duo. "Just what in the hell are you two doing!? V, put Doll down! NOW!" Lizzy orders, pointing at the ground. V frowns and drops the Russian girl unceremoniously onto the cold floor.

Lizzy roughly pulls Doll up and stabilises her, before glaring. Doll winces slightly; she knows she's in for it now. "Doll, are you insane!? No, wait, don't even answer that-- I know you are! Listen up good, Doll! We do NOT hurt my friends! I don't care if you're not friends with her, you won't be hurting anyone I care about! You got that!?" Lizzy barks, absolutely seething with anger at her girlfriend. She doesn't even wait for an answer as she whips around to face V.

"And YOU!" Lizzy growls, pointing at V, earning a harsh flinch. "I expected way better of you than to just go freak mode on my girl! You know how she feels about you, you should've expected this! V, seriously, you shouldn't just attack her and rile her up! Jesus, am I the only one not wanting to kill anyone here!?" Lizzy rhetorically questions, her voice bursting with irritation as she tosses her arms in the air, exasperated.

The two cannibalistic Drones just frown and look away from each other, arms crossed. They don't wanna speak right now, not comfortable enough after that scolding. The cheerleader glances at them and sighs, her shoulders drooping.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I forgot how you felt about her, Doll. I get that you're feeling pissed about what V did, but it'd help if you just... let it go, y'know?" Lizzy softly suggests, reaching out to hold Doll's hand. Said Drone just scoffs slightly, earning a soft whack on the head. Lizzy glares. "Don't you start." She warns, growling under her breath.

Doll just grumbles under her breath, squeezing Lizzy's hand tighter. "[I don't play nice with yellow parasites that kill off innocent people for fun.]" She hisses, shooting a pointed glare at V. The female Disassembly Drone instantly bares her teeth and glowers at Doll, clenching her fist.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from the literal parasite! And you kill your own kind, hypocrite, so don't blather to me about murdering innocents!" V argues, her tail lashing in aggravation. The needle of the tail screeched against the wall behind her accidentally, as V's anger rises again.

"[I do it because I have a goal, you do it because you're a sadistic little bi--]"

"ALRIGHT, that's enough! Both of you idiots, GET INSIDE! NOW!" Lizzy screams her order, pointing at the room at the end of the hallway-- Lizzy's room. Both Drones startle at Lizzy's outburst, before quickly skittering into the room. Lizzy follows after them and slams the door behind herself once they're all inside.

Lizzy ushers the two on the bed, before planting herself firmly in the middle. Lizzy sits up and faces them both, crossing her arms like a pissed off parent. "Okay, now if I hear any more arguing, you're BOTH getting dumped outside! You got that!? Now, we're gonna watch the movie and we're gonna be FRIENDLY!" Lizzy snarls, giving both girls a pointed glare, before angrily leaning back against the pillows, settled comfortably between the two most dangerous Drones on Copper-9. They'd do well to heed Lizzy's warning.

As the movie plays, Doll turns to stare at V, who's been staring right back at her. Through a silent form of communication, the two give each other a slight nod.

"I hate you with everything I have, but I'm gonna tolerate you for Lizzy's sake."

So, with that out of the way, the now-passive Drones watch the movie along with Lizzy. Doll gives Lizzy a gentle, apologetic nuzzle to her cheek, which is promptly returned by a forgiving kiss and a smirk. Under the covers, Lizzy's hand reaches for Doll's and intertwines their fingers, Lizzy's thumb running along the surface of the back of Doll's hand.

V rolls her eyes, knowing exactly what's going on. Romantic stuff usually cringes her out, but this is... surprisingly easy to put up with. V huffs quietly, crossing her arms as she continues to watch the movie.

'Saps.'

Chapter Text

"[So, you just found this game in the classroom?]" Doll questions, raising her crimson digi-brow. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing Lizzy found in there, but it's definitely one of the closest. The peppy cheerleader nods, booting up the game on her old computer system.

"Yup! I go through the junk after hours, and I score some sweet new stuff if I'm lucky! So, cutie, this game's a dating sim! One of the old ones, y'know?" Lizzy states, clicking on the menu screen and entering her name into the main character's description. Doll cringes slightly, but goes along with it. This could be fun?

Doll scoffs as she watches the main character prepare herself for the day, finding this whole thing extremely Cliché. She'd push through it though, since Lizzy seems excited enough to play it. "[Mmh, lemme guess, she's gonna head outside and head to school, get bullied and be saved by someone?]" Doll predicts, deadpan as she subconsciously pulls Lizzy closer. The cheerleader blushes softly, before snickering in amusement.

"Pfft--- Haha, I bet! Oh my god, look, you actually nailed it!" Lizzy exclaims, tapping the screen. Lo and behold, the female protagonist bumps into someone in the school corridors, who teases her with extremely cheesy lines. It makes both girls throw snide remarks at the dialogue, mockingly, finding humour in the whole thing.

The scene switches to a run-down, poor quality version of a classroom that the protector whisks her away to. Doll squints at the protagonist, realising that the colour scheme is extremely familiar with her. Red and yellow crop top, purple hair, red eyes...

That's.... Suspicious....

It's probably nothing!

Continuing on, the two Drones play the game for hours, Doll moreso watching and offering suggestions than anything. She notices that Lizzy keeps trying to date the creepy saviour girl (name still not given due to Cliché mystery girl tropes) from the beginning, boosting their friendship more than other characters. It's odd-- Doll thought Lizzy would rather go for the fashionista girl.

"Aaaaand, 'yes!' Well, looks like I scored the creepy cutie!" Lizzy exclaims, draping her arm over Doll's shoulders. The creepy girl then reveals her name due to the cheesily-made confession scene-- 'Doll.'

Doll's crimson eyes hollow in surprise and confusion as she rapidly glances from Lizzy to virtual Doll. Lizzy smirks, finding her girlfriend's confusion amusing. "You thought I'd go for the sassy or rude type, didn't ya?" Lizzy questions, shutting off the computer and turning to face Doll. Before Doll can speak, Lizzy interrupts her.

"Well, good for me to be able to say that you're wrong ~! Game or not, I wouldn't wanna be with any other sucker." Lizzy states, proudly shaking Doll lightly. Doll still seems baffled, yet slightly flustered. She doesn't know what to say.

Lizzy gently grasps Doll's hands and stares her directly in the eyes. "Doll. I would never choose anyone else. Ever. You're, like, totally it for me, girl." Lizzy assures, a smoky purr layering her tone. She means what she says. She couldn't even think about choosing anyone else over Doll. At all.

Doll hums in flustered understanding, looking away from Lizzy as a scarlet blush overtakes her visor. She's far too flustered to do anything else. Lizzy snickers, knowing how silent Doll gets when she's flustered like this, the Russian girl not used to being this cherished by anyone. She gives her creepy girlfriend a sweet kiss, before wrapping her arms around her waist.

"I mean it, Doll. I won't ever choose anyone else."

Chapter Text

Class.

A boring part of life for both mechanical and biological beings-- A universal agony. At least, that's what Lizzy thinks. It'd prove true, though, since try shoving a bunch of sentient beings in a room, learning whatever junk they know they'll never use. It won't end well, for the most part. It's draining.

So, as Lizzy sits beside Doll, playfully messing with her studying by nudging her elbow as Doll writes, screwing up her usually neat writing, it comes as a surprise when she has the opportunity to get out of class.

The teacher taps his pen against his notepad, boredly glancing at the cheerleader. "Lizzy. It's your turn to do scrap duty-- The defence weapons are in the hallway cabinet. There's two others from your group already waiting for you at the first door." He informs, jabbing a thumb at the door, before sitting down at his desk, as per usual. Lizzy's core nearly stops rotating, Doll's crimson eyes narrow in paranoid irritation. They both dreaded that announcement.

For someone who complains about school as much as Lizzy does, Lizzy would really prefer doing six hours of work than go out on a suicide mission.

Scrap duty. Every Drone has to do it; it's an extremely dangerous process of gathering resources to help defend themselves against the main reason Lizzy doesn't wanna go. Disassembly Drones. The outside of the Bunker is littered with them. You can barely even skim the outer walls without hearing their sinister, conniving chuckles.

Lizzy would honestly just skip it and hide with Doll somewhere until it was someone else's turn, but even she knows that this sorta thing can't really be skipped. If she tried, she'd just be on the list for another two days as punishment. Lizzy found that out the hard way.

It creeps Lizzy out, and rightfully so. A Drone like her is extremely vulnerable-- She has no fighting experience, she can't run that fast, and the first thing that her body does when faced with danger is freeze up. All of these unfortunate characteristics do not help her situation at all. Lizzy doesn't know how she kept avoiding them the last dozen times.

"Can't I just, like, stay here and not risk getting totally dismantled? Isn't that an option?" Lizzy pleads in desperation, though she knows it's futile. She's begged not to go countless times and still continues to receive the same result.

The teacher simply raises an orange digi-brow, tapping his fingers on his cheek idly. Lizzy knows exactly what that means. Lizzy groans, before abruptly standing up and storming off down the hallway to the weapons closet. So stupid...

The footsteps of Lizzy's are soon doubled, a set now following behind her. The annoyed cheerleader turns around to face her girlfriend, relieved to see her in such a dreary moment. "Hey, girly. Wanna help me choose a weapon? I already got the scrap bag, I just need something up my alley." The nervous Drone mutters, brushing her gaze over the options.

From poorly-made katanas, fragile hammers, shoddy knives and completely useless guns, the only good choice would be the steel pipes. They're all from Khan's workshop, made of durable material and good quality--- The smart choice. Doll reads Lizzy's determined gaze and pulls off the longest pipe for Lizzy, before turning around and placing her hands on her shoulders.

"[Lizzy, are you sure you don't wanna just skip with me? I could probably alter the list so you don't get repercussions. I just-- maybe you should stay. I don't want you getting hurt.]" Doll softly whispers, concern written in each syllable of her words. Lizzy smiles at the obvious care from her girlfriend, loving the fact that she was so cherished by someone this important. It felt great.

"Doll, hun, I'll be fiiine. The previous groups haven't seen anything recently, so I think the Murder Drones are chilling out a little." Lizzy states, waving her hand dismissively. Doll frowns softly, still not convinced. "Plus, if they haven't seen anything, then we might be able to cover more ground! Trust me, I'll totes be fine. I'll even give you extra alone time with yours truly if you stop being so paranoid~!"

The flirtatious promise causes Doll to blush just a little, her nerves slightly eased, but not by much. She's still worried, she doesn't need Lizzy dying. Not today, not ever. Yet, Doll sighs and relents, pulling Lizzy close. "[... Okay. Yeah, okay. Just be careful, and if they see you and you're cornered, aim for the--]"

"Aim for the core, I know. You tell me every time, Dolly, I got it. I'll be back soon, alright? I'm going to be okay." Lizzy assures, a smirk curling at her lips. She loves Doll's protective nature, but gosh, Lizzy needs her to chill. The Russian Worker Drone hesitates, but then steps aside, smiling weakly.

"[Okay. Be safe.]"

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"Soooo, we're meant to cover more ground? Is that even safe at all?" One of Lizzy's group members questions, idly chucking pieces of potentially useful components into his scrap bag. Lizzy rolls her eyes at Dylan's repetitive questions, she told him this twice.

"Yes, moron, it's perfectly safe! We just gotta scout the Northwest side of the Bunker, collect some junk and then head back. Door Maniac's orders." The blonde Drone scoffs, lightly slapping the back of his head in aggravation. The cyan-eyed Drone grunts in surprised pain, before frowning and continuing on with his job, as well as keeping a lookout.

Up ahead, Lizzy groans, inwardly, at the two sibling Drones; Maya and Amy. They're both chatting away, happy as ever as if they aren't in a completely risky area. At least their bags are almost full, but it'd be nice if they were more spacially aware and able to alert her if they saw anything. Idiots.

"Hey, Dylan, you got actual useful stuff this time, or just bolts? We have enough back in the Bunker, so quit picking up the small stuff!" Lizzy angrily berates, not wanting another repeat of last time she was in a group with him, snapping her head back to face---

Nothing.

Just snow, and a bag a few metres away, an entire pile of bolts, screws and other miscellaneous items strewn about.

Oh no.

Gasping, Lizzy quickly turns her head back in front, frantically preparing to warn the other two about Dylan's disappearance, but is met with the same sight. Two bags, large metal pieces laying around everywhere. Lizzy shudders in horror, the realisation dawning on her.

She was played. They all were. Everyone was lead into a false sense of security, feeling safe enough to finally venture out more, only to be dragged right into a well-planned trap. Shit.

"Guys!? Hey, dorkbags! Where the hell are you!? You guys all ditched me, or what!?" Lizzy calls out, absolutely terrified as she tries to give herself false hope that, no, they're not dead, they just got too scared and ran off, like cowards. She receives no response, furthering her paranoia. About to shout again, Lizzy is instantly cut off by an angel of death slamming down right in front of her, followed by two others behind her, surrounding her.

Screaming in terror, Lizzy shakily whips out her pipe, holding it in front of her as if it was her last hope for survival. Technically, it was.

The Disassembly Drone in front of her-- The leader, Lizzy's assuming-- simply rips the makeshift weapon out of Lizzy's grasp easily, tossing it a little ways away into the snow, reminding the cheerleader of their sheer strength they have against her. She's so totally screwed.

After a tense moment, Lizzy swiftly books it, running as fast as she can, away from her soon-to-be Murderers. She has to get away, she can't die, she needs to get back to Doll! The cheerleader pounds her boots against the snowy wasteland, sprinting as desperately as she can manage.

Skidding around the corner of an abandoned building, Lizzy yelps in alarm as she hears one of the Murder Drones slam into the wall, breaking through to the other side and cutting her off. The weaponized demon cackles victoriously as it slashes it's metal claws down on Lizzy's arm, effectively ripping the metal.

It would've completely been torn off, if it wasn't for the sudden blur of red, yellow and purple slamming against the hunting Drone, knocking it way back into the snow.

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Doll's worried.

Well, obviously, she would be worried for her girlfriend-- Lizzy has literally been sent out on a death mission, after all. The Russian girl isn't comfortable leaving Lizzy to fend for herself, with only mediocre Worker Drones unable to defend her or themselves, for that matter. So, Doll quickly blips out of the Bunker and a short distance behind Lizzy.

Doll sneakily trails behind the trio of Drones, watching carefully as they venture further out into danger, collecting metal and chatting occasionally. This goes on for way more than twenty minutes like Doll estimated it would take, but still follows along, prepared to protect Lizzy against any incoming pests.

Doll begins to grow bored with following the trio, contemplating leaving them to their own devices, since it seems like there's nothing around that can harm Lizzy.

Oh, how wrong she was.

Quick as a whip, Doll can barely register the speed of which one of the Disassembly Drones swoop in and grab up Dylan from the group, killing him before he can scream to alert the others. Completely wary, Doll grits her teeth and prepares to head up to Lizzy to teleport them both outta there, but is stunned by the sight of the siblings getting taken out whilst Lizzy called for Dylan.

Doll remains paralysed as all three of the yellow pests reveal themselves, and begin hunting Lizzy down. Shaking her head frantically, Doll growls under her breath and rapidly teleports herself to where the hunt is taking place, charging up her Absolute Solver Program in order to passively take Lizzy back to the Bunker, no violence holding her up.

However, any and all thoughts of pacifism are tossed out the window as soon as one of those parasites cut up Lizzy's arm. Much like her visor, Doll sees red.

That's it.

Forgetting all forms of tactical and strategic planning, Doll launches herself at the Disassembly Drone, slamming it right against the snow, a few metres away from her and Lizzy. Concerned, Doll crouches towards her stunned girlfriend, gripping her hands tightly to examine her wound.

"[You're hurt, Lizzy, I need to get you back to the Bunker! Hold on!]" Doll orders, huffing as she readies her Solver enough to teleport Lizzy back. Lizzy's eyes widen as she shakes her head, reaching forward to grasp Doll's shoulder.

"What!? No, don't you dare! I'm not letting you go off and face three of those things!" Lizzy argues, urgently gripping Doll's shoulder tightly as she tries to keep Doll from zipping her away.

"[I have to-- NGH!!]" Doll's reply is abruptly cut off, as one of the Disassembly Drones slam her back, away from Lizzy. All three of their attentions are locked onto Doll, sensing a threat and a snack. Doll grunts as she's roughly slammed against a second Murder Drone, yet avoids it just in time before it's able to shoot her.

Lizzy presses herself against the wall of the abandoned building, watching the ongoing fight in fear and anticipation. She needs Doll to win. Losing is not an option, not at all.

The Russian Worker Drone grunts as she swivels along the snowy ground, darting her limbs away from the blades that stab into the ground, targetting her. Doll sprints forward, towards the first Disassembly Drone, who hisses and raises it's tail. Avoiding the impending stab, Doll quickly grips the tail's nanite canister with both hands, before using her body weight and momentum to swing it back into the second Drone.

The two Murderers collide, then desperately scrabble against each other, trying to untangle their limbs. Doll then snarls as she turns her attention towards the third pest, who's sprinting at her on all-fours, mouth hung open in obvious hunger. Breath hitching in alarm, Doll instantly teleports out of range and behind it, slamming her boot into the back of it's head.

It screeches in pain, the X plastered onto it's visor flickering weakly. The two others quickly charge, causing Doll to scoff, slightly exhausted, before jumping up and slamming her foot down on the first one's wing, using it as leverage to plant herself down on the second's arm, it's metal claws sent right into it's visor from the force. It crumples into the snow, leaking oil everywhere into the white, toxic powder. One down.

Panting, Doll glances at Lizzy, who's watching intently with a clear expression of fear and pride. No time to offer anything other than a smile, Doll instantly ducks under the first Disassembly Drone's tail, before launching her head up and chomping down on it with her sharp teeth, earning a pained scream. Severing the wire, Doll grasps the canister and darts in front of the Murderer, only to be painfully smashed against the ground by the third.

Doll coughs rapidly, her head spinning before regaining focus. Gritting her oil-stained teeth, the Russian girl shoots her arm up and jams the stinger of the severed tail into the underside of the pest's jaw, sending the tip through it's CPU. Another one down.

Shoving the temporarily lifeless body of the Disassembly Drone off of her, Doll's attention is, once again, locked on the first Murderer. It glares at Doll with a vengeful contempt, lashing it's useless tail into the crisp air. It's clearly pissed about the whole tail thing. The two stand still for a moment, before rushing at each other, licking up a large plume of snow.

The Russian girl bites down on the pest's arm, only to be raised into the air and smacked back down into the ground by said arm. Doll weakly grunts, one crimson optic glowering up at the grinning demon. Struggle as she might, Doll's exerted herself far too much to even attempt to call upon the Solver.

Guiltily resigning herself to her incoming fate, the Russian girl sighs and slowly braces herself, waiting for the final blow to strike her dead.

"Ngh-- Argh!! Take that, you dumb little piece of JUNK!" A familiar voice sounds above Doll, piquing her curiosity. Opening her scarlet eyes, Doll's optics hollow in genuine shock as she stares at het girlfriend, standing above the downed Disassembly Drone, metal pipe through it's chest, straight into the core.

Lizzy shoves it off of Doll, panting heavily as she rapidly sends herself to her knees, clutching Doll tightly. She's so obviously scared and concerned about Doll and her fight, Lizzy's hands running all over Doll's body as if to check for scars or tears. Nothing, to hef relief. "Doll! Oh my god, are you okay!? Girly, you just took down, like, three blood-thirsty Drones from hell! Jesus, you're a badass!" Lizzy exclaims, her compliments mixing with her concern.

Chuckling softly, Doll stands up, leaning against Lizzy, due to her exhaustion and wariness of falling over if she stands on her own. Panting heavily, Doll grins. "[H-hah, I guess. B-But, hah, you got hurt, too. Show me your arm, Liz.]" Doll mutters, holding out her hand. The cheerleader gently complies, her injured arm now resting in Doll's trustworthy grasp.

The Russian Worker Drone examines it, before licking the tear softly, tenderly mending the tear. Lizzy shudders a little, blushing heavily as she giggles. "Doll, hahaha, stop, you little weirdo!" Lizzy playfully pleads, ever so gently knocking Doll on the head.

Doll snickers, before relenting and pulling away. She inhales sharply, gritting her teeth as she feels a sharp spike of pain shoot through her head, due to overusage of the Solver mixed with exhaustion. Lizzy releases a startled gasp of worry, only to be interrupted by Doll's hand. "[I'm fine, just... That whole fight took a lot outta me. We should head back and report to the others.]" Doll suggests, not willing to use any means of teleportation to travel back.

Lizzy nods and keeps an arm around Doll's waist, in order to stabilise her to the best of her ability. "Right. Take it easy, I promised you extra alone time, didn't I?" Lizzy slyly reminds, grinning at the blush on her girlfriend's visor. It's always an adorable sight. Doll nods, opening her mouth to speak, but is instantly interrupted by the sound of metal and weird, fleshy noises behind her.

To both if the Drone's horror, the Disassembly Drones are reforming, and fast.

Acting quickly, Doll ignores her exhaustion and charges up her Absolute Solver, before teleporting them both out of there and back in Lizzy's room. Doll pants rapidly as she lays on the bed, an arm draped across her visor. Lizzy grimaces at the temporary state of Doll, before patting her stomach soothingly.

"You good, Dolly?" Lizzy softly asks, frowning in worry for her overworked girl. She doesn't receive a response, other than a tiny grunt. Lizzy sighs, nuzzling her cheek, affectionately, against Doll's own, before lifting herself when she deems that Doll's a bit better. "So, impromptu movie night?" Lizzy offers, smirking as she raises a digi-brow.

Lizzy grins in excitement when Doll gives a thumbs up. This is gonna be the best movie night she's ever had, as a special treat for her girlfriend's hard work. Doll deserves it. The cheerleader settles beside Doll, playing with her violet hair as she flicks through the movie options.

Doll peeks at the screen from under her arm, then at Lizzy. She's not ever letting Lizzy back out there again. Anyone else who tries to argue will be sent into the wall.

Chapter Text

"[Mother, Father, I'm home. Gonna be in my room for a while, knock before you enter.]" Doll informs, giving her parents a quick glance. They don't move or show a reaction, but that's fine. She knows that they understand, it's written on their expressions!

Entering her room that she's not been in for over a year, the Russian girl plants herself on her surprisingly neat bed. Her room's also rather presentable, devoid of oil but writhing in dust that's collected as the seconds tick by. Maybe she should tidy it up. Mmh, that can be for another day.

Laying down, Doll begins to run a familiar simulation. It's a mental installation she created (after months of working on it) to simulate the Disassembly Drones and their attack patterns. Doll needs to remain vigilant about fighting, has to keep herself ready and able to take action in an emergency. It's a great program to use, it has multiple perks and the best part? It doesn't actually simulate pain, so it's completely safe!

As Doll presses her head down on her pillow, she focuses on her internal systems to boot up her simulation program. Relaxing, the Russian girl activates some of the excess data needed to run it, before delving into the deeper parts. Time to practise.

Welcome, DollRedDead74!
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Access to [Program Extensions]= True
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Unlocking [FailSafe Protocol]...
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Successfully Unlocked [Failsafe Protocol]!
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Running [Epic_Fight_Sim]...
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Failure to run [Epic_Fight_Sim]
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Foreign Tampering Detected
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Give Access to ID User: 'Cyn'?
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Denied Acc-- Access Granted.
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Successfully Given Access to ID User: 'Cyn'!
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Running [Epic_Fight_Sim]...
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Success!
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"[Ugh, w-what? I... What was--]" Doll cuts herself off as she looks down towards her hands. They're coated in a semi-crimson light, respective to her own selected optic hue. She's in the simulation, but she swore she read some lines of code---

"Sudden spooky appearance. Hello, 048! I'm glad I was able to access your database! How has my little doll been?" A robotic-monotone voice sounds out from behind Doll. The Russian girl gasps in surprise as she whips around to see a little maid Drone. Her hair was silver and sideswept along her visor, her outfit was neat, but she was off. Her limbs were unnaturally bent as if her body wants to fall, to give in, but is being kept up. Like a puppet.

"[You.]" Doll growls, baring her teeth at the all-too-familiar face of her tormentor. Cyn. Or, in other words, the Absolute Solver. Either way, Doll doesn't want to see her at all. Ever. Doll continues to glare, as she watches Cyn walk up to her.

"Step. Step. Step. Oh, so aggressive! You should really relax. It will be hard for me to alter your coding if you keep acting so brash. Arm motion." Cyn reprimands, her arm gesturing towards the Drone in front of her, her movements loose and sluggish. Doll scoffs and crosses her arms at Cyn's abrupt mention of her overall goal.

"[You're not 'altering' anything, you little pest. Now, why are you even here? I didn't give you access---]" Doll is cut off by a swift hand placed against her mouth. Doll growls softly as she slaps it away, not wanting the disease to touch her. She just wants to practise, not babysit a sadistic parasite.

"Slap. Annoyed expression. You didn't need to! I already have ties around every inch of your coding. It's only a matter of time before I can use it. Sinister chuckle." Cyn reveals her default expression eerily remaining strewn across her visor. Doll's eyes hollow in alarm, suddenly hyperaware of herself. She clutches her chest as a form of comfort, despite it not really doing anything.

"Do not worry. It will be a quick process when it happens. Hopefully. But that isn't why I'm here. Step. Step. Point. I'm here because I was curious about this." Cyn loosely gestures around herself, regarding the simulation that Doll created for her only. Not that Cyn would take the hint. The infected Worker Drone scoffs.

"[It's none of your business, brat. You should honestly leave, I don't exactly wanna see whatever you are today.]" Doll wryly states, looking Cyn's unnatural stance up and down. Doll shudders softly, only able to imagine what's inside of Cyn's chassis. She doesn't want to find out.

"I'm so very hurt by your insults, 048. I hope you don't talk to your mother with that mouth, smug giggle. This is a fighting simulation, correct?" Cyn tilts her head, which seems to slump moreso than make an action of curiosity. "Well, I have an opponent! I'm sure you are familiar. Activating Solver."

Cyn's sick-yellow optics lid in satisfaction as she raises her hand to conjure up the Solver glyph, a mess of coded static pooling in front of her and Doll. Doll's surprise is palpable as she witnesses what Cyn created.

A carbon copy of Lizzy, standing innocently between the duo. The apparition smiles innocently, waving at Doll, who's very obviously disturbed by the sudden hologram(?).

"[T-That's--]"

"Lizzy! Such a treat to see the ones you love, right? Mysterious grin. Too bad your precious little Lizzy has a small problem with you. Manic giggle, delighted expression. Disappear." Cyn annotates her movements, cryptic as she gestures towards the cheerleader Doll knows so well. Doll is soon left with Lizzy, standing awkwardly.

She doesn't speak to her, too confused and uncertain about the current situation. Doll doesn't know what to do. It's only when Lizzy begins twitching, does Doll act. "[Lizzy...? Cyn? What're you doing!? Why is-- Seriously-- Stop, or I'll...]" Doll trails off. She won't do anything. Even if it's just a fake, Doll can't bring herself to hurt Lizzy.

It appears Lizzy knows this as well, judging by her sadistic grin that belongs to a pest or parasite. Not someone as pure as Lizzy.

Doll watches in wire-melting fear as Lizzy's torso elongates unnaturally, the middle of her stomach a sickly black, leaking what Doll can only assume is oil. The girl Doll loves slowly becomes unfamiliar as her limbs blacken and stretch to touch the 'floor', the Drone now technically on all fours.

A whip-like tail shoots up from Lizzy's waist, the tip luminous with a strange, yellow glow acting as a stinger, of sorts, the prehensile limb poised like a scorpion. The only thing not eldritch-ified about Lizzy is her head, aside from her pink, digital optics now pinpricks in the black void of her visor.

Not-Lizzy releases an utterly cruel and haunting screech, yellow dots running down the length of her black, leaking torso. Quick as lightning, Doll teleports once N-Lizzy attempts to stab her with her taloned nails. No time to speak, Doll grunts, leaping towards the eldritch beast and delivers a harsh blow to its thigh. Her hand is instantly gripped by the leaking oil, the black liquid snaking around her wrist and lifting her up to N-Lizzy's face.

Shuddering, Doll ignores the face of her girlfriend and cuts the tendril off with her own, smaller claws, dropping her back onto the 'ground'. The Russian girl hisses in pain, before jumping to her feet and, restricted from summoning weapons, slams her foot against the creature's jaw.

N-Lizzy yowls in pain, staggering a little due to the pure force, before hissing angrily at Doll, now officially pissed. It charges towards Doll and hovers her torso above the Drone, multiple tendrils shoot forward and stab into the 'ground' where Doll once was. The Russian Worker Drone skillfully avoids each, slick tentacle save for a few punctures, glancing upwards to see where N-Lizzy's head is.

Optics narrowed in fervent determination, the struggling Drone sprints out of the tendril-ridden torso and glares over her shoulder at the entity. Drifting on her feet, Doll charges towards it, the eldritch beast rearing on it's hind legs, golden spots flashing.

Arching her arm behind her in preparation to strike a final blow, Doll grins in victorious glee, absolutely booking it towards the beast as fast as her legs can manage to take her.

The yellow dots along N-Lizzy's torso shine brighter, casting a golden light on a focused point on the 'ground' in front of her. The holographic light flickers, before depicting a clear copy of the cheerleader Doll loves with every fiber of her core. Lizzy.

Doll's going way too fast to stop herself, her claws flexed for an incoming attack. "[No!]"

Doll's claws slice Lizzy's arm right in half. Doll skids across the floor, rolling a little before kicking herself up and sprinting back to Lizzy, her mind too clouded with panic to understand that it's not real. She crouches beside her girlfriend, the Russian girl holding her close.

"[Lizzy! I'm so sorry, a-are you okay!? I honestly didn't even mean to, I was just---]"

SHING.

Doll abruptly stops her frantic speech, words jamming up in her mechanical voice box. Slowly craning her head down, her flickering optics catch the sight of a yellow-edged tail pierced directly through her core. Holo-Lizzy gives Doll a mocking caress of her cheek, before flickering out of vision.

Collapsing onto the 'ground', the fallen Drone struggles to remain conscious, but her mind soon gives into the ever-enticing temptation of relaxation.

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Ending [Epic_Fight_Sim]...
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Complete!
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Traumatic Memory [#647] Saved!
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Memory [#647] Repressed
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Running [Consciousness]...
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[Giggle. 048, I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you can take me on. I'm so much more than what you think I am.]
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[Cryptic Message Deleted.]
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Running [Consciousness]...
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Complete!

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With an insanely fast jolt, Doll shoots up from her bed and clutches her chest tightly, before looking all around her room. Same dull walls, same lack of oil, same bedsheets, same everything.

Everything is fine.

Doll's breath shudders, the girl examining her arms for the puncture wounds that had layered them before. She finds nothing but her usual, untainted metal. Sighing heavily, Doll teleports herself to the door of Lizzy's room, knocking. The door swiftly slides open, revealing the relieving sight of Lizzy. Normal Lizzy.

"Hey, girly, what're you--- Oh, god! Doll, what the hell happened!? You look like you just watched hell open up!" Lizzy remarks, quickly ushering Doll inside. The cheerleader frantically runs her hands all over Doll's body, checking for any injuries. Once she finds none, the preppy Drone huffs in exasperation, sitting her girlfriend on the bed.

"Doll, you need to tell me what's up. I can't help out if I don't know, girly. I-..." The blonde Drone cuts herself off as she sees the absolutely drained and spooked expression marring Doll's face. Lizzy sighs and opts to leave it for now, gently peppering kisses all over Doll's face. She ignores the way Doll flinches as she lovingly runs her hand along her cheek, knowing Doll has her reasons.

Trembling, Doll wraps her arms around Lizzy's shoulders in appreciation, wedging her face into the crook of Lizzy's neck. She doesn't feel like explaining herself right now, and to Lizzy, that's perfectly fine. Doll's the only one she'll be patient enough to wait, Doll's worth every second. Doll pulls Lizzy in tighter.

"[I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, you know I wouldn't, I love you...]" The gentle murmurs Doll speaks into Lizzy's neck is enough to stir up a prick of concern in Lizzy's chest, but promptly pushes it back down. No time for questions, Lizzy has a goal she has to work towards.

"Shhh, shut up, idiot. Just shut it and relax. Don't you start apologising for something I know you didn't do. I love you, too, moron. Just chill out, I gotcha." Lizzy whispers against Doll's cheek, braiding her fingers through Doll's soft, violet hair. She needs to calm Doll down, and it's not gonna be easy. But Lizzy likes a challenge, and this is one she'll gladly partake in.

Despite Doll's constant torment, Lizzy will always be there for her, no matter what. It doesn't matter if it's two in the morning and she's in the middle of a bout of beauty sleep, Lizzy will drop everything if it means she can help her girlfriend out. Resting peacefully, the duo find comfort in knowing they'll always have someone to rely on.

Chapter Text

"Sooo, I know you've been stressed and all lately, so I put together a little something just for us two!" Lizzy exclaims, leading her curious girlfriend towards a small opening just left of the doors of the Bunker. A café, one without a proper name because no one's thought of one yet, but it's still a nice place nonetheless.

The lighting is calm and gives off a home-like kind of vibe, soft, warm music playing in the background. It's the perfect place to unwind and take a breather, and many Drones often come here for just that. Doll marvels at the café; she's never seen it before. She doesn't leave her room (or Lizzy's) much, so she never knew this place existed. She almost wonders when Khan requested it to be built...

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Doll grips Lizzy's hand and smiles, baffled by the whole thing, to which Lizzy gives a mischievous little smirk, pulling Doll over to a comfortable couch-seat. She sits beside the Russian girl, pushing a plate that'd already been served on the table towards Doll.

On their plates are a mix of batteries, wires and even a few bolts on the side. Doll plucks a battery from her plate and crunches on it, the electricity from the busted item buzzing against her teeth. "[You're.... You did all of this for me? Lizzy... That's honestly so sweet, I really appreciate the effort.]" Doll coos, placing her hand on Lizzy's.

The cheerleader blushes softly and huffs, idly popping a bolt into her mouth as she stares at her girlfriend. "You better, Dolly. I kicked everyone out of here so we can have the café all to ourselves!" Lizzy reveals, a sharp grin stretching across her face. Doll leans back in a proud kind of surprise, placing a hand on her chest to emphasise it.

"[You kicked people out? How'd you even manage to do that, Liz? I doubt even I'd be able to get three people out.]" The astonished girl questions, leaning towards Lizzy in eagerness. Lizzy snickers as she waves her hand around nonchalantly, slyly nudging Doll's shoulder.

"Eh, y'know, they tried to argue. I just pulled out a classic trick of mine, nothing special. Or long-term." The cryptic answer intrigued Doll, but she just lets it slide. No point in pressuring Lizzy if the she already did whatever it was she did. Doll isn't sure she even wants to know, to be honest.

"[I see. I'll leave it alone, for now, but I'm getting answers later. Anyways, when was this place built? I haven't seen it around before, no one talks about it.]" Doll comments, gesturing around the room. Now that the question passed through her mind once, she couldn't let it go.

Lizzy eyes her plate, chewing on a series of wires before looking back up at Doll. Right. She didn't exactly tell her about this place. "Khan built it last year. You live on the other side of the Bunker, girl, you wouldn't've heard the construction. Forgot to tell you, sorry." Lizzy shrugs, clearly not all that sorry. The blonde Drone twirls up some wires in her fork and promptly shoves it in Doll's face, not wanting Doll to miss out on this stuff.

"Hey, try this. It's literally to die for, open up." Lizzy demands, to which Doll playfully rolls her eyes and opens her mouth, revealing the rows of sharp teeth lining her synthetic gums. Lizzy pauses for a second, admiring the unnatural growths, before snapping out of it and placing the fork in Doll's mouth.

Doll bites down, her jaws clamping on the wires as she curiously tastes it. Crimson, digital eyes lighting up, Doll is obviously very satisfied with the new food. Lizzy watches in amusement as her hungry girl devours the sample ruthlessly.

Blinking up at the amused Drone, Doll realises that she isn't exactly being very date-appropriate. Giving a sheepish grin, Doll places the fork back down on the table. "[Ah, sorry. I got ahead of myself for a second there.]" She apologizes softly, glancing at Lizzy before staring off at the wall in embarrassment.

The cheerleader blushes and turns Doll's face back towards her, sticking her tongue out at the infected Worker Drone. "Pfft, relax, I don't care. Honestly, it was kinda hot, if I'm being real. Want some more?" Lizzy offers, flashing a smug smirk towards her blushing girlfriend. Doll brightens up, disregarding the flirty comment as she devours yet another forkful of wires. Lizzy giggles, thoroughly impressed and humoured before idly chewing her own forkful of wires.

Accidentally, the two Drones both grabbed the same strand of a stray wire, pulling it towards their mouths. Unknowingly, they're too focused on the meal to notice their faces approaching each other, until it's too late.

Their lips abruptly connect, startling both girls and causing an extremely vibrant mix of pink and red to burst onto their respective visors. Yet, instead of freaking out and pulling away, Lizzy recovers from the shock and, with a devilish grin, pulls Doll's face closer to initiate a proper kiss. She groans dazedly, loving the feeling of Doll's familiar lips connected with her own.

The Russian girl gives a muffled noise of surprise, before snickering and pressing her lips back against Lizzy's. This was unexpected, but completely fine by her, Doll isn't gonna complain.

Pulling away slowly, the girls sit beside each other, panting softly as they recover from the impromptu kiss. Lizzy's the first to move, gently running her thumb along Doll's cheek as means of a simple affection. "Wanna head on back to my place, hun?" She quietly asks, that pretty blush still covering her visor, which Doll interprets as Lizzy wanting another hangout sesh at her house.

Standing up, Doll offers a small smile and helps Lizzy up, walking off to the exit of the café. "[I'll see you there?]" Doll inquires, with a soft tilt of her head. Lizzy nods and gives her girlfriend one last hug, before Doll teleports away in a burst of scarlet lightning. Giggling to herself, Lizzy tries not to swoon. Gosh, she loves that creepy girl.

Turning back towards the doors, the preppy cheerleader unlocks the third, second and first with the keycard she sneakily snatched up from the purple freak's room when she snooped around in there once.

The metal slabs groan with the effort the hydraulics are put through when they open, revealing a group of absolutely terrified Drones, huddling together in the corner, snow layering their crumpled clothes. "Alright, morons, you can come back in. Remember, you really shouldn't test a gal who wants a private date with her girlfriend. It won't end pretty." Lizzy hisses, glaring at the traumatised group. They quickly scurry back in, disappearing down the hallway to most likely rock in the corners of their rooms.

Lizzy releases an amused cackle, before smiling in satisfaction. She swings the keycard around, on the string used to wrap around a Drone's neck, whistling to herself as she struts down the hall to her room.

She has a cute girlfriend to keep company.

Chapter Text

Woah. That's actually hot as hell, in an epic kinda way. Lizzy can't tear her gaze away from Doll's face, pink optics focused intensely on those teeth, as her Russian girl chews on a Worker's disemboweled chassis.

Morbid, yes, but can Lizzy help it? No. As the gross substance rolls down Doll's chin, all the blonde Drone can do is stare in amazement, a blush growing on her face. She doesn't know why she loves Doll's teeth so much; maybe it's the novelty of having a dangerously powerful girlfriend on her side, maybe it's something else.

Either way, she keeps staring. That is, until Doll finally notices the pink, reflective light bouncing off of the corpse. The Russian Worker Drone flicks her gaze to Lizzy and instantly smirks once she sees what Lizzy's looking at. Doll knows Lizzy likes her teeth, so why not give her girlfriend what she wants?

Standing up from the discarded body, Doll emerges from the darkness, looking like a complete predator in Lizzy's eyes, which only adds to the chilling vibe. The cheerleader sputters as Doll grips her hand and lowers her head towards it. "D-Doll!? What're you---"

"[Be quiet. Just hush and enjoy this, I'm only doing it once.]" Doll warns, effectively shutting the quivering Drone up. Doll opens her mouth, lifting her head to give Lizzy a proper view of her teeth, before lowering it back down and gently clamping her teeth around Lizzy's arm. Lizzy gasps harshly, wary, but not scared.

Doll releases her grip, before nipping at different spots on Lizzy's arm, piercing the metal and lapping up the oil that spills from the wounds. Lizzy absolutely marvels at the feeling and sight of Doll's teeth puncturing her metal, blushing heavily as she relaxes.

Doll purrs as she drags her teeth, specifically her canines, along Lizzy's arm before giving her one last bite, before pulling away. Doll's oil-stained mouth curls into a smirk at Lizzy's flustered expression. She successfully managed to complete her little goal.

Doll sighs as she runs her synthetic tongue along the puncture wounds, repairing and mending the leaking tears of Lizzy's arm back to their original, unharmed state. The infected Worker Drone smiles innocently at her girlfriend, who's still clearly dazed. "[There. I never pegged you for the type to like sharp things, Lizzy.]" Doll teases.

Lizzy simply scoffs and whacks Doll in the head in embarrassment, crossing her arms and turning away. "Shut it, loser! You're such a little jerk, y'know that!?" She aggressively insults, the rose-pink blush still not even close to fading. Doll giggles gently, before laying her head down on Lizzy's lap, apologetically.

"[Heheheh, sorry! I just find it cute, though, you seem so scared of Murder Drones, yet you have an obsession with my teeth.]" Doll teases, purring softly as Lizzy can't help but stroke her girlfriend's soft, violet hair. Give her a break, it's soft!

Lizzy groans softly, before glaring down at her girlfriend. "Shut up, or you're going back to your room." Lizzy threatens, and by her tone, Doll can tell she means it. The Russian Worker Drone instantly heeds Lizzy's warning, stopping her teasing streak. As much fun as it was, she doesn't wanna go back to her horrifying room just yet.

Lizzy sighs and leans back against the wall, huffing a slight laugh of amusement, running her hand along Doll's hair, then down towards her back. She peeks down at her girlfriend, grinning softly as Lizzy admires Doll's blissful expression, obviously enjoying the nice feeling of Lizzy's hand.

Lizzy closes her eyes in relaxation, reflecting on the events that just transpired. Gosh, Doll can be surprisingly straightforward sometimes, but Lizzy would be lying if she said she doesn't like it.

Chapter Text

Relaxing while taking a shower after a long day? That's literally the best time to spend an afternoon after a hectic event at school that, of course, the purple freak caused. She just had to test out a new totally-not-destructive murder weapon again. Long story short, it blew up and she's now covered in soot.

Or, she was, until she finally got in the damn shower. But, it's best not to think about that for now. Lizzy's here to relax.

The safe-for-Drones water (humans had to wash their little toys somehow, y'know) cascades down her mechanical body, slithering inbetween the joints of her fingers, the gritty soot washing down the drain. It gives Lizzy a sense of relief--- She's not freakin' gross anymore. She's relaxed, finally.

But she's also kinda lonely. Yeah, weird, whatever, shut up, but Lizzy kinda feels like a certain someone could make it better in here. Doll. Maybe she could help wash her hair or something, Lizzy trusts her with it, which is a heft statement because if anyone else tried touching her hair, Lizzy would plant them 12 feet under. Her hair, her rules.

Groaning softly, the blonde Drone reaches out of the shower, past the pink, glimmery curtains, for her hair brush; not really wanting any part of her to leave, but a girl's hair has to shine! Running her hand along the countertop in search of the brush, Lizzy becomes irritated when she can't find it.

With one last sweep, Lizzy nearly screams when a hand interlocks it's fingers with her own. "[Looking for something, Lizzy?]" And the cheerleader instantly droops her shoulders in relief, placing a hand on her chest. It's just Doll.

"Doll! I swear to god---Don't do that again! Are you trying to make me short-circuit!?" Lizzy shouts, irritated and still coming down from her initial shock. Doll just snickers softly and lets herself into the shower as well, after discarding her cheerleader outfit on the counter.

"[Relax. It's just me, stop complaining.]" Doll huffs, standing behind Lizzy, who literally did not register anything Doll just said--- She'd been too busy staring at the most intimate part of Doll's body--- Her core.

A Drone's core is the quickest way to kill one; just one swift punch is all it takes to drop 'em. For Doll to shamelessly have her core exposed right in front of Lizzy is an actual honour as well as a sign of immediate and complete trust in the Drone it's exposed to. As much as she tries to avoid looking, she can't, until Doll stands behind her, breaking the little spell.

The Russian girl hums softly as she runs the brush through Lizzy's hair, the leftover soot washing down from the strands and into the drain. "[You don't normally wash your body before your hair. This must've been really serious, heheheh.]" A soft chuckle erupts from Doll's chest, vibrating against Lizzy's back, bringing a sense of comfort.

Lizzy groans in annoyance, crossing her arms as she leans against Doll's chest a little more. "Ugh, I just had to drop everything and get this crap off me, no time for deciding what to wash first. I swear, that friendless brat's gonna end up in the scrapyard..." Lizzy growls, her pink optics glaring down at the tiled flooring of the shower.

Doll hums in acknowledgement, focusing on Lizzy's hair as she continues brushing. "[Right, I get it. It's annoying, but I'm sure Uzi has... good intentions, if destructive. Your hair's done, by the way. Wanna get out?]" Doll queries, removing the brush from Lizzy's head and teleporting it back to the countertop.

Lizzy runs a hand through her blonde strands and, as always, is satisfied with the results. Doll's surprisingly good at brushing hair. The sassy cheerleader rolls her eyes at the question and turns around to embrace her girlfriend. "Uh, no? You just got in here, I don't wanna leave yet. Let's chill for a bit, okay, Dolly?"

The soft question from Lizzy is more than enough to make Doll relax and nod, hugging the vulnerable Lizzy protectively. Lizzy sighs against Doll's neck, arms locked tight around the Russian girl, nowhere near close to letting go.

Lizzy thinks for a second, a daring thought wriggling into her CPU, before she bites the bullet and presses her core right up against Doll's, who shudders and gasps in utter shock. She doesn't say a word to Doll, only giggles at the reaction, while Doll has a small systematic meltdown.

To press a Drone's core against another is a step above merely showing one off. It's like, placing your exposed heart against another, if it didn't cause agonizing pain. It's intimate, something that should be kept between the two of them. Not that Doll doesn't like it, she loves that Lizzy trusts her enough to do this, even if she's a genuine Murderer.

Doll sighs, holding Lizzy close, feeling the water gently tap her back in the best kind of way. She should do this more often.

Chapter Text

"Doll, pleeeeaseee!? You've already met my parents, I just wanna meet yours! They're literally, like, never out of your apartment!" Lizzy argues, tugging on Doll's arm repetitively. Doll sighs, deadpan as she stares into space, clearly irritated a small bit.

"[Yeah, and your parents wanted me out as soon as you let it slip that I kill people.]" Doll roughly reminds, flickering Lizzy in the head. The cheerleader flinches at the memory, then attempts to retort to defend herself, but is quickly cut off before she can begin.

"[I doubt letting you meet a whole family of parasitic murderers is a smart way to keep what little trust they have in me, Lizzy.]" Doll's voice is threaded together by a tone of obvious nervousness and irritation. Lizzy's quick to pick up on it, scoffing as she rolls her eyes.

"Dolly, hun, my parents are totally paranoid over everything. You know that. One of those weird cockroach things that you have in your house are enough to get my parents to call for an evacuation." The cheerleader quips dryly, knowing damn well that her parents actually would, too. Lizzy knows how skittish they are, what, with the Disassembly Drones Uzi lets hang around and all.

Doll snickers at the snarky little remark, lightening Lizzy's mood and hopes up, before wrapping her arm around Lizzy's shoulders, resulting in a luminous, pink blush. "[Yeah, I know, but that's just another reason why you shouldn't. Plus, my parents aren't exactly... Right, in the processors.]" Doll grimaces, glances away from her girlfriend. They haven't been the same since the escape from V and increase of the Solver. It could be dangerous for Lizzy to meet them.

"Well, neither are you or anyone else in this dump! The only difference is that you kill people sometimes. And are slightly insane. And kinda creepy. Aaand---"

"[Okay, that's enough, I get it.]" Doll growls under her breath, glaring at Lizzy in annoyance. The sassy girl simply shrugs and slowly guides them both to Doll's room. Doll sighs, knowing she's not winning this one. She can only hope her parents will behave.

"Okay, but, you get the gist. Aside from all that, you're not that bad, and I doubt your folks are, either. I'll be fine." Lizzy assures, nuzzling her cheek into Doll's. Doll returns the gesture, holding Lizzy's hand to ease her running mind, yet it doesn't completely halt. They both finally arrive at Doll's section of the Bunker, one Drone eager, the other paranoid.

The cheerleader opens the door to a murder scene of a room, causing the preppy Drone to shuffle closer to Doll in fear. Lizzy's pink optics are blown wide, hollow with surprise as a pair of red and teal eyelights peer from the darkness, looking like total predators.

"Uh, Doll? Are they...?" Lizzy trails off, pointing at the two sets of eyes in the darkness. It's hard to distinguish the bodies of Doll's parents, but not the bodies of the oil-ridden victims. The Russian Worker Drone sighs and steps into the room, raising a hand to speak, but is promptly shoved back as the two Drones pounce at Lizzy.

Lizzy yelps in fear and surprise as they both examine and prod at her, mouths stretched into a sharp, hungry grin.

"[Oh, Doll, you hunted for us again? It was your father's turn tonight, but a little extra help never hurts!]" The giddy voice of Yeva echoes around the terrifyingly morbid room. She examines Lizzy closely, harshly gripping and tugging at her limbs. Lizzy freaks out, panicking, as she tries to get herself out of their grip.

"W-what the hell!? Get off me!! I'm not your next damn victim, you jerks! Doll, help me out!!" Lizzy's shrill scream finally snaps Doll out of her stupor, and the Russian girl instantly teleports her girlfriend out of her parents' eager hold.

"[Both of you, enough! Lizzy isn't going to be eaten, she never will be, got it? Mother, Father, Lizzy is my girlfriend. I was hoping you'd make a better impression.]" Doll's disappointed voice pierces through the two other Drone's cores, mortifying them as guilt caresses the deep recesses of their minds. They messed this up.

Kameran is the first to speak, an apologetic expression written on his visor, approaching Lizzy carefully. "[Ah, I... Was not aware. Lizzy, that's a nice name! I believe I've heard of you somewhere... Nevertheless, I sincerely apologize for my actions. We don't normally get visitors.]" He explains, holding Lizzy's hand in a graceful matter, before releasing.

Lizzy forces a quivering smile, nodding quickly, still feeling completely terrified of the traumatic event she knows she'll be having nightmares about tonight. "T-That's fine! Haha, n-nothing I haven't dealt with before!" Lizzy tries to comfort, her intended calming tone falling flat. Yeva and Kameran glance at each other, guilty.

Yeva sighs and places her hand on Lizzy's shoulder, her motherly touch actually easing Lizzy's metaphorical nerves slightly. "[Look, we are truly sorry. You don't have to pretend you aren't scared, my dear. As I always say; fear is the best motivation for survival. It's better to be scared than unprepared.]" Yeva winks, giggles at her own cheesy saying. Kameran nods along with his wife, Doll smiling in agreement.

Lizzy snorts a little, placing a hand to her mouth as she tries to disguise her humour--- These two are just massive dorks! Just like Doll! They're just a family of misunderstood, dorky Murderers! Feeling a little more confident, Lizzy nudges Yeva in the side, playfully.

"Yup, totes true. Doll's actually taught me a lot about that, didn't you, Dolly~?" Lizzy gives a sly glance towards her girlfriend, who rolls her eyes and sticks her synthetic tongue out at her cheerleader. Instantly, Yeva's head snaps towards Doll, almost unnaturally, before pulling her close and hugging her, spinning her around.

"[Awww, you're teaching your girlfrieeeeenddd~! Oh, I am sooo proud of you, Doll! *Gaaaasp!* And Lizzy's even given you a nickname! It's just like us when we started going out, right, Honey!?" Yeva calls over to her amused husband, who's too busy holding in his laughter to answer verbally, instead offering a quivering thumbs up.

Completely embarrassed and red in the visor, Doll is limp in her mother's arms, trying to ignore everything around her, too humiliated to speak right now aside from whine at her mother to stop. Lizzy snickers and walks up to Doll, who's still in her mother's unrelenting grasp.

"Sooo, terrifying Murderers, huh?" She teases, poking Doll in the cheek. Doll just groans, pulling her helmet down in order to hide her face. It does barely anything. Lizzy cackles, before pulling Doll out of Yeva's hold and into her own, peppering kisses all over Doll's face.

Yeva and Kameran instantly gush over the young couple in adoration, Kameran even taking a few pictures with his Polaroid camera. Doll can't believe that she'd be the one getting the worst out of this meeting, but here she is. Doll really should've thought this through, but she certainly doesn't regret it.

Chapter Text

"NGHAAAH--- OOMPH!!" A cluster of extremely old, ancient dust and a fallen Drone marks another failure. Combat is harder than it looks; Lizzy doesn't know how Doll does it. "Damn it..."

Shakily standing up, Lizzy grits her teeth as she raises her weapon --A metal pipe--- at the makeshift Drone body she built. It's a simple combination of old clothes, a mannequin and a few pillows, but it gets the job done. Now, she could've asked Doll for one of the countless bodies in her room, but Lizzy has morals. And she doesn't wanna beat up the body of someone she might've known.

Angrily, Lizzy charges at the Dummy, whacking it with precision that she learnt from watching Doll's previous battles. The neck, core, head and limbs are a detrimental place to impact--- Disabling either their limbs so they can't hurt her or walk, or disabling them from life entirely, either one is good enough.

Lizzy has to be stronger. She can't keep letting Doll save her every time they're in life-threatening situation. Doll may be horrifyingly powerful, she may have that weird red symbol thing, but she's not immortal. Just skilled. At any time, doll can slip up and get killed and not regenerate like she did back at prom, it's only a matter of chance and how well Doll plays her cards.

Lizzy refuses to stand by and watch anymore. If Doll's gonna risk her life, then damn it, she'll be right beside her, risking everything she has, right with her girlfriend!

And in this world, where eldritch beasts and creepy murderers threaten their every move, Lizzy refuses to be one of the sheep in the colony. She's not going to run away, like everyone else, Lizzy's going to stay and be useful. It's the best way to move forward, and if everyone else can get over themselves enough to realise that and fight back, Lizzy's sure they'll make it further than they are by running with their tails between their legs.

Swinging her arm with newfound determination, Lizzy lodges the sharp end of the pipe into the Dummy's head, before raising her leg to kick its' stomach, sending the Dummy crumpling to the metal ground.

The cheerleader pants, glaring down at the Dummy, before slowly grinning in satisfaction. "Hah, hah.... Guess who's gonna be rockin' the totally epic combat vibe, now, losers? Me.

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A week since she's fallen, a week she's refused to fall again, Lizzy's improved exponentially. She often requests to spar with Doll, but, ever the concerned one about wellbeing, Doll denies Lizzy every time. It sucks, but Lizzy gets it.

The cheerleader sighs, relaxing in her girlfriend's arms, Doll playing with her hair. They both ignore the mockingly emphasised gagging sounds that Uzi keeps making, as they sit at the back of the class, not doing any work at all. The Teacher's late, for some reason. Odd, since he's never one to avoid making his students as miserable as he can.

It's only until a loudBANG! sound reverberates throughout the entire colony, do the students begin to worry. That worry evolves into a mind-bending fear, as they blankly watch the decapitated head of the Teacher roll into the classroom, leaving a disgusting trail of oil with each rotation.

Immediately, Uzi stands up, lifting up a pair of scissors with her Absolute Solver Program, glaring at the entrance of the classroom she's forced to be in. Doll growls under her breath, prying herself from Lizzy and editing her own sharp scissors into long, serrated blades, hovering above her head and multiplied into sets of five.

Lizzy swiftly reaches up and snatches one of the blades, unnoticed by Doll, before the cheerleader glares at the exit as well, gritting her teeth in anticipation for whatever comes through.

All of the Drones present in the classroom visibly tense, some in fear, others in violent readiness, as the light is darkened by the shadow of a figure, so obviously not Drone-like. It looks exactly like a floating, oil-leaking sphere; multiple tendrils lashing out everywhere, yellow eyes, actual biological eyes, peering at them from the doorway.

Uzi mutters something incomprehensible under her breath, before recklessly charging at the sphere creature, only to be whipped back against the wall by one if it's slick tentacles.

Doll winces in sympathy, before growling harshly and teleporting behind the Thing, only to be greeted with more eyes than she can count right now. The Thing releases an odd, whimpering-clicking noise, before stabbing at Doll with an insane amount of tendrils, the Russian girl working hard teleport and avoid each one.

She can only get a quick stab in from one of her blades, before standing back, beside a recovered Uzi.

"Ugh, is... This... related to the Solver or what?" Uzi harshly questions, her fierce gaze pinned on Doll. The Russian Worker Drone just shrugs and rolls her eyes in slight annoyance.

"[And how would I know? I don't make these things.]" Doll retorts, further dueling Uzi's anger. The short Drone nudges Doll in frustration, pointing at her accusingly.

"Uhh, you kinda SHOULD know! Aren't you the one who knows, like, everything about these creeps!?" Uzi's accusation sparks a hint of underlying anger in Doll's core, as she turns to argue back at the fuming gothic Drone, but is quickly interrupted by the Thing rapidly approaching the duo, squealing softly. "Doll, watch it!"

The Russian girl grunts in pain as the spheroid Thing pierces her arm with a stray tendril, before she raises her hand and clenches her fist, each of her awaiting blades absolutely rocketing into the Things' 'back'. It shudders, before floating back, knocking over a shelf accidentally.

That's it. Lizzy's done watching.

The cheerleader suddenly leaps out from behind the desk, holding the stolen weapon in her right hand, sprinting towards the Thing. Doll calls out to her girlfriend, frantic with wild panic as she tries to grip her with the Solver. Lizzy skillfully avoids the holographic, tri-pronged glyph, before zipping past the Thing, ripping out one of the other blades along the way.

This one's not the best choice for her first takedown, since it has none of what she previously learnt with, with the limbs and head stuff. This is gonna be tricky, but she has a plan. A shitty one, but a plan nonetheless.

The cheerleader, ignoring the calls of protest from both Doll and Uzi, brushes against each one of the imbedded blades, searching for something. With each, rapid sprinted circle around the Thing, Lizzy pants as she jolts each blade, before finally finding one that worked in her favour.

There, imbedded within the innermost oily layer of the spheroid, is a hard object she felt the blade brush against. Just what Lizzy wanted. Grinning, Lizzy raises her first blade and slams it into the creature, and by force, the wall, completely pinning the creature against the metal wall of the classroom. Lizzy pinpoints where she felt the hard object, before taking a quick chance and lodging the last blade she has into the creature, piercing the hard object.

It doesn't do anything.

Exhausted and out of options, Lizzy's pink optics hollow in fear as the creature frees itself, tendrils significantly slower. It creates a sort of hissing noise, as all eyes are locked onto Lizzy.

Before it can reach her, however, the two Solver-infected Drones grip the imbedded blades like handlebars, and rapidly spin whatever the spheroid is around, disorientating it. The Thing releases a frantic, muffled screech, tendrils too caught up in the current of gravity to move, as both Uzi and Doll grunt as they slam the creature against the wall of the hallway.

Weakly, Uzi tosses a hand up in acknowledgement, before grabbing the weak creature and dragging it along the hallway.

Relieved and now out of danger, Doll rounds on Lizzy, completely pissed and anxious as she sits Lizzy down in the now-barren classroom. "[WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING!?] Doll screams, glaring venomously at Lizzy as she grips her shoulders.

Flinching at the unexpected loud voice, Lizzy sighs and winces, glancing away from her girlfriend and placing her hand on Doll's shaking arm. "I... Thought I had it! I was practising on how to totally rip one of those jerks apart, but... I guess I didn't know how. I dunno. I just wanted to, like, help you, dude..." Lizzy's apologetically disappointed voice allows Doll to calm down a little.

"[I know you only want to help, but you can't just go off and fight something you haven't prepared to fight. Solver beasts aren't like us--- They don't have any identifiable weakness until we reveal it ourselves.]" Doll calmly informs, brushing her thumb along Lizzy's cheek. She's not so angry, but she needs Lizzy to understand what she's dealing with.

"[However, I'm proud of you, Lizzy. Not many, if any, Drones would recklessly run at something like that. You fought strategically, you just need to know when your limit is.]" Doll praises, hugging her girlfriend close. Lizzy smiles softly at the kind words, rolling her eyes as she runs her hand along Doll's back.

"Pfft, since when'd you become a combat enthusiast, huh?" The cheerleader teases, poking Doll in the cheek. Doll snickers and leans back, before giving Lizzy a chaste kiss that nearly stuns her entire system.

"[When I realised I had something to fight for.]"

Chapter Text

It's been a year since she'd been rebooted, reused, recycled. It was a blurry nothing until she'd been saved from the scrapyard. From rusting away into dust. But, it's a blessing to Lizzy, she supposed. She'd rather be here than nothing, that's for sure. Plus, humans have totally cute clothes, too!

Lizzy smiles as she dutifully paces by Tessa's side, the human girl fretting over the style of the table setup. Personally, as long as it looks dashing enough for the other richies to swoon over, it's fine. The atoms don't need to be in the correct place, the perfect colour, or the right size all the time. Humans really make everything complicated, don't they?

"Uhhh, forks are on the left, yup, plates have no water stains.... Perfect! Lizzy!" Tessa whips around to face her Drone companion. She wears an expression of determination and delight as she waves off the prissy Drone. "Go be a dear and check on Doll, would you? I bet she's dawdling again." The human teenager sighs, before rushing off towards the room J, V and N are meant to be working in.

Lizzy watches as the human girl disappears around the corner, leaving Lizzy in order to make sure the others are behaving and not bickering like usual. It's an understandable task and responsibilty, but does Tessa have to make her check on that weirdo!? It's bad enough that she even has to look at her when she decides to creep out of wherever she comes from to join the rest!

Lizzy groans inwardly, not able to get a word in, as usual. She'd honestly rather not have to deal with Doll's shy, cryptic self, but it's the boss' orders and Lizzy was saved for a reason. So, the maid mutters to herself in annoyance as she attempts to find the odd Drone. "Ugh, I have to babysit everyone around here, don't I!? Gotta find the local creep, gotta bring her to Tessa--- Yeah, I'm sure that'll go well!"

Lizzy storms throughout the barren library, checking each quiet place she can find in this massive mansion for those familiar red eyes. She knows that it never ends up in a positive way when Tessa and Doll interact; the two don't get along as well as Tessa does with her other Drones.

Maybe it's because Doll's quiet and creepy, maybe it's because Doll speaks Russian and it's complicated for Tessa to go through the effort of getting her Drones to translate, maybe it's because Doll doesn't really contribute to anything to do with humans, Lizzy doesn't know. Maybe Tessa should just scrap her---

"[Hello, Lizzy. Were you looking for me?]" A soft, curious voice sounds from right in front of Lizzy. The sassy Drone screeches in surprise, jumping back in alarm, before relaxing as she sees it's just Doll. Growling, Lizzy straightens up.

"Could you not be a massive freak and just show up when I'm walking!? And yeah, Tessa wants you. She's with the others, might wanna move it." Lizzy spits, glaring at the slightly smaller Drone, before turning around to walk off, not waiting for Doll to catch up. She's soon halted by a hand gripping her maid dress, causing her to lurch forward.

"Woah--- Hey! I didn't say you could touch me! Hands off, you're ruining my outfit, you idiot! I spend a lot of time on this thing, y'know!" It seems that Lizzy's complaint falls on deaf audio receptors, as Doll simply tilts her head like a curious puppy. Lizzy hates that it reminds her of N; he's innocent, Doll isn't. Even though Lizzy has no reason to believe Doll's not innocent.

"[I think Tessa will be fine without me. She's probably just checking that I'm not lazing around. I'm not, by the way, I've been organising the library books in alphabetical order. Chronologically, for series books.]" Doll informs, her expression showing a unique smidgen of pride. That small smile sparks something unfamiliar in Lizzy's systems, but she opts to ignore it. Probably just a bug.

"Well, don't blame me if she chews you out for it again. And seriously, did you literally bedazzle up the library, moron? No one ever comes in here, I don't know why you bother." Lizzy rolls her eyes, clearly not impressed with the Drone standing before her. Doll shrugs, as she grabs onto Lizzy's hand, which the sassy maid promptly pulls away in disgust. Ugh, why can't Doll take that clingy habit somewhere else!?

"[I like the library, and some elderly humans do, too. It's a very interesting room. Have you ever read 'The Gatekeeper' by Dana Reed?]" Doll queries, looking at Lizzy curiously as she gives another rare smile. Lizzy tries not to cringe, before rolling her pink optics for the umpteenth time.

"No. Books, like, totally suck, girl. That stuff's for nerds, and I have better things to do. Speaking of better things, I'm gonna go do some. Which is literally anything other than talk to you, sooo, see ya." And with that, the irritated Drone leaves Doll by her lonesome in the library's aisle. Doll stares after Lizzy for a moment, before turning back to organising the books.

Doll finds it weird, really, about how deadset Lizzy seems about serving humanity. Sure, humans brought them back, saved them, but to do what? Be a servant? Doll scoffs at the thought. She's not a maid, though she's dressed as such. She refuses to bow down and serve a species completely capable of performing tasks themselves.

Doll would rather be free, doing her own thing and making her own choices. Not obeying flesh creatures who hurt anything they see as inferior for making one small mistake. Why would she want to respect someone who hurts Drones for nothing? Doll certainly doesn't. Which is why she wants to rebel as best she can; finding ways to ruin a gala in such a manner that no one suspects it was her, but an odd flickering of the lights that had spontaneously burst into flames.

It's odd, how much Doll is drawn to Lizzy, as well. Lizzy is rude, sassy, friends with J and is the first to offer to lock Doll away in the basement when the human guests come over. Doll, by all accounts, should hate Lizzy, but she truly doesn't. It could be the thrill of knowing someone hates her so much, that Doll is curious about the behaviour and clings to it, or something else.

Ah. She'd been daydreaming again.

She should really stop doing that. It's not good for her CPU, it could make it hard to distinguish reality from her own mind. With a sigh, Doll reaches for another book, not even noticing the black, yellow-spotted flesh blob that clings to the cover until it's too late, her hand connecting with it.

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It's been an hour. An hour, and Doll still hasn't come down to the main lobby. It's beginning to irk Lizzy, as much as it annoys everyone else in the room. Catching a glance if Tessa whipping around to face Lizzy, the sassy girl doesn't even let Tessa get a word in before she waves her off and storms out of the room, in search of the creep.

Lizzy trudges up the stairs, absolutely pissed as she flings herself around the corner, glaring as she enters the library section. She's ready to lay into Doll, give her a lecture she won't forget.

All that anger is suddenly drowned out, as soon as she sees the amalgamation of flesh clinging to each and every row if books.

Lizzy's pink, digital eyes hollow and tremble amidst the black of her visor as she gazes upon the ruined library. She can't speak, can't utter a word, only watch the pulsating flesh travel up the walls lazily. The preppy Drone gasps as she flicks her gaze over towards a darkened section of the hallway, two, crimson optics stuttering into yellow as they float forward through the dark.

"[Lizzy, greetings! It appears that I've made a mistake, giggle, giggle! I kind of like the new look-- It adds style to this place. You like style, correct?]" Doll's voice is not her own. It's more robotic, surprisingly, considering she's a literal robot. It's still her voice--- same tone, same Russian language, but it's off. Weird. Unnatural. It doesn't feel like Doll.

"W-what the--- What the hell--" Lizzy can't think clearly enough through the suffocating fear, her mind boggles beyond belief. She feels her systems trying to enter into an emergency shutdown.

The Russian Drone's movements are loose and puppet-like as she steps forward, one hand hoisting her head up as if it'll fall off if she took it away. Her knees are bent, her hand is flopped--- It's like gravity is pulling her down, but mere strings are holding her up. "[No, none of that! Panic isn't really going to help me or you. But I'm feeling much better now, Lizzy, so shall we go downstairs to meet Tessa?]" Doll smiles, her question ominously lacking unspoken words that Lizzy isn't able to decipher. Nevertheless, Lizzy would rather keep Doll at least thirty feet away from Tessa at all times.

"How about no? Girly, it's about time you head on back to the basement."

Chapter Text

Ugh, she's at it again. It's been like this for a while, and it's literally so totally unexpected for Doll to be hanging out with her. Lizzy doesn't know when it started, Doll said it was just a chance friendship she developed back when she was doing scrap duty, that Doll just met her and had a good conversation.

J. That's the name of the Disassembly Drone Doll managed to become buddies with, despite Doll's burning hatred for the 'Acid-Flingers'. What happened to that? Why was this one better than the others? Lizzy's sure she totally killed as much as V, being the leader and all! Maybe J ordered V to kill off her parents! So, Lizzy just isn't sure if J is trustworthy, like Doll says she is. Doll's most likely just excited that she's found a friend all on her own, which is rare for someone as 'scary' as Doll is. It's still concerning, though.

And right now isn't helping, as Doll rants on about J, getting ready to meet up with her. Lizzy sits on her bed, a very defined scowl slapped onto her face as she crosses her arms, watching her girlfriend adjust her skirt and crop top. "Ugh, why do you need to get all spiffy if you're having, like, a thirty minute chat with Boss-Bot?" Lizzy complains, running her hand along Doll's arm, leaning forward off the bed so she can reach.

the Russian girl turns to her disgruntled girlfriend, smiling as she cups her cheeks and gives Lizzy a sweet, passionate kiss that reflects literally everything good about everything ever, now lovingly burnt into Lizzy's memories. "[J likes neat clothing; it's good to look nice for new friends. You'd know a lot about that.]"

Doll's unexpected compliment results in a flustered blush from the blonde Drone, until she quickly snaps out of it. "Ah-- But it's just, like, there's a difference between looking naturally stunning and putting in effort. You so totally don't need to put in effort, so J can deal with messy clothes..." Lizzy mumbles, scrabbling for a reason to be mad and stay mad, though it's hard when Doll's looking at her like she's made of goddamn diamonds or something.

With a chuckle, Doll sits beside Lizzy on the bed and pulls her into her lap. This action surprises Lizzy, the cheerleader unable to form a sentence that makes sense. "[Are you jealous~?]" The teasing question causes Lizzy to jolt and scoff, becoming defensive.

"N-No! I just don't want J anywhere near you and being a weird, touchy creep!" Oops. Maybe Lizzy said too much. She really needs to control what she says when she has an outburst. Doll huffs a small laugh, giving Lizzy another mind-bending kiss on the lips that ends up immediately sending sparks throughout her body.

"[Knew it. Lizzy, you don't have to be jealous of J, y'know? She's not replacing you, you're the only one I wanna do this with. Besides, to make you feel better, I have a little confession of my own.]" The sudden, lowered tone of Doll's piques Lizzy's interest, the sassy Drone tilting her head in curiosity. "[I was jealous of V, when you two first started hanging out.]"

Lizzy's eyes widen in a small prick of shock, but not too much that makes it a massive reveal. It was kinda obvious, with the way Doll glared at V and threatened her multiple times, but Lizzy never thought she'd admit it. "Yeah, I, I-I know, but... You know, it's just..." Try as she might, but Lizzy honestly can't find anything else to say. Her mind's foggy.

The Russian Worker Drone gently runs her hand through Lizzy's hair soothingly, tapping her visor a little. "[Stop worrying. I'm not ditching you for J, she's not as important to me as you are. I'll be back soon, Liz.]" With another soul-splitting kiss, one of intense reassurance, Doll teleports away. Lizzy just remains on the bed, CPU completely overloaded with thoughts of Doll and what she's gonna ambush her with once she gets back. It's safe to say that Lizzy's fine with Doll's hangout sessions now. It's not a big deal.

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"Aaaaand what took you so long, Bozo?" J scoffs, glaring down at the Russian that popped into existence beside her. Doll roughly nudges J with her elbow, before walking off with J. J bares her teeth at the gutsy Drone, following after her with her dangerous tail lashing into the ground.

"[Just had things to do, don't worry. Now then, are you ready to lose again?]" Doll innocently smiles, looking back at J, but her lidded eyes reveal the hidden cockiness of the question.

The snowy surroundings give way to a charred section of the planet, no bigger than a regular football field. It's layered with scorch marks, ditches and bullet holes--- An obvious sign of the sparring both J and Doll do to pass the time. Charging up her Absolute Solver, Doll takes to the other side of the field. J positions herself into a battle stance, unsheathing her blades.

"Pfft. You can tell yourself that, twerp."

Chapter Text

Her vision blurs due to the abundance of rubble and excess dust spraying her in the visor, blinding her temporarily. Lizzy coughs as she opens her eyes, squinting at the sight of three blurs hovering over another. It's confusing, it's hard to think, but Lizzy can register the DJ desk smashed over her leg. She'd need that fixed later.

The downed cheerleader groans, lifting her head as her mind and vision clears of it's ailments. The blurred figures fade into tangible images of actual Drones. Drones Lizzy knows. There's the Freak, her pet, the Traitor and... And Doll.

Lizzy's eyes hollow as she finally registers the situation currently occurring. It clicks in her mind, as they all surround Doll, glaring down at her, Lizzy can only watch. Her voice box can't utter a sound, whether from the debris or shock, Lizzy doesn't know. But she does know that Doll isn't getting out of this if Lizzy doesn't do something.

But even with all her current strength, the weak cheerleader is only able to whimper in fear. She can't do anything. She's going to have to watch this. Lizzy can't breathe, the panic spearing right through her core.

Lizzy gasps in horror as N pins her down, the Disassembly Drone preferring not to do the dirty work. That leaves Uzi and V, the worst possible ones to actually do it. With each scrape, bullet and tug, Lizzy flinches in anxiety as her girlfriend isn't even able to fight back. She's offline, the initial bullet still lodged in her head. Lizzy feels sick.

She watches for a while, as her helpless girlfriend is slowly tormented without even realising it. Both V and Uzi sip from her wounds, before beginning anew, those sadistic grins breaking through their faces. Why are they hurting her!? She was only trying to avenge her damn parents! Doll wasn't doing anything wrong! Coughing, Lizzy tries her best to say something, do something. Nothing.

'Stop hurting her, stop hurting my girlfriend, you goddamn FREAKS!'

That's all that's running through Lizzy's mind. The downed Drone grits her teeth and digs her nails into the linoleum flooring as V manages to rip Doll's left arm off, the oil spewing all over trio. An agonizing scream tears through Lizzy's voice box as she finally finds the strength to do so. She begged, pleaded and screeched out an amalgamation of haunting sobs that halt the trio. The three stare at her, N looking distraught at the pain he brought another, golden eyelights blown wide with shock and guilt. He releases Doll from his grip. However, the other two seem irritated.

Lizzy begins hyperventilating as N makes his way over to her. She doesn't want that thing anywhere near her. "W-what are you doing!? Get the hell away from me, you psycho! Tell those idiots to stop hurting my damn girlfriend!" Lizzy's sobbed complaints might as well have not been said, because N doesn't react as if he'd heard her. Instead, the male Disassembly Drone gently picks Lizzy up and begins walking out of the room.

Frantically, Lizzy disregards all of her pain in order to pound on N's back, kicking at his arms and even going so far as to bite him. N just hugs Lizzy close as he walks out. "Shh, I'm so sorry, but she was causing problems for all of us! It was her or us. I know she means a lot to you, Lizzy, but just don't worry. Shh...." N's calming voice has a complete opposite affect on Lizzy; his voice instead striking paranoia and fear into her core.

"What!? No---NO! Take me back, damn it! You asshole, do something useful for once and take me back! I don't want my girlfriend to die! Not now! Please! She doesn't deserve it!" Lizzy begs, her voice hysterical as she claws at N's back. With each step, N takes Lizzy further away from Doll. Lizzy feels like she's going to pass out.

"LISTEN TO ME!!" With a final, soul-tearing screech of mental and emotional turmoil, Lizzy devolves into a mess of traumatised, grieving sobs. She digs her nails into N's arms, trying to ground herself against her spinning, quaking world. She can't breathe, she can't think. Doll is being taken away from her.

"Please, just... Just go back..."

Chapter Text

the Russian Worker Drone worriedly padded along the cold hallway of the Bunker, fiddling with her hands as she makes her way over to Lizzy's room. Doll's quite concerned about her girlfriend; it's been a month since the incident. Since then, she's noticed that Lizzy isn't quite the same as she used to be. She's nowhere near her usual, sassy self. Well, that's not true--- There's sass, but not used in a lighthearted way. It's more cruel and... Disgusting.

Doll doesn't wanna get into it. What she does wanna get into, is Lizzy's room, of which shes standing right in front of. Breathing a breath of self-comfort, the Russian girl knocks on the door of her girlfriend's apartment. To her surprise, there's no delay. The door slides open, Lizzy not even being anywhere near it, which is odd, since the person inside kinda has to let the outside person in. How did that--- Oh.

Oh.

OH.

That's... Oh, god, that's...

Doll feels like vomiting. A clear sign of disgust is apparent on Doll's visor as she gazes into the once-tidy room Lizzy used to take pride in cleaning to perfection.

It's nowhere near 'perfect' anymore.

Oil. Everywhere. It litters the floor, the walls, the small crevices that one doesn't usually realise exists in their home--- Lizzy's covered it all. The thick, warm substance even coats Lizzy's favourite fluffy blanket, one Lizzy would rather die than get a speck of dust on. This is how Doll knows something is horribly wrong. Not that it wasn't obvious before, but now? Doll is far more aware.

The worst parts are the bodies. Lizzy's victims, it seems like she's been collecting them for some reason. The decapitated and otherwise gored individuals are dressed up in Lizzy's favourite clothes she keeps in her closet; one's even wearing the cheerleader's favourite hoodie she doesn't normally wear. The clothes look like they were put on in a rush, some crumpled and loose around the shoulders and others barely even put on halfway. It's far from a pretty scene.

Lowering her hand from her mouth she didn't even know she was covering, Doll steps in further to her girlfriend's room. She may be disgusted and anxious, but by no means will Doll just ditch Lizzy. "[L-Lizzy? Are---Are you okay? What's with all t-this? Is... Something wrong?]" Not that Doll's trembling voice needs an answer to that question.

A loud clang disrupts the tense silence of the eerie room, and Doll's attention is directed by two pink, digital optics peering at her from the darkness. Doll tries her best not to book it. "Oh! Dolly! Girly, you would not believe the trouble I just went through! Ugh, hauling in fresh meals is a pain!" Lizzy complains, annoyed as if she was merely agitated about the schoolwork and not how complicated dragging in a new body is.

Doll winces, her body rimrod straight with the tension crawling along her back. She finally gets a good look at Lizzy, the lights now flicked on. There she is. Her cheerleader.

Covered in the oil of innocent Drones.

It decorates her cheerleader's outfit, the black liquid splattered on the fabric and most likely staining it permanently. Her hands and mouth is caked in the stuff--- An obvious giveaway on what Lizzy's been doing with the bodies. Oh, god, it sickens Doll to her stomach. "[Lizzy, you... You need help! Sweetness, please, you can't be killing-- What is--- What's happened to you!?]" Doll's frantic voice questions, her hands splayed out at her sides, arms wide as she demands an answer. She needs to know, needs to help.

Lizzy scoffs and steps forward until she's right up against her quiet, Russian girlfriend. She brushes her hand along Doll's cheek, smearing oil all over it, before smiling blankly. "Tsk, tsk. I don't need help, Dolly. What I need, is a little bit of cooperation from my favourite girly ever!" Lizzy giggles, her visor flickering between her gleeful eyes and... A symbol Doll's never seen before.

"[Cooperation...?]" Doll quietly questions, frowning softly at Lizzy in confusion. She's being so cryptic and weird, Doll doesn't understand. She's trying, but she just can't. Her mind is frying from the effort and it's giving her a headache. Lizzy rolls her eyes and smirks as if Doll simply misheard her and isn't having a traumatic reaction.

"Yes, idiot. Ya see, I was doing some totally rational thinking aaand... Those Disassembly Drones are a pain, y'know? Doll. What if I told you that I can kill off those things that killed off my parents?" Lizzy's admission is accompanied by a terrifyingly wide grin, rimmed with sharp teeth ready to pierce and devour anything it connects with. It makes Doll's oil run cold.

The Russian girl tilts her head, trying to ease her metaphorical nerves so she can communicate with her girlfriend better. "[You c-can? Isn't that gonna be dangerous?]" Doll asks, her hand raising to hold Lizzy's out of need for comfort from the very person she fears right now.

"For them, it will be. I got a failproof plan, girly, and I need you to play a small part in it. You'd help your ever so troubled girlfriend, won't you?" Lizzy inquires, narrowing her eyes at Doll in an eery way that carries an underlying tone of threatening coercion. Doll, now conflicted, smiles nervously at Lizzy, trying to avoid the menacing teeth bared before her.

"[But--]"

"Perfect! Knew I could count on you, cutie!" Lizzy praises, absolutely ignoring whatever Doll was going to say. If it wasn't a yes, it wasn't important. She needs Doll to work with her. In a silent warning to obey, Lizzy's hand quickly digs a set of claws into Doll's palm, earning a fearful flinch.

Doll whimpers shakily, forcing a grin as she puts as much effort as she can into being supportive. She doesn't know how long she can keep the 'everything is fine' act up, though. Doll's losing her grip on her usual calm demeanor and she wants to get out, but she also doesn't want to leave Lizzy like this. So, against her better judgement, she stays.

"[...Okay. What's, uhm... What's the plan, then?]" The Russian girl inquires, a curious tilt of her head sparking a feeling of adoration in Lizzy's core. Oh, how she loves her cute, calm girlfriend! Always so understanding.

"Simple! I have the list of the idiots who'll be selected for prom queen. You just gotta play buddy-buddy with V while I kill 'em all off. When V inevitably is queen by forfeit, I'll kill her myself. Sound good?" Lizzy explains, flashing that grin that Doll loves so much. It's hard for Doll to say no to that face, but that's also the face who has killed so many for nothing more than... Whatever the reason is. Doll hesitates, before leaning away slightly.

"[I... L-Lizzy, don't feel comfortable being so close to one of those things. Isn't there another w--]"

"Nope! Look, this is the best plan I could come up with. Trust me, you don't wanna hear the others. It's a yes or no, Doll. Hurry it up." Lizzy sneers, narrowing her rose-pink optics at her hesitant girl. This isn't the time to think about it for an hour! Lizzy needs her answer and she needs it right away.

"[But Lizzy! I don't know how to---]"

"You'll be fine! I'll run V down myself if she tries anything!"

"[Even so, don't you think this whole murder thing is going too far?!]"

"Too far!? I think killing my parents is going too far, Doll! Seriously, just go along with it, it's totally easy!"

"[For you, sure! For m--]"

"Doll, seriously, just work with me! Stop making everything so complicated!"

"[No! You need to get help! I know you're upset, Liz, I get it, but--]"

"Doll. Just--Stop talking, girl."

"[Can you stop cutting me off?! Lizzy, no one needs to die-- Hrghk!]"

"I said shut. Up." Lizzy's sudden aggression stops the small back-and-forth between the two contrasted Drones. The cheerleader slams Doll against the wall, quietly growling in her face. Her visor is taken up by the pink, unnerving glyph and her mouth is stretched into that grin. Doll's chest heaves with panic as she whimpers in fear, but remains firm, not crumpling or giving in.

"I'm telling you, it's going to be okay. I'll explain the rest of this junk once it's all over, got it? I love you, girly. I just want you to help out a bit." Lizzy's voice lowers into a substantially more calm and appealing tone, fit to ease Doll's racing core as the manic girl runs her oily hand down Doll's arm.

Shuddering, Doll gives a small nod and a tiny murmur of accepted compliance. Lizzy grins with victorious pride--- She knew Doll's reliable! "Right, thanks, cutie! Trust me, you'll be fine. I love you...~ We'll kill that bitch off, I'll make sure of it." Lizzy's tone is full of venom, but she gently nuzzles Doll's cheek affectionately. Hey, she may be pissed off beyond words, but she still loves Doll. Lizzy can't ever stop loving her, which is part of the reason why she needs V gone. She's the main threat. Lizzy will not let that creep hurt her cute Russian dork.

Lizzy licks off the oil she smudged onto Doll's cheek, giving her a little giggle soon after. Doll trembles in Lizzy's arms, but can't bring herself to run away, despite her fear. Instead, the Russian girl simply wraps her arms around her troubled girlfriend. Maybe Lizzy's right. Maybe this won't end up as bad as she thought. She'd need to talk about the murders, but... Doll thinks she can work something out.

Chapter Text

"Doll, seriously, I-I don't feel right. We live in a total ice box, why am I feeling like I'm gonna melt!?" Lizzy exclaims, frowning as she clutches her chest. She feels it, it's so... So far in. Lizzy can feel something whispering and giggling inside of her systems, it makes her feel wrong. She'd normally disregard and repress anything she thinks can be dealt with later or never, but she can feel that this isn't one of those things.

No.

It's burning through her chest, through her systems. If Lizzy had more cognitive functions working at her side, she'd be able to run a few diagnostic checks, but her CPU, her OS, it's muddled and rugged. It feels like she's being prevented. Lizzy feels paranoid and it's no wonder why Doll isn't taking her seriously.

"[Lizzy, you're fine. I'm sure of it. It's probably because of the heat around here, but we'll only be here for a little while longer.]" Doll informs, not glancing back at her girlfriend as she gathers the spare canisters of oil she has laying around her apartment. Doll's sure it's the heat. It has to be, she refuses to believe it's anything else, she doesn't want to believe that.

It's the heat. If you're not used to it like Doll is, then sure, you're gonna face some problems. That's all it is. It could also be the traumatic scenery all around Lizzy, but every Drone is desensitised to murder in some way, shape or form.

Doll's hopes are soon diminished into dust as she hears Lizzy's breathing become abnormally rugged. Whipping her head around, crimson eyelights hollowed with alarm, Doll catches the sight of something she'd never wanted to witness happening again. Not to her.

Lizzy grits her teeth, eyelights clenched shut as she grips the bedsheets on either side of her. Her mouth is steaming, her left optic is replaced with an exclamation mark and an overheating warning at the bottom. Her right is replaced by it. The curse. The Absolute Solver symbol.

Doll gasps, instantly dropping all but one oil canister, allowing the others to smash onto the ground (thankfully, none of them breaking) and teleporting over to Lizzy's side. This is bad, beyond bad. How did the brat get into Lizzy!? And why!? She has enough Drones to torment! Lizzy doesn't deserve to be added to the damn list!

Quickly, Doll pries Lizzy's mouth open, ignoring the confused protests, and pours in a generous amount of oil into Lizzy's mouth. Immediately, the cheerleader covers her mouth, looking extremely sick to her stomach. Doll just gave her oil. From other Drones. Lizzy lurches forward, opening her mouth wide in preparation to throw it all back up, but to her surprise --- Nothing. "Wh-wha--"

"[It won't work. I've tried, you can't throw oil up once you take it. Your stomach mechanics already locked it in.]" Doll explains, running her hand through her hair in apparent stress and anxiety. This is the last thing Doll wanted. Lizzy shouldn't have to suffer what she does.

Frowning as well as staring in fear at Doll, Lizzy's lips tremble as her CPU runs rampant in order to find something to say. Fingers gripping the bedsheets tighter, Lizzy's mouth raises in a sneer. "Doll, girl, whatever this crap is that you got or gave me or whatever--- Get rid of it." Lizzy demands, now slowly turning her body to face Doll as well. She feels numb and scared and angry and---

"[I can't, I'm... I'm so sorry. If I could, I would've gotten rid of mine by now. I'm trying to work on finding out how to delete---]"

"Then do it faster!" Lizzy's abrupt shout startles Doll, but Lizzy honestly doesn't care, she can't. Lizzy's scared, she wants it gone, she feels gross. She's seen what it does to Doll, she doesn't want it happening to her! "I--I don't care what you do, I need it gone!" Lizzy snarls, her gaze burning through Doll's head with a furious glare.

Doll hums in sympathy; she's well aware of the effects of the Solver. It's natural to react this way, although it doesn't make seeing it any easier. (Doll is going to wring the yellow brat's neck the second she sees her again) The Russian girl reaches out towards Lizzy, who's been thrust into the Solver's grasp with little to no explanation at all. Lizzy only responds to the touch by slapping it away.

"No, get away! I-- No, I can't do this! I can't--- Doll, you have to have something! I can't just be stuck eating people the rest of my goddamn life!" Lizzy bellows, breathing becoming increasingly more shallow and quick with each muddled thought that runs through Lizzy's mind. The pink, digital glyph flickers against the entirety of Lizzy's visor and that's when Doll knows that Lizzy's been officially sealed in. God, she wished she knew how to prevent it...

"I'm going to be murdering everyone, oh god! I'm literally, like, actually dangerous! I'm gonna have to drink oil, I'm gonna kill people, I'm gonna kill them and it's gonna be my fault and I'll enjoy it, won't I!? I'm gonna love being a damn murderer, it'll ruin me, I'll be a murderer and I'll kill them---"

"That's enough, now, Sweetness. Relax."

A familiar, calming voice brings Lizzy's mind back to a sort of serenity as if she'd been searching for a lifeline of some sort to cling to. Instantly, Lizzy shuts up and resorts to simply shaking in Doll's arms. She's so far from okay, and that's okay. Doll will sort it out.

The Russian girl pulls Lizzy's hands away from her blonde hair; she'd been clutching her hair and tugging on it in her breakdown spiral. Gently, Doll begins humming a soft tune that Lizzy knows well. It lacks lyrics, but is prosperous in sentimental value, especially when it comes from her girlfriend's voice.

Lizzy's breathing gradually slows down, until she's completely relaxed and tired. She's still terrified and concerned for her future, but right now? She's fine where she is. If she's in Doll's hold, Lizzy knows she'll be okay. She has to be.

Slowly, the Russian Worker Drone ends her tune and simply basks in the stagnant silence for a while. Soon, however, Doll begins running her hand along Lizzy's arms and back; a usual act of comfort she displays for her girlfriend when she needs it. "[You'll be okay. It's scary, yeah, but I'll help you through it. You'll have me. Lizzy, I'll be doing the killing, you can just feed off of what I get.]" Doll reassures, bringing a significant amount of relief to Lizzy's buzzing mind.

As long as Lizzy can get the least experience out of the Solver as she can, her sanity might be able to be salvaged. Slowly, the cheerleader nods in understanding and sighs deeply. Lizzy can't help but feel bad. Sure, she's gonna have someone to guide her through this, but the thought that Doll went through this shit alone, that her adorable Russian weirdo had no one to help her, really ties it together on how lucky Lizzy is to get off mostly easy.

Lizzy can't even begin to imagine what it'd be like to do this alone, with no experience and no one to tell her it's going to be fine. She's surprised that Doll's sanity is (relatively) still intact. Lizzy is certain that she couldn't make it that far.

Gently, Lizzy intertwines jer fingers with Doll's, a grateful and smug smile playing on her lips. "I'm glad to have ya here, dork. Who knows what I'd do without you?" Lizzy mumbles, closing her eyes as she presses her face into Doll's chest. The cheerleader nearly melts as she hears and feels the soft vibrations of the purring Doll's emitting.

Slowly, unexpectedly, Lizzy returns the action--- She softly begins purring at a higher pitch than Doll's, but it carries just as much affection. Sitting there, on Doll's bed, are two girls sharing the same troubles. It'd be rough to deal with, but they're both prepared to cooperate and do the best they can. The duel rumbling of their chests bring them peace and comfort in such a harsh time.

Chapter Text

A few weeks nearly burning away into a month it has been since Lizzy's Solver came around to bite her. She'd come no closer to any answers, despite Doll's frantic research and sleepless nights of experimentation on her own Solver. It's not been fun.

Especially not the oil. It's not as bad as it once was, but it's bad enough that it still makes Lizzy retch and gag at the sweet taste. Oil is nowhere near meant to be sweet. It's proof that her little curse is creeping among more of her systems, and Lizzy can't do anything to stop it. Though, despite the bad, there is still good. Like, levitation! Lizzy can only just manage to raise a desk thirty centimetres, in contrast to the four millimetres she could manage before.

Doll's helping a lot. She's very gentle and patient with Lizzy, offering soft encouragements and soothing praise no matter if Lizzy gets it right or wrong. Normally, Lizzy woul revel in the flattering words of her girlfriend, but now? In this situation? It makes Lizzy feel like she did her best. Her best. Since it's as if her best was such a low level. It leaves a bad taste in Lizzy's mouth. She won't stop Doll, though, never! Lizzy thinks Doll takes comfort in praising her as well.

That brings her to now, resting against Doll outside of the Bunker. The snow is much more of a blessing than before; her body feeds on the cold like the warmth feeds on her sanity. Despite this, Lizzy feels like she's ready to take her Solver a step further! Bringing this question up again after last time will be complicated, but if there's one thing Lizzy's good at, it's persuasion.

"Hey, Doll? I was just thinking, and I honestly think I'm, like, ready to---"

"[No.]" The blunt, deadset response stuns Lizzy for a second. She didn't expect Doll to be so direct, damn! The cheerleader frowns and wraps her hands around Doll's forearm. She's getting her way, no matter what.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say!" Lizzy exclaims, an irritated scowl tugging at her lips. Doll sighs and shrugs, before crossing her arms, Lizzy's hands still wrapped around her right forearm. Doll knows what Lizzy wants and after the teleportation incident last time around? Doll thinks not.

"[I didn't have to. You wanna go off and practise the Absolute Solver before you're ready. Liz, it's not the best idea to test it just a few weeks after getting it.]" Doll chastises, bopping Lizzy on the silicone where her nose would be, her crimson optics focused on Lizzy. The cheerleader groans and rolls her eyes.

"Doooll! When will I be ready!? Besides, it's not like I'll be going through it alone! I'll have you, won't I?" Lizzy questions, resting her head on Doll's shoulder like a puppy hinting for treats. Doll deadpans and releases a tsk-ing noise, before blinking at her eager girlfriend.

"[Of course not, but I've been through this first. I had to learn what I can do, how to control it and the risks the hard way. It's not something you can just ad-lib.]" Doll explains, waving her hand around as she speaks. She flashes the tri-pronged glyph to her three fingers for show, before disabling it and nudging Lizzy. Doll understands where Lizzy's coming from, but this can't be taken lightly or carelessly.

"But you did all of that alone! You never had any help, so duh, you did it the hard way! But you said it yourself. You'll help me. I should be able to learn this junk, since I'm kinda stickin' with it." Lizzy mumbles, still a little annoyed that she's not getting rid of the curse anytime soon. She looks down at her girlfriend, who seems conflicted.

Doll doesn't know what to do. On one hand, it's dangerous and cruel and painful. One wrong move and the Solver treats it like a punishment. Doll doesn't wanna see Lizzy go through that. Yet, on the other hand, Lizzy's right. She has a right to be able to do this and it'd be good defence. Doll may have had to suffer through learning, but she is the first Drone in the colony to have their Solver activated. Of course she'd need to fight so others could rest.

Doll can teach Lizzy. Doll can make sure Lizzy doesn't hurt herself --- That's all she wants. As long as Lizzy doesn't get hurt, not that Doll will let her get hurt anyway, Doll supposes she'll allow it.

Releasing a long, defeated sigh, Doll relents and nods, pulling her girlfriend closer. "[.... Fine. But we're laying down ground rules. First, since using the Absolute Solver Program in the young state it's in, it's best you don't use it the way I do.]" Doll informs, ignoring the way Lizzy deflates softly at the first rule. She hopes the other ones don't suck as hard.

"[Second, we're taking it slowly. Teaching you how to use a hologram can be hard and complicated, so it's best we don't rush into it all. We're only ever doing this when I'm here to guide you. Understood?]" Doll questions, narrowing her crimson optics at her determined girlfriend. Lizzy grins and kisses Doll softly, earning a bashful blush.

"Gotcha! We'll take it slow, for sure, girly! So, what're we starting off with? Teleporting??" Lizzy eagerly asks, her optics glimmering with excitement. With a roll of her eyes, Doll pulls Lizzy along, further into the snow.

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"[Learning how to levitate small objects is the first and easiest thing to do with a virus like this. Copy me, don't get distracted.]" Doll orders, a disgruntled Lizzy secretly mocking her with her hand. Pretending like she didn't just see that, Doll charges up the familiar crimson of the Absolute Solver Program and positions her hand in an upturned, downwards point with her middle finger pulled back to her palm once she lodges her Solver into a stray bit of rebar.

Lizzy hums, before copying Doll's position and wincing once her own metal scrap clangs to the ground after a mere ten seconds of holding it. Doll raises her digi-brow and grins. Lizzy's acting just like her, when she first started out. Minus the angry scream-crying. "[Good job. But, you're not grabbing it with your hand--- You're grabbing it with an extension. If I show you this way, you'll...]"

An hour passes by of the most boring yet interesting lesson Lizzy's ever been put through. But, it appears that Doll's firm instructions worked, because she's now able to grab small things. It's an epic accomplishment for the cheerleader, but Lizzy wants more out of this! If she's gonna have the Solver creeping around, she's gonna damn well USE IT.

Grumbling softly, Lizzy turns her head to her girlfriend. Doll's completely knocked out. Lizzy should be grateful, since Doll's a light sleeper and has been exhausted lately, due to extensive research. Grinning, Lizzy slowly wriggles out of Doll's hold, using her exhaustion against her. Thankfully, they fell asleep in the snow, so Lizzy doesn't have to travel far. And if Doll wakes up, she can quickly run back to her place. It all works out!

The cheerleader quickly paces along the snow, before finally finding an appropriate clearing she can work with. Now, what she's wanting to do is try teleport again. She messed it up last time, but she knows more than before. Lizzy should totally be fine.

Lizzy exhales deeply, before raising her hand and whirrs the pink program to life. It buzzes around her hand, abnormal energy seeping through her body, flicking through her wiring. This is it. Lizzy just has to remember what Doll mentioned... Focus on where you wanna be...

Pressing further, Lizzy grits her teeth as she feels rose lightning spark around her, her systems heating up. This is good! Lizzy's seen Doll have red lightning around her when she teleports! She's one step closer!

The cheerleader begins panting as the heat becomes a little overwhelming. She's sure it's part of the process --- Can't teleport without exerting yourself! Lizzy continues pressing into the Solver's power, trying her best to copy her girlfriend and try something new.

...

...

...

...... Something's wrong.

Lizzy feels herself becoming increasingly more overheated than before. It's not overwhelming anymore. It's straight-up unbearable. Gasping rapidly in an attempt to drive in the frigid, crisp air of the snowy wasteland, Lizzy tries to disable her Absolute Solver.

She can't.

Panicking, Lizzy screeches in pain, too agonised to speak as steam rises from her mouth with each shrill scream. She collapses to her knees and digs her fingers into the snow to just try and get more contact with the cold. It hurts. Lizzy feels like each one of her wires are being twisted and jabbed with a scalding nail. She can't muster up the strength to think about the pain, yet it's all Lizzy can feel.

It's painful.

So, so painful. Painful.

So painfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainfulpainful----

SLAM.

A rough hand connects with the back of Lizzy's head, before she feels a cold item being forcefully pressed against her lips. The cold sensation of a liquid shooting down into her stomach hatch is like a godsend. The sudden, frantic screaming, however, is not.

"[Lizzy!? Are you there!? Speak, right now!]" A voice demands. Doll's voice. Doll...

Doll.

Snapped out of her daze, Lizzy's optics hollow into terrified ovals that perfectly captures how she's feeling. Guilt. Fear. Pain. Guilt x2. Shit. "D-Doll! I--- Weren't you asleep!?" Lizzy asks, holding Doll's hands in concern. Lizzy's pink, digital eyes scale across the face of her girlfriend. Oh boy. She does not look happy.

"[Hard to sleep when you're screaming so loud. You took advantage of me, Lizzy. You knew I was tired because I was giving up my sleep to help you. And what do you do? You go out there, despite what I told you, and nearly died.]" Doll lists off each and every single one of Lizzy's wrongdoings, her voice extremely level and calm. Yet, if you know Doll as well as Lizzy does, you'd know that, underneath that calm mask, Doll is fuming.

"I--I just wanted to get better! I g-got ahead of myself, girl, I---" Lizzy gasps as Doll rips her hands out of Lizzy's trembling pair, growling lowly in a simmering rage. Lizzy needs to goddamn find a way to fix this, she can't stand seeing Doll like this.

"[You sure did get ahead of yourself! All this talk of preparing for teleporting and promising me we'd take it slow, for nothing! I nearly watched you DIE! You nearly put me through it AGAIN! What am I to you!? Am I important!? Because apparently not, since you're so willing to go off and recklessly attempt something I KNOW you're not ready to do and hurt me!]"

Doll's savage screaming absolutely terrifies Lizzy, as she shakes and leans away from her pissed girlfriend. Lizzy knows she screwed this up. Doll's mad at her and she has every right to be. She ruined her promise and nearly made Doll watch someone else she cares about die. Lizzy tries to utter a soft apology, but it's nearly silent in comparison to Doll's hurricane of rage.

"[I agreed to teach you because I thought I could make sure you didn't get hurt the way I had to! Do you know how much it breaks me when you get hurt WILLINGLY!? I can't actually believe you, right now!]" Doll shouts, crimson tears rolling down her visor. That sight absolutely wrecks Lizzy, she can't handle seeing her girl cry under any circumstances. God, what has she done?

"I.... I messed this up. I get it, I know. I just wanted to get right to the less boring stuff, y'know? I'm so, so goddamn sorry, Doll. I should've listened to you and just waited. I'm never ignoring you again. I promise." Lizzy assures, gently shuffling closer to Doll and wrapping her arms around her waist. The guilty cheerleader, once she's sure Doll isn't gonna push her away, buries her face into the crook of Doll's neck.

"[Are you gonna break this promise, too?]" Doll growls, her voice full of venom despite how tenderly she pulls Lizzy closer. Lizzy flinches at the low-blow remark, but she knows she deserves it. Frowning in determination, Lizzy pulls her head back and slams her lips against Doll's, pulling her head closer.

She doesn't care that Doll doesn't reciprocate much, Lizzy needs to show Doll how much she means what she said. Pulling herself away, Lizzy pants for a second, both Drones blushing heavily, before Lizzy stares Doll in the eyes. "Never. Girl, I will never go against you again. You're the one who knows about this junk, so I oughta respect ya." Lizzy's smokey purr sparks a hint of affection in Doll's core, but not forgiveness. It'll take a while before she can forgive Lizzy, the scar is far too deep.

Yet, Doll sighs softly as she pulls Lizzy back against her, nuzzling her cheek lovingly. Lizzy hums in satisfaction, rubbing along the Russian girl's back in a calming manner. Doll gives ann unnoticed smile, holding Lizzy's hand tightly.

"[Good. I'll be making sure of it.]"

Chapter Text

Laying down in Lizzy's pink, fluffy bed she cherishes so much, Lizzy snickers as Doll gently purrs on her chest, a little more affectionate than usual. It might be because Lizzy's amazing presence just naturally has this effect on Doll, or maybe Doll's just content right now. Either way, Lizzy's loving the tenderness of it all.

"Pfft, having fun there, dork?" Lizzy teases, flicking her girlfriend in the forehead. She's only answered by a contented grumble and a little nuzzle. Doll loves Lizzy, that much is obvious. She's the only one allowed to get this close to Lizzy and vice versa, since the duo are very thingy about who touches them. The Russian girl traces a gentle pattern on Lizzy's shoulder, sighing softly as she feels Lizzy relax under the soothing caress.

Doing stuff like this is fun. Fun, and really unique and strange to Doll. She likes the traditional ways Drones show affection, it's always sweet to engage in and she's loved doing it ever since Lizzy showed her what it's like. Doll kinda wants to return the favour.

See, there's this thing her parents always used to blather on about --- Core Marking. Doll doesn't know if it's exclusive to Solver Drones or is an inherited tradition thing, but it's a very intimate and personal way to show your partner that you love them and always want them as a part of you. Doll always used to have to leave the room whenever her parents started up about it, as it had been disgusting and gross back when she was a Droneling. Now that she's engaged in an extremely important relationship of her own? It doesn't seem so bad.

So, while Lizzy's eyes are closed in a peaceful state, Doll takes action in showing Lizzy what she's always known in terms of affection stuff. Doll thinks Lizzy'd like it; it involves her teeth, so it's likely to receive a positive response.

Slowly, Dolls clawed hand lazily pulls down Lizzy's crop top just enough so her core's exposed. A questioning hum sounds from Lizzy, who now has her eyelights curiously pinned on Doll. Woah. This is new. "Uh, what'cha doin', girl?" Lizzy asks, a digi-brow raising in confusion.

The Russian Worker Drone doesn't respond, only wanting Lizzy to trust her enough to let her keep going. She bares her teeth, earning a small gasp from her girlfriend, yet Doll refuses to stop until Lizzy verbally asks her to. Sluggishly, Doll smirks up at the cheerleader as she carefully drags her left canine along Lizzy's pink-hued core. Lizzy's visor immediately explodes in a relentless blush; Doll's just doing some weirdly cute Doll Stuff™.

"H-Haha, that kinda t-tickles, idiot..." Lizzy whispers, trying not to giggle, running her hands along Doll's back and sides. The silence of the room carries a new, intimate air to it as they engage in such a strangely amazing activity they'd rather burn the Bunker down than let anyone else know. Doll simply responds with a mischievous chuckle and rests her arm across Lizzy's stomach, as if to keep her down like a lion pins its prey. Not that Lizzy would wanna leave.

This is so weird, but so adorably incredible at the same time. Lizzy loves the sight of Doll's fangs connecting with a spot that, with one puncture, could wipe her off the planet. But Lizzy knows Doll would rather burn than hurt her, which is why Lizzy trusts her so much to do this whole thing. The cheerleader's blush reflects around the room, matching Doll's, as she allows Doll to be rarely vulnerable in this serene moment.

The Russian girl purrs as she now runs her tongue along Lizzy's core, the static electricity sparking and dancing on the synthetic material. There's so much energy underneath the small, glowing panel and the amount of trust Lizzy has in her could melt Doll into a grateful puddle. Doll delicately continues for a little while longer, relishing in the way Lizzy gasps, shudders and giggles, before pulling away.

Lizzy reaches up towards the Drone above her, cupping her face and bringing her closer until Doll's forehead is right against her own. "Girl, Doll, hun, babe.... I dunno what the hell that was, but you better believe we're doing that again sometime. That was literally so amazing, gosh... You're skilled, for a dorky Murderer, y'know?" The cheerleader teases, running her hands along Doll's metallic arms before wrapping around her shoulders, pulling the Russian girl down against her.

Doll snickers quietly, pecking Lizzy on the cheek, and sighing as she relaxes on Lizzy's body. The two Drones enjoy the contact as they settle down into a more comfortable position, shifting slowly. "[How about tomorrow night? You up for it?]" Doll questions, idly playing with Lizzy's sleeve as her scarlet optics stare into Lizzy's smug pair.

"Hell yeah, of course! It's a date, hm?" Lizzy whispers her proposal, nudging her eager girlfriend playfully. Doll grins and nods, before yawning, revealing the rows of horrifyingly sharp, dangerous spires that reside in Doll's mouth. The infected Worker Drone likes the sound of that.

Chapter Text

"Hey, jerks, open up! We got something we want you to do! Now!"

"O-only if you want to, that is!"

The two voices alarm both Lizzy and Doll, the Russian girl growling at the door before relaxing as she actually registers their voices. Uzi and N. In the past, Lizzy would've laughed in Uzi's face and shoved her in the locker the next day, but she's not an uptight teenager anymore. Lizzy's long since made amends with Uzi (through the help of Doll) and they're good buddies! And Doll's not vengefully murderous towards each Disassembly Drone she sees--- The duo have both learned from their past.

The cheerleader Drone scoffs and heads over to the door, opening it. She grins as she sees her favourite idiots--- N, Uzi and little Alex. His heterochromic eyelights--- both a light shade of yellow and purple--- peer up at the familiar duo. "Liz! Lizzzz!!" The Droneling shouts, bouncing on his heels as he raises his arms. Lizzy rolls her eyes playfully, before picking the kid up and gently bouncing the hyperactive boy. "Hey, sweetheart, how ya doin'?" The boy simply answers by giggling and tugging on Lizzy's ponytail.

Alex, in Lizzy's opinion, is an awesome kid. His mini copy of N's coat he wears around, along with his dark green boots and black scarf (marked with a skull drawing by Uzi) is just so adorable! Especially when he wears a little version of Uzi's hoodie, tailored to his size, Alex just looks cute as ever! Lizzy also loves styling his unique hair--- The silver base interlocked with purple streaks, it's an amazing colour scheme to mess around with! His dangerously curious personality causes havoc for his parents, but that's what you'd expect when N and Uzi get themselves a kid. In short, both Lizzy and Doll adore Alex.

"Sooo, what're you two losers doing here, huh?" Lizzy questions, absentmindedly holding Doll's hand as the Russian Worker Drone creeps up behind her. Doll snickers as Alex instantly gasps in excitement and crawls off of Lizzy and into Doll's arms. He's always had a fixation on Doll and none of the four could ever figure out why. Doesn't mean it's not welcome, though.

"We're here to drop off Alex with you guys for a bit. Me and N are gonna do something with V because we promised the jerk last week. Plus, you two are the only ones we can actually rely on around here." Uzi explains, crossing her arms as she recounts the event. Uzi's cool with V, but she can really get on her nerves sometimes. And Uzi wasn't exaggerating on the relying part--- There's very little Drones who Uzi and N can trust with someone as important as Alex.

Doll nods in understanding, idly floating safe objects in front of Alex for his amusement. The 4-year-old coos in excitement, reaching out for them. "[Mmh, right. We'd be happy to help you out, right, Lizzy?]" Doll turns to her girlfriend, who's batting away the objects from Alex so he doesn't come into contact with the Solver. Lizzy grins at Doll in agreement, winking playfully.

"Yup! We got this; go off and do whatever! Alex is gonna have fun with us, aren't you, cutie?" Lizzy quizzes, earning a joyful squeal from the boy in question. N giggles, before walking up to Doll in order to pat his son's head, bending over to his level. Uzi blushes at how tender N is with their son, ever so gentle.

"You hear that, buddy? Lizzy and Doll are gonna take care of you for a while! How fun is that!?" N excitedly questions, tail wagging lightly as he brushes Alex's fringe away from his visor. Alex emits a noise of enthusiasm as he grips N's hand tightly. Uzi smirks and joins N, fixing up Alex's furred coat collar.

"That's right, you little anklebiter. You're stuck with these two, so how about you give 'em a little hell for me?" With a cruel, devilish grin, Uzi snickers at her clueless son. Alex merely smacks his synthetic lips together, before tugging at Uzi's beanie. The gothic Drone snorts in amusement, before pulling N by the hand, out the door. "See ya, jerks!" Uzi shouts, as she disappears with N. The Disassembly Drone gives a little wave before he, too, leaves the duo-turned-trio alone.

Lizzy sticks her grey tongue out at the empty doorway, before shutting the metal panel, blocking any exits. She faces her girlfriend, who's peacefully playing with Alex, using her hand to gently walk up Alexs' arm. Lizzy smiles softly at the sight, before approaching Doll.

"Sooo, guess we should bust out the colouring crayons? I'm down for whatever, as long as I get to do his hair." Lizzy shrugs, as she grabs Alex up from Doll's arms and makes for her bedroom. Doll dutifully follows along and sets up the colouring crayons and sketchbook reserved for their favourite guest. Lizzy coos at Alex and grabs out her hairbrush, plopping the Droneling in front of the paper. Like a moth to a flame, Alex instantly begins drawing. Doll commentates on each masterpiece Alex creates, as Lizzy begins styling Alexs' hair.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"[Hey, should we get his dinner started? We've been doing this for a while.]" Doll suggests, tilting her head back at the kitchen section of Lizzy's apartment. The cheerleader, now finally finished with Alexs' hair, raises her digi-brows in curiosity, before nodding in agreement. She'd be the worst babysitter ever if she didn't feed Alex, so she might wanna get on that.

"Yeah, sure. Can you help me out, Dolly? You know how to prepare it how Alex likes." Lizzy compliments, passing by her girlfriend with a teasing caress on her waist. Doll fights her blush, before following Lizzy into the kitchen. They leave Alex in Lizzy's room, as it's perfectly safe and has no harmful substances or objects at all. He'll be fine.

Doll passes Lizzy some batteries and wires, directing Lizzy on how to present them on the plate as the Russian girl pours a cup of diesel for the Droneling. Alex is fond of diesel, and so was Lizzy, back when she was his age. Lizzy calls it 'good programming' and honestly, Doll has no reason to disagree.

The cheerleader shows off the plate full of Droneling-beneficial nutrition proudly, a cocky smile marked onto her face. Doll hums, before rearranging the batteries so they're in a circular formation. "[Alex likes picking from the middle bits first.]" Doll explains, as she takes the plate and gives Lizzy an affectionate peck on the cheek as she passes. Lizzy blushes heavily, trailing after Doll.

"[Alex, hun, we made your favourite! Batteries and ohmygod---" Doll abruptly interrupts herself, standing stock still in the doorway as she gazes upon the horrors in Lizzy's bedroom. Lizzy, curious, speeds up her pace before grasping Doll's waist and peering over her shoulder.

"What's up? Is he--- Holy hell!!" Lizzy shouts, gripping her hair in absolute agonising stress as she, too, stares deep within the wicked sight.

Hair products. Everywhere. Lizzy's limited edition frizz tamer? Up the walls. Her conditioner? On the bed, matting the furs together and otherwise ruining it. Don't even get Lizzy started on her glitter; she knows she's not even going to try getting that out. Lizzy's room, once neat and orderly, is now a complete mess.

Unable to speak, Lizzy just keeps staring, blankly. Alex finally notices the two, the boy surprisingly untouched by the products, and excitedly toddles over to Doll. He takes the plate, before walking past the Russian girl, into the main living room. Doll gently places her hand on Lizzy's shoulder. "[I... I-I can get this out later, y'know?]" Doll asks, her voice nervous and hesitant. She can, too. A quick focusing session with her Absolute Solver Program and the solutions will be back into their bottles soon enough.

The cheerleader sighs, the exhalation shuddery, as she slowly nods. "Yeah, I know. Still doesn't mean it's exactly a sight I totally wanted to see today." Lizzy utters, leaning against Doll firmly. The Russian hums in understanding, nuzzling Lizzy's cold cheek with utmost affection, before making her way over to Alex.

"[Alex, we need to have a little chat about---OOMPH!]" Doll is instantly interrupted by a plate being swiftly hurled right into her visor, cracking it. The Russian girl groans, clutching her head in pain, despite the Solver healing her up. Lizzy snickers in amusement, nudging her girlfriend playfully. Doll responds with a deadpan stare and she flicks Lizzy's forehead.

The duo are snapped out of their antics as a giggle sounds before them. Looking down, they're met with Alex, who's happily chewing on a battery, one of his eyes--- The yellow one--- morphed into the Solver glyph. Nearly having a core shutdown, Doll gasps and kneels before the Droneling. "[Alex?! Your eye--- Do your parents---]"

"Mummy says my special eye is making me special! I throw things far, like a badass, Mummy say!" Alex, unaware of what bombshell he just dropped on the duo, continues to smile at them innocently. His battery is halfway done, the Droneling's teeny, sharp teeth nibbling away quickly.

Eyes hollowed, Lizzy sputters before dissolving into a fit of hysterical laughter, clutching her head as she tries to calm herself down enough to lecture the boy in front of her. "Ahahahahaaaa! D-Doll, oh my god, are you hearing this!? Snnnnrrrrk--- Ahahahaha!!" Lizzy frantically shakes Doll's shoulder, before clinging onto it like it's the only thing keeping her grounded.

Doll, however, is not amused. She stares, mouth agape, at both of the Drones, completely stunned by how they're all acting. "[Lizzy! This isn't something you should laugh about, he shouldn't say that at his age!]"

Yet, Doll's complaint falls on deaf audio receptors as no one listens to her. Lizzy keeps laughing and Alex is now repeating himself which causes Lizzy to have a full-blown laughing fit. Doll sighs and exits the room and heads into Lizzy's, as to wait for the two troublemakers to stop ramping each other up. Doll charges up her Solver, grunting softly as she 'grips' each splattered hair product and Resets it back to what it once was, almost like a rewind button. The bottles float in Doll's holographic grasp, before neatly being set on Lizzy's desk.

Nodding in self-approval, Doll heads back to the living room, where she sees Lizzy trying to pry Alexs' jaws off of her arm. "Doll! A little help would be appreciated over heeere!" The little gremlin apparently wasn't just hungry for his usual, wanting to feed on oil. Honestly, Doll isn't really surprised that Alex has been infected with the Solver. It's able to be inherited, so she supposes that, if Uzi has it, Alex must've.

The Russian girl simply wraps her hands around Alex and plucks him off, Lizzy sighing in relief as she traces her fingers along her newly dented arm. Great. Both Drones, exhausted by the hyperactive Droneling, fistbump each other and smirk. They reckon they've done pretty well, for this little visit! Suddenly, the opening of the metal door catches all three Drone's attentions.

"We're back, fellas! I hope Alex didn't blow up too much stuff!" N chuckles nervously, the Disassembly and Worker Drones letting themselves in. N picks up his son and giggles while listening to Alex babble on about his day. Uzi turns to the exhausted duo.

"Huh. Kinda surprised you two didn't, like, die or whatever. Eh, thanks, though, I guess. You did good, for two hopeless idiots. Well, we gotta bounce. See ya next week." Uzi waves her hand lazily, before walking back to her boyfriend and pulling Alex from N's arms in order to affectionately coo at him. N lovingly kisses Uzi's forehead, before the duo walk out of the room. Doll and Lizzy were far too tired to even get a word in, but did slap on a friendly, chilled smile.

As soon as they're sure the trio's gone, Doll and Lizzy groan as they collapse against each other, in the middle of the living room. "Ughh... Gosh, that kid's a lotta work. Dunno how Uzi and N deal." Lizzy huffs, pressing herself against her Russian girlfriend. Doll hums in acknowledgement, leaning her head on Lizzy's shoulder.

"[I guess that's what you gotta prepare for when you get a Droneling.]" Doll shrugs, before yawning and stretching out her limbs. She may be able to go a long time without sleep, but when it comes to exhaustion, Doll is exactly like the rest of the Worker Drones. Willing to drop as soon as she gets the opportunity.

"Well, guess we better get reading for when we get our own, huh?" Lizzy inquires, as if her question wouldn't completely shatter Doll's mind in twenty different ways. Doll does a double take at the cheerleader, crimson eyes hollow in shock.

"[What.]"

Lizzy can't help but chuckle at Doll's baffled reaction, but soon straightens up and cups Doll's cheek. She gazes, lovingly, into Doll's optics and grins smugly. "You heard me. Look, I was thinking, Alex is adorable, yeah? And we're boss as hell at looking after him? Maybe... It's time we get our own kid." Lizzy reveals, blushing as she glances away from the Russian girl. She knows what she just asked was out of the blue, but Lizzy really kinda wants this.

Before Doll can argue back, Lizzy places a quick, passionate kiss on Doll's lips to shut her up for a second. "Think about it. We'd both be, like, really good at this! We've basically had a free trial in parenting and if there was a test, we'd so totally ace it! Please, Doll, just... Think about it?" Lizzy pleads, pulling out the puppy dog eyes. She'd really love it if she could pass down all she knows onto someone special, who reflects both her and Doll.

Doll sighs softly, smiling as she can't really argue with that logic. Plus, it's not as if she wasn't thinking the same thing. Doll clutches her cheerleader close and gently kisses her forehead. "[Honestly? I think you're right. We could probably do this whole thing, if we put in the effort. Together?]" Doll smirks, holding her hand up in front of Lizzy.

The sassy Drone smirks right back at the Russian girl, before interlocking their fingers together tightly. No doubt about it, Lizzy will be right by Doll's side, raising their potential kid with every ounce of effort and determination she has.

"Totally. Together."

Chapter Text

The three infected Workers trudge through the snowy landscape, each holding a canister of oil for the road. Trying to find resources for Uzi's Railgun isn't something Lizzy and Doll wanted to spend their evening doing, but they couldn't exactly get out of it. Uzi's still salty her prototype self destructed and because Doll and Lizzy laughed at her after, they're coming with her to agonisingly search through the rubble for energy.

Disregarding Lizzy's constant complaints and Doll's attempts to teleport her and Lizzy out of there, Uzi just keeps yelling at the duo to move it. She hasn't got time for idiots right now, she needs her Railgun back with her! It's sick and anf badass and hers! She's getting her damn weapon back.

Yet, as the hours blend together, there's no sign of the green energy compartment Uzi needed, which sucked. Eh, not like she'll be letting Lizzy and Doll go anytime soon, not until they find something. As the gothic Drone searches between the rubble, the infected trio jolt as they simultaneously feel the ground beneath them quake. Snapping to attention, Doll and Uzi jump in front of the more defenseless Lizzy and call upon their Absolute Solver, the program at the ready.

"What the hell is that thing!??" Lizzy exclaims, causing the other two to whip their gazes behind them and over to where a fearful Lizzy was pointing. Lizzy grits her teeth as she grabs up a small, metal panel and Edits it with her Solver to create a makeshift ninja star, if a ninja star was a jagged and rough square. Doll gasps and excitedly claps for her girlfriend's miniature accomplishment, before Uzi nudges her back into reality.

A pod.

Not unlike the one the original Disassembly Drone trio arrived in, this one instills the same amount of dread in the three as the first pod. Doll and Uzi give a wary growl as the door opens and the new hellish beasts lay their first steps upon Copper-9. Three Murder Drones. Two males, one female. The female has surprisingly fluffy-looking hair in comparison to the males' rugged and scruffy hairstyle. Lizzy takes a peek at the yellow bands around their upper arms.

K, X and T. Lizzy could think of better names, to be honest, these ones absolutely suck. Lizzy states as much, which quickly captures the attention of the three Murderers. Doll and Uzi shoot Lizzy a scathing glare, before they shoot of to take action. Lizzy would follow along, but she doesn't exactly need her hair ruined after Doll literally just did it a few hours ago!

The first male, K, places his hands on his hips and raises a digi-brow at the two Workers. "Huh. Fast food can't be as bad as humans say, if this is what it gets you." The deep voice of the male states, before unsheathing his claws and pouncing towards Doll. The Russian girl simply teleports behind the pouncing Drone, having learnt this move many times before. Confused, K glances back at the death witch, only to lose all motor functions as Uzi uses her Solver to twist and snap his artificial neck.

"[Tsk, how inexperienced. Are these things getting more pathetic lately?]" Doll casually insults, standing next to the purple teen. Uzi shoots Doll a small glare--- Her boyfriend is one of these 'pathetic things,' anyway!--- but is paid no heed. The two girls turn to the other Disassembly Drones, who are visibly tense with shock and fear as they witness how quickly two simple Workers just dropped K.

"Uh, X? Is... Aren't they why we're here?" T inquires shyly, tapping her index fingers together as she peers up at her superior. It's true, they were sent on a seperate mission than what Disassembly Drones were originally meant for. Find only the infected Workers and kill 'em. It was simple enough, but they didn't anticipate the Solver to be this strong! Or weird...

X angrily steps forward with an angry stride, pushing T behind her with his tail. "Tch, yup. They have the disease junk, so these are the freaks Tessa wanted dead, so get to it, T!" X orders, snapping at the startled Drone. Gosh, X Honestly wonders how T wasn't scrapped at this point.T quickly scrabbles to X's side and wields her sword anxiously.

Uzi and Doll glance at each other, before grinning and launching at the two opponents. X grunts as Doll smashes into her body, sending her back a few metres. The Disassembly Drone snarls in pain, before stabbing at the Russian girl with his cord-tail, only for the cord to be gripped with a metal-denting grip and swiftly tugged out. X screeches as the unnatural strength for a Worker Drone causes his tail to spurt out nanite acid, the yellow substance burning through the snow and sizzling his own chassis a little.

T whimpers as she scuttles backwards once Uzi threateningly takes a single step forward. This power isn't something they can take on, they weren't told or prepared for this kind of power! "X! W-we need to retreat, please!! We can't hurt them, I'm scared! They're monsters!" Doll grins at the frantic tone of T's desperate voice. She likes being feared by the creatures that ruined her life.

X grits his teeth, before shoving Doll back and standing back to T's side. He spits out some oil from his mouth, wincing in pain. "Right. Retreat, we'll tell Tessa about the failure later." X orders, before whipping out his wings and spreading them to their full wingspan. Suddenly, both Drones yelp and collapse to the ground as a swift piece of metal whipped through the air and, in addition, their necks. Lizzy scoffs as she walks up behind Doll and holds her hand subconsciously.

"Ugh, you guys were taking too long. A girl's gotta get the job done, y'know? Whew, that was weird. I'm heading back to my bed, let's go, Dolly." Lizzy states, tugging her Russian girlfriend along with no regard for Uzi's original orders. Doll slowly follows along, keeping her eyes on Uzi. The gothic Drone stares right back at her, an intense glare matching her own. It's clear what they were both thinking.

'JcJenson is sending more Disassembly Drones. This is an urgent problem.'

Chapter Text

the Russian girl sighs as she sits beside Lizzy in class, her translator translating Russian into English. It'd be real sweet if it worked the other way around, damn it. It's been so annoying, having to write, in English, what she wants to say every single time she speaks. That's why Doll carries around a notebook and pen 24/7, or miscommunications WILL happen.

It's either that, or Lizzy helps out. Doll has no idea why at all, but Lizzy is capable of understanding Doll perfectly. She was surprised when Lizzy responded to her question as if Doll had spoken perfect English when they first met, that normally doesn't happen. Like, at all. And Lizzy wasn't deterred by Doll's unique diversity--- She came back to Doll over and over again, learning each and every new thing about Doll. Even the murders.

Yeah, that was a time. Explaining everything so quickly once Lizzy entered Doll's house was a challenge, the Russian girl not wanting to lose the only one who ever understood her. Lizzy could easily get her killed, too. No one understands or likes Doll that much, so their immediate opinion that Doll's a creepy, quiet Russian murderer is the first thing on their minds when they see her. Lizzy could've used it to her advantage, run out of her apartment and screamed bloody murder that Doll's insane and killing everyone.

But she didn't.

Lizzy never even so much as attempted to hurt Doll in any way. Instead, she played it off and held Doll's hand, making jokes about the whole thing to lighten Doll up a little. She could tell Doll was terrified and guilty that Lizzy saw something she wasn't supposed to see. That's probably when the crush started.

Yeah, crush. On Lizzy. Doll didn't believe it either, when the thought crossed her mind, but she couldn't deny the way she admired the way Lizzy defended her whenever someone thought it'd be a good idea to chuck an insult at Doll regarding the missing people. It was a sight to behold, watching as Lizzy went to town on Rebecca and shouting at her to leave Doll alone. The rest of the day, Doll couldn't wipe the blush off her visor.

"Whatcha thinking 'bout, Doll?"

That voice, Lizzy's iconic voice, snaps Doll right out of her reflective thoughts. Lizzy stares at her bestie, a digi-brow raised in curious humour. Pfft, Doll's such a little dork, Lizzy knows that much. Doll smiles and nudges Lizzy, whispering quietly so the Teacher couldn't hear them. "Ах, просто думаю. Итак, в чем задача? Я не слушал." Doll bluntly states, shrugging. The worksheet just a bunch of equations, just like she'd been doing for three weeks in a row; why would she pay attention?

"Ugh, I'm not surprised. I dunno, it's just some math bullshit, I'm not doing it." Lizzy scoffs, rolling her eyes. Just like Doll, Lizzy hates math work with a passion. She lost interest when literal letters were introduced. To Lizzy, that's not really math, it's just complex brain-testing for people who like having their heads implode.

Doll turns back to her worksheet and uses it as a makeshift pillow, not bothering with anything besides sleep. She's been behind in her schedule, she wants to sleep. Lizzy snickers at her friend, before shrugging nonchalantly and resting her head next to Doll's, wrapping her arm around Doll's back. She could use a nap with her bestie.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Six hours, and the bell finally rings. Lizzy feels a sort of rebellious pride, sleeping through the entire class. It's funny, seeing the Teacher's jealous face that she gets to sleep and he doesn't, because he's been assigned to a shitty job that takes up 75% of his charging time. Sucker.

Groaning as she stands up, Lizzy pulls her drowsy bestie up with her and drags her through the hallway of the class section of the Bunker. The cheerleader halts as she reaches her locker, wanting to place her books that she doesn't need in there. "Wait, I gotta do something. Girl, you should totes move your crap and share lockers with me. That way, we'd save a little more time, since your locker's literally on the other side of this dump." Lizzy suggests, smirking at her best friend. She'd prefer to not have to do a marathon just to get school supplies.

Doll tilts her head blankly, before that boy Lizzy sometimes talks to, Darren, rests his elbow on Doll's shoulder in a teasing-asshole kinda way. "Maybe not, Lizzy. Don't think the spooky murder weapons would fit." He remarks, causing Doll to growl lowly in her throat, casting Darren a vicious side eye. He'd be next on her list.

"Hey, you got an issue with my girl, Boltbrain!? Y'know what, screw you, you're grades are getting docked. Have fun explaining a bunch of D-s in a row to your parents!" Lizzy barks, knocking Darren on the head before tugging Doll away from the lockers. The cheerleader grumbles under her breath, fuming as she shoves Doll into her apartment and into the kitchen, sitting her down.

"Ugh, sorry about him. He's a jerk, but don't literally kill him over it, 'kay?" Lizzy chuckles nervously, knowing full well that the look Doll gave Darren put him in first line to get totally decapitated. Doll huffs in resignation, nodding at her friend's request.

"Отлично. Но еще раз, и он будет внесен в список пропавших без вести." The Russian Worker Drone hisses, clenching her fist in irritation. Her crimson eyes glow in the dim light of Lizzy's kitchen, making a good colour mix of red lighting and silver walls that were painted a nice green colour. Lizzy stares at her bestie, a distant expression on her face as she's lost in the scarlet light, hand hovering over the batteries she was about to bring over.

Wow. Doll looks so pretty when she's angry. Those focused eyes, the way her voice becomes slightly deeper and develops a slight growl--- Oh, Lizzy can't get enough. She's really glad she stuck by Doll after they met. Otherwise, the cheerleader probably wouldn't have a bestie to keep up with, she'd be alone and probably on Doll's hitlist because she'd just be another random Drone.

Lizzy's thankful it turned out the way it did. She loves her Russian girl with everything she has and Lizzy means that literally. Like, as in she genuinely loves Doll, she has a massive crush on her. Who wouldn't? Well, when you get to know her, you would.

"Лиззи? С тобой все в порядке? Ты не ранен?" Doll asks, her worried optics directed towards her friend. She knows she can get to be too much, but she hopes she didn't scare Lizzy with her threat. Doll never wants to scare the only one she has left, not at all.

Lizzy shakes her head rapidly, before sheepishly grinning and tossing Doll a battery before sitting in the chair across from Doll. "Ah-- Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking about stuff, nothin' big. Sooo, like, did ya know your eyes are totally gorgeous? They really go with your outfit, girl." Ever confident in complimenting her friends, Lizzy smiles as she gestures towards Doll's figure.

The Russian girl instantly blushes at the compliment. It's not like she never gets them, it's just that it's Lizzy who's giving them. Doll always gets flustered at Lizzy's unabashed compliments, which Lizzy thrives off of the cute, blushy expression of her bestie.

"О-о, хм, ну... Ты мне нравишься! Подожди, я имею в виду---!" Doll gasps, frantically scrabbling for words to back up and defend what she just said in the most platonic way possible. She can't believe she just let that slip! Doll is never giving compliments again after that.

Lizzy gapes at Doll, a fervent blush spreading across her visor and sizzling her screen with a flustered heat. Was... Did what she was waiting for just... Happen? Oh my god. Lizzy instantly squeals and pulls Doll over to her from across the table, disregarding Doll's surprised grunt. "Oh my god, really!? You meant that, right!? Y-you like me!? Doll, holy hell, I literally like you, too, ya dork!"

Direct as ever, Lizzy got right to the point after her initial surprise. Doll looks up at the cheerleader, eyes darting all over her face. "Да, я... я-я имел в виду это... Ты? Тебе действительно нравится кто-то вроде меня?" Doll quietly questions, picking at the dusty lint leftover on Lizzy's outfit. The Russian girl shudders in Lizzy's arms, nearly heading into an overload. Ignoring the slight self-deprication, the cheerleader grins and nods, clutching Doll tight.

"Yes, idiot! I totally wanna go out with you!" Lizzy's voice is cut out after that in Doll's audio receptors, despite the frantic excitement Lizzy keeps ranting with. Doll genuinely can't believe it. Lizzy liked her.

She liked someone like her. Someone who totally just botched something as important as a confession, despite how Lizzy drones on about how romantic it would be if she was confessed to in somewhere nice. Doll did nothing of the sort. Instead, her confession was unexpected and rushed, but... Lizzy seems happy. Ecstatic, even. As Doll, still stunned beyond belief, rests her head against Lizzy's chest, the Russian girl's mind runs with grateful thoughts of how lucky she is to have someone like Lizzy.

Chapter Text

"So easily manipulated~!"

The smokey purr haunts Lizzy, shocking her to her core. As she stands to the side of the stage, Lizzy gives V a fearful flinch once she sees the deadly, thin metal blades that replaces V's hands. But, surely V's just having a moment of weakness? O-or, she's joking around! V always joked back when Lizzy hung out with her! V wouldn't do this after she's made a connection with Lizzy, right?

Alas, Lizzy's forgetting one, simple detail. V isn't her friend. She's not her buddy, not her acquaintance, not someone V's even remotely close to caring about. V is a Murderer. She's never cared before, she will never care now. The sadistic Drone gives Lizzy a devilish grin as she grabs her by the arm and exchanges her free hand for a miniature gun.

Doll watches every second of this go down. She's terrified. She cannot let this happen again, not again, never again, it can't happen again. Gritting her teeth as her Solver falters due to her anxiety, Doll instead slams the obstacles, her fellow Worker Drones, to the ground as she desperately tries to get up there in time.

Doll can't let this happen.

"Bye bye, Bestie." The taunting whisper sends a drastically large spear of pure panic. V cackles as she watches Doll rush at her, an expression of apprehensive fear written in each digital spec of her crimson optics. With one last wink, V sticks her tongue out at Doll and the gun fires. With a glitchy scream, Lizzy stumbles backwards and promptly collapses onto her back on stage, her visor shattered due to the bullet.

No.

Oh no.

God, no.

Not her.

Not Lizzy.

Not the only one Doll has left.

Releasing an ear-piercing screech without even realising it, Doll forces her Absolute Solver to work as she teleports onto the stage. The panicked Russian girl grips her fallen girlfriend by the shoulders and quickly blips both of them away from the main lobby and backstage. Doll's breath is frantic and heated as stress fizzled at her wiring, placing Lizzy down against the wall as gentle as ever.

"[Lizzy, Lizzy--- Look at me. It's fine, you'll be fine, you have to survive.]" Doll demands, clutching her cheerleader close, not giving a damn if oil leaks everywhere on her clothing. Lizzy whimpers in agony as she tries to feel Doll's face. She can't think, everything hurts, there's so many warnings appearing on her HUD.

"Doll? D-Doll? I can't--- can't see youyouyouyouyouyou--- UGH! You! I can't see a-anything! It hurts so bad, what do I d-d-do!?!" The glitchy frenzy of panic Lizzy's devolved into hurts Doll's core in the worst way possible. Lizzy doesn't deserve this. Doll regrets ever convincing Lizzy to trust V when she can't even trust her herself. All of Doll's trust is completely run dry. She can't let anything like this happen again.

"[It's okay, you're fine! I-I can heal--- Wait, no, shit, uhm! I-I can---]"

"D-Doll, girly, shut up..." Lizzy's sudden exhaustion interrupts Doll's desperate scrabbling for a solution. It scares Doll, how calm her cheerleader is. Lizzy grunts as she places her hand in Doll's and squeezes, for comfort for herself and Doll alike. Doll's anxiety spikes tenfold. "I... Ugh, I'm gonna freakin' die because of a stupid Murder botbotbotbotbot.... Sucks..."

Doll whimpers shakily as she sobs, burying her face into the crook of Lizzy's neck, her arms like an impenetrable steel vice around Lizzy's weak body. "[You're fine! Please, please, don't leave me! I can't--- Lizzy, please!" Doll begs, gritting her teeth in agonising fear and stress.

"Love ya, Dolly." The sentence is perfect, to Lizzy. She says the most important thing she wants to say. As the cheerleader brushes Doll's matted, purple hair from her eyes, Lizzy gives her girlfriend one last cocky grin, before her pink, digital eyes fizzle out. Replacing what Doll has gazed upon with delight for years, is the horrendous sight no one wants to see. [Fatal Error.]

Doll's mind breaks.

The Russian's cries echo throughout the entire Bunker, V, Uzi and N actually pausing in the middle of talking V down to listen in confusion. The scream-sobs strike a type of sympathy and guilt in Uzi's core as she knows what just went down before she busted in here with N. N holds his hands to his mouth in absolute horror as he's forced to hear Doll's mental agony reverberating through the Bunker.

Doll sobs, hysterically, into Lizzy's crop top, whining and clawing into Lizzy's chassis, albeit gently, as she pleads for Lizzy to come back, to sit up so Doll can lick her wounds clean. None of that happens. Lizzy's body simply flops limply in Doll's hold, the cheerleader now a shallow husk that Doll used to adore. Doll trembles as she stares at Lizzy's visor, expression blank even as digital, scarlet tears run down the length of her screen.

Lizzy is gone.

Because of Doll.

Because of V.

Lizzy is gone, just like her parents. Just like everyone else in her life that she cared about, Lizzy is gone. Her girlfriend is dead. Her sweet, sassy cheerleader girl who loved fashion and cheesy quotes is dead. Her smug girl who doesn't take anything from anyone and would punch someone for saying pink is bad, is dead. Doll's girlfriend is dead.

Gently picking Lizzy up bridal style, Doll teleports away into Lizzy's room and places Lizzy right on her bed, with her favourite fluffy, pink blanket resting below her. The Russian Worker Drone makes sure that Lizzy's comfortable, as she places a pillow behind her head. Only the best, for Lizzy. Doll presses a sweet kiss to Lizzy's forehead, whimpering softly.

"[Wait here, Sweetness. I'll be back.]" Doll promises, brushing her hand along Lizzy's cheek. Doll hates how Lizzy's temperature is conforming to her own, the natural warmth seeping into Lizzy's chassis. Doll much prefers the cold touch that Lizzy should have. She'll fix it later.

Teleporting back to the prom room, Doll's systems are overwritten by a terrifyingly strong sense of grief and vengeful rage. The crimson lightning sparks around the infected girl's form, before fizzing out with a quiet zapping sound. All Drones in the prom room are looking right at her, but Doll glares solely at V. The monster.

Her target.

All bets are off. Doll is killing V today. It doesn't matter if V escapes, Doll will hunt her down across the entire galaxy. There is nowhere, nowhere, that V can run off to where Doll will not find her. Doll's existence now revolves around one task: Kill V by any means possible. Doll will make it seem like she's one of those wretched Disassembly Drones that everyone fears by the time Doll catches V.

Doll will make V wish she was never created. She will make V scream in torturous pain as she delicately tears every atom from her body and makes V watch while she devours her insides. Doll will be a monster. And by the fearfully regretful expression on V's face, Doll would say she knows.

Chapter Text

"And you both say that I'm too weak and inexperienced with the creepy ghost stuff! But did you both kill two in one shot!? Nope, that was aaaallll me!" Lizzy gloats, a hand delicately resting on her chest as a sign of pride. Why shouldn't she be proud? She totally slayed that fight. Literally.

Both Doll and Uzi groan as they're forced to listen to the smug cheerleader rant on about how much better she was in the fight. Lizzy's been going on about it for hours and, for a while, Doll encouraged it and gushed over Lizzy with enthusiasm. Now? She just wants it to stop. But how can she, when her girlfriend's so adorably proud of herself? Doll can't just tell Lizzy to knock it off. But Uzi is perfectly fine with doing so.

"Can you shut up!? God, you make me wish we stayed in class! At least there, you're academically required to stop talking!" Uzi snaps, glaring at Lizzy with her violet, digital eyes. She turns her body towards Lizzy and sits on the edge of her bed, visibly done with everything regarding noise. The gothic teen adjusts her hoodie as she tiredly yawns, Doll avoiding eye contact with Lizzy at all costs.

"Pfft, hush, freak. I'm having a self-absorbed little moment, not too different from when you force the entire class to watch your dumb little weapons explode." Lizzy mentions, carelessly flicking her hand in Uzi's face. "You were proud then, right? At least I'm not destructive, girly, but go off, I guess."

Uzi grits her teeth and abruptly stands to her feet, ready to defend herself, but is immediately halted by Doll wedging between the two. "[Enough, both of you. Lizzy, I love you, and I understand that you're proud of yourself, but seriously, stop talking about it. We get it.]" Doll's blunt statement causes Uzi to smirk beside Doll, Lizzy rolling her eyes. God, she can't have anything around here, can she? Damn.

"Fffiiiiiiineee. But only because you said so, Dolly." Lizzy huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. The cheerleader sighs softly, before turning her gaze to the interior of Uzi's room. Purple (stick-on) flames line the lower wall of the room and that's all Lizzy needs to see that confirms Uzi's a short little nerd. "Ugh, this room's so giving 'Desperate Emo'. Needs glamour." Lizzy snorts, flicking her fingers at the room in a judgemental gesture. Lizzy's never seen a room so... Purple. Eugh.

"Bite me! Like you can judge, you're room's all pink and junk! You're stupid and dumb!" Uzi growls, insulting the amused cheerleader in front of her. Uzi looks up at the blonde Drone, then glances at Doll for at least a little help, who's laying on Uzi's bed, on her stomach. The Russian girl simply shrugs and continues watching. Not her problem, she's not dealing with it. Lizzy glares in offense.

"It's actually primrose---"

"Jerry, sound the alarms! There's been a breach, I'll go try and block the opening with the rest of the WDF!!"

A sudden scream of pure fear, along with the blaring alarms, shock the trio of their banter. With a shared glance of worry between the three, they nod and jump to action, Doll ripping open Uzi's door. Uzi shoots Doll a slight glare, before gasping at the hallways, bather in a red hue that signalled danger. "What's...?"

"[I dunno. But we need to find out. Let's follow the screaming!]" Doll urges, before storming off down the hallway and promptly taking charge of the small group of three. Uzi grunts and pulls Lizzy along, who seems terrified to her very core.

As the gothic Drone tugs her along down the hall, the cheerleader can't shake the flashbacks. She was young. Seven, to be exact. It just like this--- The sounds of screaming, the oil that speckled her face as she passed a murder, the giggles of glee from the Disassembly Drones. It was all surreal, it was right here. Uzi's figure was suddenly replaced with her mother, Cauda. She was scared, too, much more than Lizzy was, but simply because Lizzy was too young to understand just how much was at risk.

"Lizzy, g-get inside! Now, please! W-We need to b-b-barricade--- Help me with the m-metal boards!"

It was then, that her mother's stutter developed, as a reaction of severe trauma and stress. The paranoia came later; her mother always fretting over Lizzy each time she leaves to go to school. Man, it was a struggle to get Cauda off of her when it was time she got her own apartment in the Bunker. Lizzy remembers the desperate pleading her mother shouted, the look in her eyes as she told Lizzy she'll get devoured by Disassembly Drones if she leaves on her own.

It hurt Lizzy, that day. Her mother really did change. She and Lizzy used to gush over the inevitable day that she moved out--- Her mother used to be so supportive, giggling as she found decorations Lizzy could take into her own home once she was old enough. She misses the way her mother used to be---

Lizzy blinks. Suddenly, she's right back where she was. Ugh, she really needs to stop zoning out, but she'd need to talk with Doll about her experience. Doll would understand, she always understands. Where was Lizzy? Ah, right.

Danger everywhere, Uzi and Doll gasping at... Something. Lizzy shakes her head of the dizziness she'd experienced, before stepping up next to the two Solver bearers.

Holy. Actual. Hell.

Twelve. Her systems immediately calculate the amount of the Disassembly Drones current wreaking havoc in the Bunker, cackling at the WDF as if they're mere playthings the Murderers are having fun with before their meal. There's twelve, and a massive pod that's broken through and wedged into the wall. The steam hisses from the large vehicle, the vehicle in which the demons have arrived. It nearly sends Lizzy back into a breakdown, but it's not the same anymore.

Lizzy isn't seven and helpless anymore, she's fully capable of taking down these suckers. She can help now, she can be useful and not let anyone else change because of their fear. And if Lizzy can make a difference, which she knows she can, then Lizzy will not be giving up like the cowards in the WDF scurrying away. With a determined grunt, Lizzy turns back to her friends with the Absolute Solver at her three fingertips.

"Okayyy, so, we've got a lot of dimwits to wipe the floor with. You guys ready for th---"

What's going on? The two aren't reacting at all. They're stock still. As if they'd been frozen on the spot by an unyielding icy spray, Doll and Uzi are not moving. Lizzy slowly turns her whole body towards her friends, rose optics hollow as she glances between the two, her arms halfway in front of her, but level with her sides. Lizzy frowns in fearful confusion as she bites her lip, before jolting at Doll's sudden movements.

The Russian Worker Drone seems delirious, as she grips her violet hair with her left hand and presses her right to her screen, trailing down her visor, scratching it along the way, grinning shakily. Her mind runs wild with boggled thoughts, filled with danger and memories and trauma and paranoia and fear and death and gore andhurt andteeth andoilandguiltandnothingandeverythinganddismembermentand---

It's too much and her head feels like it's bleeding.

As Doll begins cackling softly, Lizzy jumps into action and shakes Doll by her shoulders. What the hell even is this, why's her girl acting like a straight up maniac!? "Doll!? Doll! Stop doing that, you're hurting yourself, idiot! Tell me what's wrong, i-it's seriously not the time for this!" Lizzy urges, glancing over her shoulder at the ongoing slaughtering happening behind her. The Disassembly Drones are like pack animals, hunting with strategic precision which works perfectly on the sheep-like Drones.

"[So many--- They're what we all feared... She'd never send them, they're not baring her glyph, I'm not going to be 048 to her, they can't take me back there... Back... Back there? Where? Wasn't the room grey? Or white? I remember painting it red. I remember it being fun, but they're here now and I need to get rid of them...]"

The Russian girl's frantic mumbling is seriously freaking Lizzy out; what is she on about!? This isn't anything Lizzy's ever heard of before, but... But she'd have to deal with it later! If there is a later. No, she can't think negative, Lizzy's gotta get these two up and running again!

"Doll, shut up! Stop being weird, we have a situation to deal with!" Lizzy reminds, shaking her girlfriend roughly. To her disappointment, Doll simply continues rambling on about 'red stuff' and murder. Lizzy groans in irritation, before moving onto Uzi for a, hopefully, better result. The purple-based Drone simply stares amongst the chaos, a little loading symbol spinning on the top right of her visor. No hope, Lizzy doesn't have the time!

Whipping her body around to face back towards the slaughterhouse, Lizzy snarls as she charges up her pink-hued Solver and rushes inbetween the Worker Drones and the Murderers who're snickering and baring their teeth at Lizzy, whispering about new prey, a new challenge. The cheerleader, though more inexperienced than her friends, scoffs and clenches her hand into a fist, causing her Program to burst two of the Disassembly Drone's heads into shrapnel and glistening oil. Score!

Lizzy's pride is quickly cut short by the ten remaining Drones snarling angrily, X's flashing to life on their oil-stained screens. Shit. Lizzy exclaims in fear as each Drone rushes at her, grey tongues lolling out of their mouths as they're enticed by the thought of fresh oil from a worthy challenger. Lizzy sputters, before hauling it and scrambling away from the entourage of teeth, feeling their warm breath right on her back. She's gotta get outta there, damn it! Yet, that dream's drained from her mind as soon as Lizzy sees the dead end of the hallway blocking her escape mission. Perfect!

Rolling her eyes at the convenient setback, Lizzy bites her lip in paranoia, turning her gaze to the numerous, hungry mouths waiting to rip and tear her chassis into rubble. As the cheerleader searches for anything to get her out of this mess, every single Drone is instantly distracted by a sudden bang sounding from right behind them, along with a wet, splattering sound soon after. The backmost Disassembly Drone has been taken out by the telltale crimson glyph. Doll.

The scarlet Drone slowly stumbles into view, along with Uzi trailing right behind her. Doll's visor displays the hellish sight of the Absolute Solver Program symbol, the glyph gleefully buzzing and flickering about on her screen. The infected Worker Drone slightly trips forward, catching herself on the hallway's wall before slowly turning her gaze towards her prey(and fruitful meal for the next two months). Uzi is no different; the gothic Drone giggling joyfully as her hands curl in a claw-like position.

Suddenly, it seems as if the roles are reversed, as both Solver Drones cause a bloodbath worse than the previous one. The hallway is a glorious mess; Disassembly Drones barking orders at one another, only to be quickly taken out by either Uzi or Doll with a sadistic sense of satisfaction. Yellow turns to a dull grey as the two Solver bearers kill, decapitate and dismember each and every one of the threats in their way, absolutely covering both Drones in the metallic-scented oil.

Uzi and Doll are like starving hounds; herding the Disassembly Drones away from the hallway's exit and into the Solver Drone opposite them--- A successful death trap. As the numbers dwindle down, both Uzi and Doll giggle as they toy with the final, unfortunate Drone. They scratch and dent the Murderer as they quickly whip past it, before Uzi goes in for the final blow. She latches onto the Drone's neck and swiftly tears it out, riding the body on it's way down to the oily floor.

Lizzy watches, jaw dropped in astonishment. Jesus. These two are much more dangerous than she'd previously thought, that's for sure! She hopes she isn't able to lose herself like that; it doesn't seem fun at all. Mostly. With a sigh, Lizzy slowly walks through the oil pool and crouches before the two recovering Workers. "You guys are total freaks." The cheerleader states, mouth fixed in a disgusted-yet-impressed sneer.

"Mmmnghh, shut uuupp... My freakin' head hurts..." Uzi whines, clutching her head in obvious pain. Whatever she did took a lot out of her and the fact that she's covered in oil doesn't help. However, it does give her a hint as to what she and Doll did. Speaking of, the Russian girl recovers seemingly quicker than Uzi and neatens up her skirt, before hugging Lizzy.

"Ew, Doll! Get off, you're literally so disgusting right now!" Lizzy freaks out, trying to push away her oil-ridden girlfriend away from her surprisingly clean clothes. Not that it matters; she's now just as messy as the rest of them, damn it. Things just keep getting worse!

"[It's fine, relax. At least we're safe.]" Doll murmurs, nuzzling Lizzy's cheek affectionately. Lizzy blushes tremendously, a shiver running down her 'spine' as she giggles and accepts the nuzzle with a mimicked gesture, returning the affection. No matter how many times Doll pisses her off, Lizzy really can't stay mad.

"Mmh, I guess. The janitor's gonna have fun with this one, that's for sure. Now, you two! Let's go, I'm getting you both clean. Now. And we're using the water from the school's science room, not my damn house water." Lizzy huffs, rolling her eyes as she pulls along the two messy Drones.

Uzi and Doll share a shrug, before willingly following the annoyed Lizzy. They can't really remember what they did, so they'd be asking Lizzy to help them out on that one. Doll thinks they're safe, for now, though. What idiot would send more Disassembly Drones to get absolutely wrecked after the last batch? It'd just be a waste of resources, really. The Russian girl casts one last glance at the cluster of Disassembly Drone parts, frowning, before she disappears around the corner.

... It's probably for the best she doesn't dwell on it too much. She has a girlfriend to calm down from an oncoming rant about safety and her and Uzi's combined idiotic, obnoxious behaviour.

Chapter Text

It's a quiet night. A nice, peaceful night for the Drones in the Bunker. No paranoid ramblings, no murders, no slip-ups or disasters, nothing has gone wrong. It's one of those rare, satisfactory nights where you feel like you're feeling a little less existential and a little more productive.

So that's why Doll has been the polite daughter she's always been, and decided to host a family dinner, her treat. It's been a chore, collecting and scraping the oil out of the corpses in her room, but Doll managed to get enough for all three of them. It's not fresh, but Doll knows her parents would prefer leftovers. As her mother said, 'always eat your leftovers before you waste it on something new'. Doll always heeded and enjoyed her mother's weird sayings.

Doll hums as she carefully pours three bowls of oil for her family, making sure the presentation was elite. Her father loves the way the food is presented--- He likes it when things look nice. Doll tries her best not to dot the rim of his bowl with the black substance and is honestly glad she managed to succeed. The night's looking up! The Russian girl grabs three sets of spoons and places them, carefully, in the morbid soup. If it weren't belonging to someone who used to be alive and well, the oil would actually look enticing enough for other Drones to enjoy. But alas, they're not exactly cannibalistic.

Doll smiles as she brings over her parent's bowls first, serving her mother before anyone else, like her father always reminded her to do. Doll corrects the spoon's positioning, making sure it doesn't slip in the goopy liquid, before placing the second bowl before her father. Doll makes sure the spoon is exactly to the left to benefit her father's left handedness, much like her own. There. Her parent's meals are complete! Now, for her own...

The Russian Worker Drone brings over her bowl using her Absolute Solver, just to make things a little easier. She'd usually apologise for her unnecessary use of her ability, but she doesn't think her mother seems to mind all that much. Doll smiles and lifts a spoonful of the oil into her mouth, before delicately placing it back down after she's finished. She's an expert with her manners, just like her parents admired about her.

"[Mother, Father, I hope you enjoy your soup tonight. It's a dish I'm actually... Really proud of. Don't you think?]" Doll tilts her head towards her parents, crimson gaze flickering between them both in anticipation for an answer. Nothing. Mmh, she supposes they must be tired. "[Rough night, tonight? Would you like to talk about it, maybe?]" Again, nothing.

Doll shuffles in her seat, awkwardly. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it. They're fine, just tired. Their wounds must be draining them a little. If they'd just... Drink the oil, maybe they'd feel better. Yet, as Doll tries so hard to ignore the truth sitting right in front of her, she ultimately fails and her mind latches onto the fact that she's eating in front of her dead parents. They're dead. No. No, they're... Fine. No. She can't keep lying. But she wish she could.

Doll whimpers softly, clenching her hands into a firm fist as the wretched pricks of anxiety poke at her back and around her neck. Doll whines faintly, crimson eyelights locked onto the sight of the wound in her mother's head. She's dead. But Doll didn't prepare a dinner for nothing and it'd be rude to waste food like an ungrateful daughter. So, she keeps up the falling act.

"[I... I w-went on a date with L-Lizzy yesterday evening. She's m-my girlfriend, I might've mentioned it before. You'd both r-really like her.]" Doll peeped, her voice soft and feeble, as if she was being held at gunpoint. Her lips waver, pixilated sweat beading down her visor as if each digital droplet was racing to the bottom. Miserable, Doll tries to see the best in the situation. In some form, her parents are still here, right? They're sitting right there. Just not... Quite.

As Doll's stress rises, she shakily places another spoonful of the morbid substance in her mouth, before promptly dropping the spoon, the metal clanging onto the bowl and submerging into the soup. The Russian girl can't do it anymore, she can't keep the act up tonight. She hunches over the table, sobbing and quietly whimpering for her parents to just come back. As childish a wish as it is, it's all Doll wants. It's not fair that she got away and her parents didn't. Why the hell was she spared, just to be tortured by some stupid yellow brat!? Is this a game!? Is her life just a toy for whatever's cursed her!?

Anger mixing with sorrow, Doll allows the ugly mixture of emotions to show through her tears, whacking her bowl off the table and sending it shattering against the wall. She doesn't even register the piercing sound, only the sound of her own cries coursing through her systems. Doll grips the table, her synthetic claws dragging deep crevices through the metallic table--- The one she built with her dad. It only serves to hurt her more.

"Doll, there you are... Oh, god, hun, no... C'mere..."

A sudden voice that's not her own echoes through the air. Lizzy. It's Lizzy, she's here to see how much of a mess she is. Doll really can't get a break. Doll tries to resist as Lizzy pulls her in, but is far too weak to keep it up, soon melting into Lizzy's arms as she weeps. Lizzy runs her hand through Doll's soft hair, cooing to her girlfriend soothingly. "Shh, calm down, Dolly, it's okay... You're here, I'm here, no one's going anywhere, it's just you and me. I'm here, I'm alive, I love you, girl."

The reassurance that Lizzy's alive is something Lizzy knows always helps Doll calm down and relax, since she's so paranoid that Lizzy's gonna die and leave her alone. Telling Doll that she's alive, over and over again, it's something Lizzy understands Doll needs. Having so many people die in her life, Doll would definitely be traumatised and anxious about danger, and Lizzy will gladly remind Doll that she's alive and well, as many times Doll needs. Always.

Doll still sobs into Lizzy's chest, desperately clutching her forearms as if it was a lifeline. The pitiful Russian Worker Drone sniffles and whimpers, breaking Lizzy's metaphorical heart further. It absolutely shatters Lizzy, seeing Doll so... so desperate. "[She-- She killed them! V---]"

"I know, Doll, I get it, but I promise that everything's---"

"[It's not okay! Not until they come b-back! I can't let them go!]"

"You can, and you will, hun. I promise. Shh, calm down, I'm alive...."

"[I-I can't--]

"You can."

"[Lizzy, please just---]"

"No, hun. Dolly, gorgeous, you need to breathe."

"[....]"

Doll settles down a little from the back-and-forth, yet still trembles in her girlfriend's arms. Lizzy sighs in relief, before resting her head on Doll's. This is what she wanted to get to; Doll's finally getting herself together. This kinda thing happens at random, or at a predictable time if there's a trigger. Lizzy suspected something was up when Doll wasn't answering the phone. She normally texts back after the second message.

Lizzy sits with her girlfriend through the recovery process, idly humming a nice little tune as she strokes her girl's back comfortingly. Once Lizzy's sure Doll's recovered enough to speak again, Lizzy attempts at a conversation. "You good, hun?" She mumbles, nuzzling Doll's cheek gently.

Doll sniffles softly, before shakily nodding and sighing in relaxation, now snapped back from her mental breakdown. The Russian girl pushes her head against Lizzy's as a sign of appreciative affection, purring gingerly. "[Yeah, I... Y-Yeah...]" Doll whispers, focusing more on the physical contact than the verbal communication. Lizzy hums in acknowledgement, before pulling away to face her girlfriend directly. She rubs her thumb along Doll's hand, staring into Doll's tired, scarlet optics.

"You sure?" Lizzy questions, reaching out to brush her hand against Doll's cheek. Doll purrs a little louder as she holds Lizzy's hand there with her own, wanting Lizzy as close as possible. Lizzy blushes, softly, at the adorable noise, before narrowing her eyes. "Don't lie to me, nerd."

"[Mhm, I'm just tired.... I miss them...]" Doll quietly admits, staring down, into her lap. She can't get them out of her head. It's like they have an iron grip around her mind, ceasing to let her live a normal life with Lizzy like Doll wants. Doll's getting real tired of this constant torment to her mental health. She wants to be at peace.

Lizzy nods in understanding, before cupping Doll's face and bringing her head right up to Lizzy's, the close proximity causing both girls to blush. "I know, girl. But you have to let go. It sucks, and it'll be hard to move on, but you just gotta, Doll." She urges, pressing her lips against Doll's perfect pair, loving the natural taste of her girlfriend's lips, despite the prominent taste of oil. Lizzy's beyond caring. "I'll help you, though. I'll always love to help my dorky girl!" Lizzy snickers, playfully squishing Doll's cheeks to lighten the mood.

Doll smiles at Lizzy, before rolling her eyes as she laughs at her enthusiastic cheerleader. At least Lizzy's here to help her not feel like junk every day. Doll's always grateful to have her in her life, as troublesome as it may be sometimes. Doll grunts as she stands up and wordlessly opens her door. Lizzy snickers softly. "My room?"

Doll nods, holding Lizzy's hand as she makes her way over to her girlfriend's much less traumatizing room. It's more of a safe place, for Doll. Lizzy makes it a safe place. Doll's so glad Lizzy's here for her, so happy she's alive. Doll knows she'll stick by her girlfriend forever, and honestly, she's perfectly okay with that.

**No Comfort Route**

"No, hun. Dolly, gorgeous, you need to breathe."

"[Stop! Just stop talking, I can't!]"

Doll's sudden outburst startles Lizzy, as her girlfriend never normally.... Just loses it like this. This is bad, this is dangerous, this is something she needs to fix! But, it seems as if Doll's acting completely unreasonable. She whines and throws herself back, against the wall, further away from Lizzy.

Doll grits her teeth in anger. Why should she have to let go!? Does Lizzy think it's really that simple for her!? Is she kidding!? Doll's Solver sparks with renewed power, her synthetic claws digging through the steel of her flooring. No. She can't just let people as important as her parents go. They're fine. They're fine to stay; Doll would feel lost without them around. She wouldn't feel the same if she got rid of them. Lizzy's out of her mind.

Doll stands to her feet and stalks towards Lizzy, who defensively glares at her girlfriend in a concerned yet pissed expression. "You have to seriously get some god damn help! Your parents are DEAD, Doll! Get it through your thick head, because you need to wake the hell up!" Lizzy shouts, slamming her fist against the wall beside her. She can't take Doll's delusions anymore, she can't keep playing pretend with her. This ends now.

Doll angrily hisses at Lizzy, her teeth unable to block the savage saliva leaking from her mouth. She's had it with Lizzy's constant urging. The Russian girl lunges at Lizzy and pins her to the ground, her maw revealing the rows of sharp, devilish teeth she uses to tear Drones apart. "[You don't get a say in anything! You don't know how I'm god damn feeling, Lizzy!]"

Lizzy's name is spat with so much venom that it may as well have come from a serpent. Lizzy, now drained of anger and filled with fear, kicks Doll off of her and runs to the exit of the room, holding onto the doorway. "You're sick in the fucking head, you maniac!" The cheerleader screams, before booking it down the hallway. She barricades herself in her room, turns her phone off and huddles into her bed. She doesn't want to talk to anyone.

Doll glares at the exit, staggering up from the ground where Lizzy kicked her. The Russian Worker Drone breathes deeply, trying to desperately control herself as her Solver attempts to pinpoint Lizzy in order to tear her apart. But Doll would never. As much as she wants to. No, not her, the Solver. Never her, not her...

Madly, Doll grins and tears off the arm of one of the spare corpses, nibbling on the metal. Her mind is foggy, her systems are full of eldritch rage, her core is filled with a guilt-ridden sorrow. But she's not leaving her room. She has a dinner to return to. Doll sits down, in the oil-soaked chair, her hands tapping on the desk. As digital tears fall, Doll remains oblivious. She lifts the remaining oil pool to her mouth, since her bowl is shattered, and licks the liquid from her fingers.

It's rude to cancel a family dinner night after a disruptive event.

Chapter Text

Lizzy's not okay. Far from it. Of course, right as soon as she was getting a friend group back, she's lost it in a day. Just like her old one, because of scrap duty. It's a risk everyone has to take, but why them!? It's not fair, dealing with the bullshit of Copper-9, Disassembly Drones out to end lives and ruin the rest. She's been trying to ignore the ever-obvious dread and depression crawling along her 'spine', but it's just too hard to ignore.

Her grade for the stupid test on random garbage fell below her personal average, not like Lizzy actually gives a damn at the moment. Why should she? It's not something she'll ever need, but that's not the point. The point is, Lizzy needs someone. Someone she can actually talk to about this, without it getting ignored because people don't like talking about death and stuff. She knows the perfect girl who can actually do something about this, which is why she texted her to come over.

Laying on her bed, Lizzy waits. The clock in her room, put up for aesthetic reasons and not because she can actually read the time on that thing, ticks the seconds away, which seems increasingly agonising. Finally, in a burst of crimson lightning, Doll's here. Wordlessly, Lizzy simply raises both of her arms in a needy gesture, her girlfriend understanding immediately. Doll walks to the edge of the bed, only to be roughly pulled into Lizzy's arms by eager hands. Doll yelps with surprise, Lizzy never normally initiating these sessions, but doesn't mind a bit, as Lizzy presses herself as close as possible against Doll as she can manage.

Grateful, Lizzy groans and holds Doll tighter, burying her face into her neck and wrapping her legs around Doll's waist. Doll voluntarily purrs, tracing small circles on Lizzy's back, playing with her hair with the opposite hand. Lizzy sighs as the duel sensation, appreciating the effort. They remain like this for a while, before Doll speaks up, her voice as calming as her caresses.

"[It's okay to be upset, y'know? You don't need to wait to talk to me. School can wait until you're ready. I love you, Lizzy.]" Doll whispers, peppering kisses along the entirety of Lizzy's porcelain face with an eagerness Lizzy can't describe. The cheerleader blushes and reflects on Doll's words. They're quite unexpected for a Drone as reserved as Doll, but Lizzy loves it all the same.

Lizzy snickers softly, her mood already lighting up as she buries her face into Doll's chest, grinning a little. "Pfft, yeah... Gotcha. Love ya too, you weird little dork.... Thanks."

Chapter Text

"I can't actually believe Khan repaired this junk..." Lizzy remarks, raising a digi-brow at the new and improved FunFair™ (Random Deaths are Not Any of Their Problems-- Faculty). She stares at the large structures outside of the Bunker, the glowing lights beating down on her screen. The entertainment is full of activities, such as a Ferris Wheel, rigged games, carousels and the like. It looks like it's been shut down for a long, long time. That is, until Khan requested it be renewed.

Uzi, holding N's hand as they walk into the amusement park, scowls at the cheerleader. "Well, we kinda need something to do around here. Staring at the wall and waiting for death isn't a smart idea." The gothic Drone quips, yet starts blushing as N begins to swing their arms in a totally not cool fashion.

"Yeah! Plus, it looks really cool! Look, Uzi! Can we go on the big circle thingy!? Can we can we can we can we---" N rapidly asks, pointing at the Ferris wheel as he bounces on his heels, grinning with utmost childlike excitement. He's never heard of these sorts of things and he really wants to try it out! He likes doing anything, especially if it's harmless fun!

"Yes, just stop ask--- WHOAH!" Uzi's angry demand is immediately cut off, the second Uzi said 'yes' sparking an unmatched level of enthusiasm and eagerness by the Disassembly Drone. N picks Uzi up and spreads his mechanical wings, zooming off into the highest seat of the circular entertainment.

Both Doll and Lizzy stare after the duo, before the cheerleader rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Pfft. There goes dumb and dumber. So, girly, whaddya wanna do first?" Lizzy happily inquires, looking at her girlfriend. Doll shrugs nonchalantly, nudging Lizzy a little to go and see what there is since she's completely lost on human festivities and such. They all seem really generic and odd, from what she's heard around the place.

"[Dunno, but how about you go take a look? You know more about this than me.]" Doll reminds, glancing around the area. The lighting seems kinda pretty, Doll supposes. Veronica might've done it, since she's good with decorative stuff and colours. Doll darts her optics towards the Ferris Wheel. It's spinning a significant amount faster than what Doll suspects it should, but she can hear Uzi's screams for the ride to go faster. Typical.

Doll's thoughts are interrupted as Lizzy suddenly tugs Doll towards a weird attraction she can't quite explain. It's... Kinda tall, and bright with a wide set of seats attached to the bottom. It looks weird, nothing like Doll's heard of or seen in an old human magazine, but she supposes she's out of the human amusement loop anyways. Lizzy smugly squeezes Doll's hand, smirk lining her face. "This one's supposed to be, like, totally intense. You'd love it, Doll! Let's go!"

Without waiting for any input, the cheerleader drags her hesitant girlfriend onto one of the seats, before sitting right next to her and kicking her feet gleefully. "[Khan might've not prepared this one as good as the others, though. Are.... Are you sure you'll be safe?]" Doll inquires, inspecting the mechanisms of the ride. Doll doesn't want Lizzy to go flying off of this thing, even if she can catch her anyway. Doll doesn't need the core attack, though.

Lizzy scoffs and flicks her hand in Doll's face, before pressing the button to start up the ride. "You worry too much, moron. Lighten up! I'm sure the freak's dad did something right for once. Chill." Lizzy reassured, gripping onto the handlebars provided by the ride. Doll nervously shuffles in her seat, gripping the handles so hard that it actually dented the metal. She's nervous, don't blame her! The ride begins whirring and they can both hear the metal and hydraulics preparing themselves for whatever's about to happen to them.

Suddenly, they're launched into the air, gripping the handles tight as ever.

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"Faster, faster, faster, faster!!" Uzi screams, grinning maniacally as she leans over her seat in excitement. This is amazing, every inch of her wiring's completely on fire with adrenaline! As the wind slams through her hair, her stomach dropping as the Ferris Wheel spins, Uzi feels great!

N flaps his mechanical wings as fast as he can manage, propelling the ride further. This sure is a workout, and it's fun, but he really thinks he should stop before the ride flies off the hinges. "Nuh uh, I-I'm gonna slow it down!" N warns, before he spreads his wings to it's full wingspan, the wind catching on the metal and therefore, slowing the ride down a lot more than it had been. There! Muuuuch better and less worrying! Uzi groans and falls back in her seat with a thud, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Ughhhh, you're no fun..." She mumbles, glancing away from her boyfriend as he smiles and sits back beside her. N giggles and kisses Uzi's forehead, holding her hand as his tail curls around her left leg.

"I'm just being safe! Besides, I think it's okay to take it slow every now and then, y'know?" N smiles, tilting his head with an affectionate glint in his optics. Uzi takes one look at her dork and can't help but melt. He looks so happy, how could she complain? Uzi snickers and rolls her eyes, before leaning against N's stomach and hugging him close with a heavy blush.

"Mmh, yeah... It's no fair, how literally disgustingly cute you are, sometimes." Uzi scoffs, causing N to blush with glee, his tail wagging as it unravels itself from Uzi's leg so he doesn't sting her. He got a genuine compliment from her! N's really happy to hear them, at any times of the day!

"Heeheehee! Well, you're really sweet, Uzi! Oh, how'd you think the others are doing?" N inquires, turning his gaze to the ride they chose. The long seat-thingy is gliding along the length of the ride with an impressive speed, and N can just barely make out two figures, one nearly out of her seat. Jeez. Maybe he should..? Uzi cuddles into N's arms and sighs gently, gingerly running her fingers through his fluffy hair.

"Eh, I'm sure they're having fun and stuff..."

Yeah. They're probably having the time of their lives! What was N even worrying about, anyway?

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"[Can you sit the hell down!?]" Doll screeches, desperately trying to get Lizzy to sit back in her damn seat and stop risking her life for a stupid selfie. She's actually about to shut down and Lizzy isn't making it any better. At all. Lizzy snickers and rolls her eyes at Doll, her upper half leaning completely out of her seat and handlebars, only one hand gripping the metal as the other holds her phone.

"Ugh, chill! It's fine, I'm just getting one picture of us both! Memories, y'know!?" Lizzy shouts over the noise of the rushing wind as the ride lifts them upwards. Doll grips Lizzy's leg for safety for them both, since she completely decimated the safety rails because she held on too tight. Way too tight.

"[We're not gonna have any memories if you keep being reckless!]" The panicked Russian girl chastises, her voice falling on deaf ears due to Lizzy completely ignoring her. Just perfect! Yet, on the abrupt drop of the ride taking them back down, Lizzy accidentally fumbles and her phone slips right out of her hands with a startled gasp. Doll growls in anxious frustration and times herself right, before gripping her girlfriend and leaping out of the ride. Doll teleports to the ground, Lizzy experiencing a strong sense of vertigo as she crumples to the ground.

Doll holds her hand out in the air and, with a precise calculation of position, Lizzy's phone drops into Doll's hand. Doll adjusts her grip on the device and makes sure there's no damage. Nothing. Good. She crouches beside Lizzy and hoists her back up to her feet, spinning spirals rotating in the place of Lizzy's eyes. "T-thanks..." She mumbles, taking her phone from her unamused girlfriend. Doll rolls her eyes and begins heading back to the exit to meet up with Uzi and N.

"[I really hope you learned something from that. You can't just go around thinking that you're free of consequences, Lizzy, because you could've gotten yourself seriously hurt. You won't be lucky every time, so it's best you--- Mmphh!?]"

Doll is abruptly interrupted of her chastising rant, stunned by a long, passionate kiss right on her lips, Lizzy's hands roughly holding Doll's face to her own. Lizzy presses into the kiss a little more firmly, before releasing her girlfriend. Doll is completely spun out, dazedly following Lizzy along before they pause at the exit. She can't argue with that.

Both N and Uzi arrive right after the two others do, Uzi resting in N's arms, visibly tired. She raises a digi-brow at them both, pointing between the two in confusion. "Wow, you both look like a mess." She points out, motioning towards Doll and Lizzy's frazzled hair. Lizzy rolls her eyes at the gothic Drone, walking back with them towards the Bunker.

"Yeah, well, we had a little issue. Nothin' big, just life-threatening. Boring stuff." Lizzy casually sighs, gripping her phone a little tighter. She'd need Doll to do an internal check on the device, the wind might've messed something up. N frowns softly, glancing over at the Russian girl, who's completely silent and... Really blushy and dazed. Did she get hurt?

"Uhm, Lizzy? What's wrong with Doll?" N asks, as if he was an innocent child, tone concerned and soft. Lizzy's lips curl into a sinister, cryptic smile as she tugs Doll closer into her side, hand gripping Doll's hip. Her pink optics narrow mischievously, before brightening up as she glances over towards N.

"She's fine."

Chapter Text

"[I'll do your week for scrap duty next week.]" With a sinister grin, that confirms it. That's all Uzi needed to hear for her to agree.

See, for the past hour, Doll has frantically been fretting over her anniversary gift that she's made professional blueprints for. It's the day of her and Lizzy's anniversary and Doll's got the perfect gift for her girlfriend, but doesn't have the materials she needs. She only has morbid things and cockroaches in her house, so she can't really do much there and going to Lizzy for help is an obvious no. Though, Doll knows Uzi's got resources. She's made that railgun, after all, so she's clearly fit for the job. She's good with making stuff, and Doll's good with coding. It's clear who she's going to for help.

But Uzi's stubborn. After so long of Doll bullying her with Lizzy, she was adamant on letting Doll complete mess up and panic about her stupid relationship crap. It was annoying, how much Doll was trying to get her to agree. She's shown her all the blueprints in detail, trying to intrigue her, but Uzi wasn't that easy. So, Doll tried bribing her. She'd do her schoolwork, or distract Khan whenever Uzi wanted to sneak out or avoid him, but nothing worked. Until Doll brought up scrap duty. No one wants to do it, including Uzi, so it was a done deal.

With relief, Doll thanked her half-friend and sighed, laying out her blueprints. Uzi picked them up and examined them closer than she had before. They were blueprints for designing a robotic cat, to Uzi's surprise. It was really well made, too, and luckily, Uzi happened to have all the parts needed, stored away in her cabinet. With a groan, the gothic girl walks over towards her stash and opens the doors, all kinds of parts pouring all over the floor. "Here, all the junk we need's all here, so take your pick and start helping."

With a determined nod, Doll grabs up some wires and a motherboard, quickly getting to work. She's going to make this gift the best one Lizzy can receive.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

A distance away, within the snowy wasteland, a small mewing sound is released into the air. With delicate, featherweight paws, a furred coat contrasts against the snow. A young, hazel cat, black streaks caressing the fur with a gentle patterning, eyes a tiny crack in the Bunker. Warmth. that's where she needs to be. True to the CDS, the golden-eyed feline trots her way over to the brightly-lit crevice. She squeezes through, before yelping at a rough ridge catching her skin. The cut soon heals, as does the pain, not even a faint scar left behind from what she can see.

The gift of immortality bestowed upon all living creatures remaining on this planet is a gift to cherish. The feline pulls herself through the last inch, her paws placed onto the new flooring of the interior. She wipes her snow-dampened paws of the clovers that had been stuck to her toe pads, before lifting her head up to see her new surroundings.

Pink. It's.... Really pink. A very exciting change to the dull, repetitive white she's been living in for some time now. Curiously, the cat gently pads over towards a tall, rectangle structure. Woah... This is new. It's all new. With a calculated leap, she springs onto the bed and her pupils constrict into thin, black slits. It's soft.

She can rest here for a few hours.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Finally. After hours of hard work, occasional bickering and difficult coding, it's complete. A lifelike cat, built with flexible silicone and topped off with a metal coating, it's complete. The mechanical feline's visor displays a loading symbol, it's charging cable of a tail whipping, softly, against the stagnant air. Suddenly, a pair of pink and red eyelights flicker to life against the black void of the screen. He's alive. Excitedly, Doll and Uzi turn to eachother and squeal with a palpable exhilaration, before Doll picks up her gift.

"[He's perfect! Look at the intricate details, you even included whiskers... I'm impressed, Uzi.]" Doll compliments, looking down at her half-friend. Uzi blushes softly and rolls her eyes, before shoving Doll out of her room. She gives the robo-cat the pink, magnetic bow accessory, before waving the Russian Worker Drone off.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. You're cool with coding. See ya." After the hasty compliment, Uzi swiftly shuts her door, blocking everyone out. Doll looks down at her gift, which peers up at her and gives a friendly mewl. With a gentle scratch under his chin, Doll makes her way over to Lizzy's room. This would be a gift to remember. Doll knows how much Lizzy's been reading into cats and stuff, and she knows Lizzy's gonna love it!

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"What. The hell." A shaky voice startles the cat out of her nap, the feline arching her back in alarm as her gaze locks onto the blonde-haired cheerleader that's staring at her in astonishment. With a shy mewl, the cat tilts it's head at the unmoving girl, curious about her, even if it could be dangerous.

Suddenly, a gentle pair of hands lifts the little cat up, her furred face pressed into her chest. With a squeal, Lizzy spins around and giggles with an uncontrollable amount of glee and excitement. "Oh my god, oh my god! A cat!? They're still around this dump!? Holy hell, you're adorable! You're mine, now, how about that!?" The excited tone reaches the feline's sensitive ears, but it's clear that this girl is happy to have her here. Purring, the cat releases a trill of acceptance, wanting this one as her own. She knows she'll love it here.

"Great! Oh, this is amazing! Wait, you need a name, hun. Uhmmm.... Oh! How about 'Clover'? That suits you, right?" Lizzy inquires, scritching under her new cat's chin. With a nonchalant purring mew, Clover accepts her new name. Giggling, Lizzy nuzzles her cheek into Clover's soft, hazel fur, before the two perk up at a knock on the door. Lizzy's grin widens. Doll has to see this! And her original anniversary gift, too! Opening the door, Lizzy prepares to greet her girlfriend, Clover in her arms, before stopping dead at the sight of a small, curious pair of digital eyes.

Doll's optics hollow at the sight of an organic being resting in Lizzy's arms; she's only seen a calendar hinting that they still remain a while ago. She never thought it could be true. Doll finds her voice, and reaches out to pet the brown-furred cat. It presses it's head into Doll's hand with a friendly purr. "[Lizzy, you... When did you find a live cat?]" Is all Doll can ask, allowing her girlfriend to gently take the robotic cat in her arms, swapping Clover into Doll's.

"I'm pretty sure Clover found me, to be honest. She just popped up in my bed, like a total boss. Takes what she wants, no questions asked! And... What's this guy about?" The cheerleader inquires, examining the smooth silicone of the new feline in her hold. He gives a joyful blink up at Lizzy, before wrapping his black, prehensile, charger cable of a tail curls around her arm. Lizzy giggles in ecstatic glee, grinning at her sheepish girlfriend.

"[Your anniversary gift. Happy anniversary, Sweetness.]" Doll croons, pulling her cheerleader right up against her. Lizzy blushes and cups Doll's cheek with one hand, before pressing a loving kiss to Doll's lips. Doll sighs into the passionate gesture, before pulling away and petting her creation. "[What're you gonna name him?]" Doll asks, nuzzling against Lizzy's cheek. Lizzy places the robo-cat down, before using her newly freed arm to tug Doll closer.

"I named Clover, so... How about you name him? You did kinda build the little guy, after all." Lizzy reminds, brushing Doll's hair out of her face. Doll smirks and ponders for a little bit, absentmindedly playing with the bottom of Lizzy's crop top as she tries to come up with a suitable name. Doll's expression lights up, before she smiles with pride. "[Chip?]" Lizzy snorts, before she snickers in amusement and hugs Doll close, blushing heavily.

"You're such a nerd!"

Meanwhile, Chip pads his way over to Clover, tilting his head in curiosity. His heterochromic eyelights narrow, before his systems decide to register in his CPU officially. Clover watches with utmost interest, her pupils dilated in intrigue.

[User ID: Chip]

Registering Organic Feline: 'Clover' into [Family_File]...
.
.
Registering Drone: 'Lizzy' into [Family_File]...
.
.
Complete!

Finished with his diagnostics, Chip releases a mechanical warble and brushes up against Clover. The organic being gives him a playful bite on the head, before rolling over on her back and batting at his face. Chip mewls in a playful manner, cable-tail teasingly flicking at Clover's ears. They're both happy with these arrangements.

Lizzy, after a long standing-cuddle-session with Doll, gasps in remembrance and tugs Doll along into her room. Doll allows herself to be pulled, tilting her head slightly. "I have something for ya! Sit!" Lizzy orders, patting her bed. Doll complies, sitting down on the fluffy material. The second she does so, Chip and Clover scramble onto the bed as well, nuzzling against the pink sheets. Lizzy grabs her remote, before laying down, next to Doll. She smiles and dims the lights, holding her girlfriend close, before flicking on the TV.

Doll's crimson eyes hollow in amazement and shock, as she watches the screen's contents play. It's her and her mother's favourite movie they loved watching, back when she was alive. It's a really good animated movie about a large, black salamander creature with wings that Yeva got Doll into, a movie Doll thought was lost in her room or damaged by the oil. But no. Lizzy actually has a copy. The cheerleader notices Doll's expression and soothingly rubs her back.

"I found this one in my desk drawers. Turns out, I have a copy of it! Must've watched it back when I was a kid. But, happy anniversary, gorgeous. I got the whole series." Lizzy mentions, grinning wildly at Doll's extremely excited and grateful expression. Doll presses a grateful kiss to Lizzy's lips, before focusing on the screen.

Clover and Chip settle down next to eachother, pressing against one another as they close their eyes after a long, exciting day. Both of them know that they'd be cherished for the rest of their infinite lives. With a soft, duel purr, the two felines fall asleep to the feeling of their owners brushing their hands against their bodies.

Chapter Text

Ugh. Of course. of course, this would happen to her, right when she needs it the least. Right as she was on a really good motivation streak in testing the Absolute Solver and it's abilities, she caught a virus. It's probably because of overuse of the Solver, but she needs to get more information on it and if it has anything else to offer. So, Doll ignores how sick she feels and continues her little tests.

Groaning, Doll can barely even manifest the glyph to her fingertips. Her eyelights are fuzzy around the rim, her CPU is stuttering and buffering and she just feels like trash. Tired, stressed out trash. But she still needs to do this. This terrifying power is much more important than Doll's personal health, because this can affect everyone, not just herself. Sicknesses can be helped, this curse can't and it's as simple as that.

Yet, Doll startles as her door is unlocked in a sudden, quick movement. Lizzy stands at the door, crossing her arms as her eyes narrow at her girlfriend. "Get. Some. Damn. Rest." The cheerleader growls, knowing damn well that Doll keeps overworking herself. The Russian girl simply sneers, before opening her mouth. Lizzy slaps her hand onto Doll's mouth, effectively shutting her up. "Nuh uh, none of that. If you're using that stupid ghost stuff, that's what's making you sick. Keep using it, and you're gonna get even worse. Use your brain, idiot." Lizzy scoffs, before grabbing her girlfriend's hand.

Doll whines in protest, but she's honestly too tired to speak that much. With a begrudgingly annoyed growl off acceptance, Doll allows herself to be pulled into Lizzy's room and onto her bed. She sits up, only to be roughly pushed back down by an irritated cheerleader. Lizzy switches off the lights, before shoving herself into Doll's arms. She doesn't have the Solver, so she can't get sick at all. It's a win-win situation. "If you move from this bed before you're better, I'm taking away all of your batteries. I know where you hide them." Lizzy mumbles, her warning aggravating Doll.

She'd need to hide those someplace new, now. At least, she knows that Lizzy's been snooping in her room while she's off, doing her own thing. Doll grumbles, before wrapping her arms around Lizzy and shutting herself down for the night. Lizzy sighs and pulls out her phone, scrolling through social media as she idly strokes her hand along Doll's hair. She takes a quick picture of Doll, before snickering and continuing to rest with her girlfriend.

Chapter Text

"Ugh, so what're we even here for, again? I hate the stupidly freaky cabin or whatever the hell this thing is..." Lizzy remarks, flicking away some grimey dust from her hands she'd brushed on. Both Doll and Uzi just roll their eyes, before continuing to search in silence, occasionally alerting the other about some suspicious findings.

The cabin is completely disgusting, in Lizzy's opinion. Then again, anything that isn't Doll or doesn't have a glint of pink is horribly atrocious to her. Lizzy quietly sighs to herself in annoyance, watching as the freak and her girlfriend search the dump of a lodge. She doesn't even need to be here, but she heard Doll was coming and she wants to be around her at all times, since Lizzy hasn't seen much of her after... Yeah.

Doll picks up a bunch of papers, the material damp and intelligible due to the amount of oil and other substances marring it. Time surely took it's toll on these. Doll can't even make out a date. She carelessly plops them back on the table, before continuing to search. She passes by Lizzy on one of her rounds, giving her a quick kiss to comfort her, before attempting to find something useful. They both disregard Uzi's mocking gag of disgust.

Lizzy blushes in response to the quick bout of affection, before looking around the space. Nothing, nothing, and more nothing. Until there's something. Curiously, Lizzy brushes away a large amount of gathered dust using a stray piece of paper, not wanting the dirt to touch anywhere near her hands, before uncovering a sort of... Remote. It looks ancient, like one of those Nokia things with an antenna. It's only unique diversity is the back of it, where a yellow JCJenson logo is engraved. Huh.

"Hey, nerds, is this what you're looking for?" Lizzy calls out, raising her digi-brow as she holds the device up. Both Doll and Uzi turn around in curiosity, before Uzi groans and rolls her eyes at the cheerleader. She turns back around, but keeps her violet optics on Lizzy for a second.

"No, jerk, that's literally a TV remote. Or computer remote or whatever. It's nothing important." The gothic teen states, before moving on to the back of the cabin. Doll just shrugs and shakes her head. She's sure it's like Uzi said, nothing big. It could easily belong to the multiple electronics in here.

Lizzy rolls her eyes in irritation. Of course, her genius is ignored once again. Typical. "You're both just mad I found something and you couldn't find anything." She quips, before turning to place it back down. Lizzy pauses, glancing at the paper she used to wipe the initial dust off of the remote. It's... Instructions. Grinning, Lizzy picks up the paper. She's getting somewhere, while those two losers search for nothing. Hah! Squinting her eyes at the faded ink, she reads the paper instructions.

"Reset System Remote, or RSR! This handy-dandy little device allows you to revive and heal up any misbehaving Drones of the 100 Subjects we have at JCJenson Headquarters! Yup, you read that right! For example; 002 chose to bite your finger off again? You chose a too-harsh punishment? With this remote, any damages you caused will be fixed in an instant! Note: Do NOT use on any non-experimental or unharmed, functional Drones! It doesn't end well.(JCJenson is not liable for any inconvenience, death, vengeful Drones, torture, agony or mental/physical trauma.)"

Oh. My god. Wasn't Doll's mother one of those subjects!? Lizzy needs to tell her about this! Lizzy urgently holds up the paper and remote in one hand, whipping around to face the other two yet again. "Doll! This is, like, a revival remote or something! Were your parents subjects?? Because you can get them back, girl!" Lizzy alerts, which causes Doll to instantly teleport to Lizzy's side and snatch the paper from Lizzy's grasp. After a quick read, Doll's eyes hollow at the official confirmation.

Wasting absolutely no time at all, Doll grabs Uzi and Lizzy's arms, before teleporting them right back to her house. Due to it being such a long distance, Doll takes a moment to regain her strength, allowing Uzi to catch up on whatever the hell just happened. She gingerly takes the paper and her head is boggled as she reads the unique properties of the seemingly innocent device. Jeez, she didn't know JCJenson was this advanced... Killing all humans might be a little more difficult...

"Daaaang, this is cool! We can get the ghost creep's weird parents back! Hell yeah, they could answer some stuff about humans!" Uzi exclaims, shoving the remote in Doll's hand. Hey, she's not gonna steal the limelight from Doll, not in this kind of situation. Plus, Uzi doesn't wanna get mega killed if things fall flat. Lizzy glares at Uzi, before guiding Doll to the dining table.

"Yep, Doll's gonna have a nice little reunion! Maybe she'll be less insane..." Lizzy quips, muttering under her breath. She enunciates her girlfriend's name, since Lizzy doesn't want anyone else but her calling Doll mean names, so Uzi can respectfully piss off in that regard. And every other regard, honestly. Doll shoulda just left her at camp, in Lizzy's opinion.

Doll regains her composure and excitedly grips the remote, bouncing on the balls of her 'feet' like an excited child. It's completely un-Doll-like behaviour to Lizzy, but it's completely adorable so she gets a pass. Lizzy and Uzi step back, watching with caution as Doll aims the antenna at her mother and presses the button. Immediately, whisps of yellow energy circle Yeva, before dissipating. They wait for a while, before Doll lids her optics in anticipated disappointment. "[Mmh. Well, I suppose I can't wish for that much---]"

The Russian girl is promptly interrupted, as her mother's head rolls forward, her arm planted on the desk, lifting in a motion to push her torso up. All three Drone's watch, in awe, as Yeva reconstructs herself, the wound in her head melding into a fresh, untouched screen. All injured function in her CPU repair themselves, and after an immensely detailed internal examination, a pair of crimson eyes flicker onto Yeva's screen.

Doll instantly faints, collapsing to the ground, only to be quickly caught by Lizzy's careful arms.

Yeva groans, before she gasps in alarm. "[The Disassembly Drone! Did--- Is it gone!? Where's Doll, is she alright!? Is Kameran!? W-why does my house look like a crime scene!?]" Yeva rapidly questions, confused, as she glances around the house. Her gaze soon falls to the three girls, who're staring at her in amazement. Yeva frowns at Uzi, who she's familiar with, as she is Nori's kid.

"[Uzi? Who's that? What's going on?]" She gently asks, standing up from the kitchen table. She walks over to Lizzy and picks her daughter up, before looking down at the purple Drone. Put on the spot, Uzi fumbles with her speech and is unable to get a word out. Lizzy scoffs at Uzi's incompetence, before stepping up to Yeva.

"Look, here's a quick rundown. V kinda killed you and Doll's dad, Doll went insane because of it, I found a remote and now, you're here. Does that clear it up?" Lizzy asks, raising her digi-brow in impatience. She gets antsy when Doll's unresponsive, in someone else's grasp or acting weird. Sue her for worrying, would ya?

"[Not at all, but I'll try to take that summary as it is. Now, where's---]"

"[Mother!]"

Doll intervenes, suddenly waking back up and wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. She sobs with excitement and relief, feeling like a bucket of stress has just been lifted right from her shoulders. Yeva yelps in surprise, before giggling at her daughter's enthusiasm. She twirls Doll around like she used to when Doll was little, before setting her on the ground. Doll stays right beside her mother, oblivious to Lizzy's jealous tugging on her skirt. She gets it's an inappropriate moment, but seeing Doll so vulnerable and happy makes Lizzy wanna kiss her. A lot. Again, sue her.

Yeva gently brushes Doll's hair from her eyes, before holding her hand. "[Oh, Doll... How've you been, all this time? It must've been a really hard thing to overcome, seeing something like that.]" Yeva sympathetically sighs, to which Doll glances away in guilt. Yeva looks around the room and winces in realisation. Doll didn't exactly overcome it, it's obvious. "[I see...]"

Glaring, Lizzy tugs Doll away and into her arms, wanting to comfort Doll and not bring up past trauma in what's meant to be a happy moment. She gently kisses Doll, which is returned with utmost enthusiasm and affection. Lizzy snickers into the kiss, stroking down the length of Doll's back. Uzi gives no reaction, as she isn't exactly there. Only a note remains, saying this is too sappy and she's gonna hang with N. Hypocrite. Yeva places her hands on her hips and smirks in an overly smug way. "[My, look at this! What's your name, hm?]" Yeva asks, smiling welcomingly.

Lizzy glances back at Yeva, before sheepishly letting Doll go. "Lizzy. I'm Doll's girlfriend and if you have a problem with it, you can---" Lizzy's aggressive threat is immediately covered by Doll's hand, the Russian girl nudging Lizzy in embarrassment. Yeva simply snickers and nods, waving Lizzy off. She's really amused by Doll's girlfriend, that's for sure.

"[Heehee, relax. I'm perfectly fine with it. I remember being just like that when I first started going out with Kameran. Speaking of..." Yeva trails off, turning back to her still-deactivated husband. She sighs, a fresh wave of grief hitting her core right where it hurts. Doll, not wanting her mother to be sad point blank, presses the remote into her hand.

"[I-it's okay! You can bring Father back with this!]" The Russian girl reminds, Lizzy nodding in agreement. Yeva gingerly grips the device, examining it. She supposes it could work. She's familiar with this device. It was used on her a lot, in the past. She knows the rules and what to do, here. Yeva nods, before cautiously pointing the device at the morbid sight of her dead husband. Doll excitedly grins, watching in anticipation, gripping Lizzy's hand tightly. Yeva presses the button.

Just like before, golden whisps envelop Kameron's figure, before dissipating into the stagnant air. To Yeva's delight, Kameran repairs each of his wounds, before shuddering and rolling his head up in a less slumped position. Yeva's smile fades. Her husband wasn't a subject. She's not supposed to revive on-experimental Drones with the remote. Oh no. "[Kids, stand behind me.]" Yeva orders, to the pair's confusion.

Doll and Lizzy gasp in fear as they watch Kameran's optics flicker back online. They're yellow. Instinctively, Doll charges up her Absolute Solver Program, knowing that yellow, on any Drones face, is bad. She shoves Lizzy back and stands beside her Mother, who sighs in resignation. She supposes Doll is capable of fighting, if the state of the room has anything to say about it. As Kameran leaps over the table, Yeva hesitates, before slamming her fist against his face, sending him against the wall.

Doll grits her teeth and rips the forks off the table with her Solver, melting and editing them into sharp, deadly blades. Yeva copies over a set for herself, before both Drones launch the blades into Kameran's head and core. He writhes against the wall, before abruptly pausing, smoke rising out of his mouth. It was a quick job, but no less painful than killing a family member would be. Yeva sighs and places her hand on Doll's head, comfortingly.

"[We will have to burn him later. I'm sorry you had to do that, Doll. I had forgotten about the consequences of using the remote on a Drone who hasn't been a subject. But, I suppose guilt makes someone do brash things...]" The Mother mellowly states, oblivious to how Doll hangs her head in an understanding regret. Lizzy holds Doll's hand a little tighter, kissing her cheek gently. Yeva turns to the two girls and slaps on a smile.

"[But, that's enough of that. I'm back with you, now, Doll. We can fix up the room and live our lives like normal. Your father would be really proud of you, you know.]" Yeva softly mentions, hugging her daughter close. Doll smiles in a bashful manner, averting her gaze. Taking advantage of Doll's fluster, Lizzy grins and tugs Doll close.

"She's right, girly. Who wouldn't? I mean, you totally schooled V, a Disassembly Drone. He'd be through the roof, I bet!" Lizzy exclaims with genuine honesty, causing Doll to blush a little more. Doll squeezes Lizzy's hand in appreciation, to which Lizzy runs her thumb along the top of Doll's hand. Yeva grins and pulls the two girls against her, giving a Motherly Hug™.

"[Correct. We can be a family again, Doll, you're not going to be alone. I'm right here with you! I'm here for you. And you.]" Yeva tacks on, tapping her fingers against Lizzy's back in acknowledgement. The cheerleader gives a sassy wink, nudging Yeva in a thankful gesture. Doll's eyes leak digital tears as she snickers at her repaired family. This is, quite possibly, the best day of her life.

Doll's family is in an intense recovery, but it's smooth and a very delicate, enjoyable process. Doll can't wait for her Mother to see her old friends again, and pay respects to her fallen ones. It's going to be alright, from now on. She doesn't have to come home to two corpses and an empty home. Doll has two very important Drones in her life worth living for. And as Doll nestles her face into those very Drones, she snickers with a hint of a sob.

"[Thank you. Really.]"

Chapter Text

"[.... It's much more snowy than usual.]" Doll notes, gazing into the black abyss of the night sky before her. It's a pretty sight, seeing the toxic snowflakes cascade down the atmosphere and melt against her heated chassis. At least, Lizzy thinks so, as she gazes, with sheer adoration, at her curious girlfriend. God, she looks so gorgeous, snow in her hair and stuff...

For two hours, they've been out here, sitting on the top of a run-down car, cuddling and laughing together to celebrate what Lizzy reminded Doll of. Some wacky human holiday called 'Christmas', Lizzy thinks it's called. Doll immediately got on-board with the idea the second Lizzy showed some interest towards it, because who wouldn't wanna give an angel like Lizzy what she wants? Doll's willing to do it in a heartbeat! So to speak.

Plus, there's the idea of gift-giving! Doll would rather give than receive a gift, relishing moreso in Lizzy's reaction to her gifts than actually getting one herself. Sooo, that's why she's got a little surprised planned for Lizzy! Uzi helped her out with it, in return of not being disturbed when she's alone with N on this day, which N had forced her to participate in. Doll just has to keep Lizzy distracted for a little while longer, which also means she's gonna have to be nervous for longer, but it's gonna be so worth it if all goes well.

"Mhm, that's kinda the thing, here, girly. Snow's meant to really pick up at this time of year. Pretty, ain't it?" Lizzy whispers, grabbing Doll's hand and giving her a sly smirk. Doll faces her girlfriend and opens her mouth to reply, but upon seeing Lizzy's smug, cheeky expression, the Russian Worker Drone just scoffs and rolls her crimson optics, blushing a little.

"[S-stop, Liz. Not the time to be flirty.]" Doll stutters, remaining firm as she tries her absolute best not to just overheat and burn through the metal of the car. Lizzy snickers, gingerly dragging her hand along Doll's forearm and leans closer to her girlfriend's face.

"Nah, this is the perfect time, dork. We got the romantic atmosphere and all! And c'mon, you can't tell me you don't like it, Doll~." The cheerleader murmurs, rose optics displaying a lidded expression as she wears an extremely mischievous grin. Doll's visor absolutely erupts into an explosive blush, the Russian girl feeling like she's literally about to burn. O-okay, this seems like the perfect time to leave and get Lizzy's gift which totally isn't an excuse to cool down!

"[I-I'll be back!]" Is all Doll can squeak out before she blips out of existence. She can hear the faint sound of Lizzy's amused cackling as she teleports away and into her room.

Doll lands into her room, blushing heavily as she leans against the oily table to try and calm the hell down. "[She's gonna be the death of me...]"

Chugging a small canteen of oil, Doll sighs and finally regains her composure enough to think straight, before looking over at her desk. There, the gift sits innocently on the surface, waiting for Doll to pick it up. Doll furrows her digi-brows in determination and swipes her little secret off the desk.

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Doll flicks back into existence, which doesn't even startle her girlfriend at all, who's way too used to it to have any type of reaction anymore. Lizzy smirks at Doll, grinning as she watches Doll sit back down next to her, and reaches over to grab Doll's hand again. "Look who's back. You done fawning over me in your room, Gorgeous?" Lizzy flirtatiously remarks, earning a startled sputter of defiance from Doll.

Before she can defend herself, though, and come up with an incredibly smart comeback, Doll pauses herself and sighs, earning Lizzy's attention. Steeling her resolve, the Russian girl nudges her head against Lizzy's and purrs, the sudden and odd behaviour worrying Lizzy a little. Doll isn't normally so affectionate out of the blue. She hopes she didn't get into Sam's magnets by accident...

"Girly? You good?" Lizzy softly whispers, offering Doll a little nuzzle along with a gentle caress of her hand on Doll's forearm. Doll shudders at the contact, before nodding softly. She's gonna need all the confidence she can get for this one.

"[Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just... C'mere...]" Doll murmurs, grabbing both of Lizzy's hands in her own. This only furthers Lizzy's concern-- What the hell is Doll even up to?? The infected Worker Drone holds her girlfriend's cold, familiar hands in her own and gives her cheerleader a wobbly smile.

"[Uhm... Lizzy, you... Y-you know I would never do anything to ever hurt you, right?]" Doll nervously asks, crimson optics searching Lizzy's expression for what she hopes to find. This is the first thing she has to knock out of the way; she needs to know if Lizzy knows Doll wouldn't dare raise a finger to her, that she's not scary to Lizzy. Confused and a little bit scared, Lizzy furrows her digi-brows in concern, nodding gently.

"Uh, duh?? Not like you ever have, idiot. I trust you. What's this all about, Dolly? What's going on?" Lizzy questions, desperately trying to get an answer out of her more-cryptic-than-usual girlfriend. Doll, however, completely ignores that last part, only giving a relieved sigh at Lizzy's positive confirmation. This is going smoothly. Lizzy trusts her.

"[Good, I'm glad. But, you love me, right? You know I love you?]" Doll inquires, running her thumbs along the backs of Lizzy's hands. Lizzy, becoming increasingly more desperate and worried about her girlfriend and all of these questions, nods rapidly. If Doll's being self-depricative again, she swears she's gonna do something brash...

"Yes! Doll, I love you more than anything! You got that?? I'd give up my reputation, my makeup, my life for your idiot self! Just--- Please, tell me what's wrong!" Lizzy exclaims, tugging Doll closer by her arms. Lizzy's heartfelt declaration brings no shame to the cheerleader in question; she meant what she said, cliché or not. She can't go around having Doll upset with herself. If only Lizzy knew that's not the case at all, moreso the opposite.

Far more confident in herself than previously, Doll gives Lizzy a grateful grin and leans forward to nuzzle her cheek affectionately. Doll's optics shine a little brighter with inspiration and awe at her girlfriend's sweet words, which she's totally using against her for playful embarrassment purposes. This is going well, she's reached the final bit. Just gotta play her cards right... "[O-Okay, yeah, sorry...]"

Doll flips her left arm, keeping the back of her hand on Lizzy's palm, before she makes a little 'chk-chk' sound with her mouth, calling upon a little digi-roach (with a heart ingrained on its back) who scuttles along Doll's arm and into her hand. It stands there, seemingly waiting for something. Lizzy glances at Doll and the roach in extreme confusion.

"Wh-what--"

"[Lizzy, I... Being with you, u-uh... Just-- Shit, uhm! Look. I know I can be weird and creepy a-and a handful most of the time, but... You help me out a lot. You help me feel better than I thought I could be, especially with coping with loss. You're amazing, I'm bad at saying it, but, Sweetness... I love you so much. That being said...]" The Russian girl trails off, a surprising sight of tears trailing down her visor in an emotionally vulnerable display of appreciation and absolute Love for Lizzy.

Lizzy, intensely touched and flattered, blushes as heavily as her systems can actually manage to display on her screen, peering down at Doll's hand as her attention is caught by the sound of the RoboRoach chirping enthusiastically. The tiny, mechanical insect displays a holographic heart, before a small message.

"Will you be mine, officially, and CoreBond with me? <3"

Lizzy's pink optics hollow into the widest ovals Doll has ever seen, before the cheerleader momentarily bluescreens. Lizzy can't actually believe it. Doll just-- She just asked her to CoreBond! CoreBond with Doll... Oh, holy hell. Lizzy's enthusiasm and excitement absolutely rockets through her systems, buzzing every inch of her wiring and chassis with the exhilaration of the Question.

CoreBonding is an extremely serious and intimate thing to ask of a Drone you're dating. It's like human marriage, but so much more fun, cheerful and vital to bonding with your special someone. It's a permanent process, too, you can't just get rid of something like CoreBonding once the process is completed, no, you're stuck there, queenie.

The process is simple and easy. Both Drones place one of their hands together and run a program they've adapted to create internally through learning about love and stuff. 'System_Core_Lock'. It's a program of which both Drones' systems recognise the other as it's own to protect and declare as an extension of the systems' body. In short, both Drones are now completely 'theirs', both metaphorically and literally. That's not all! There's also colour changing to warn other Drones that they're CoreBonded.

The triangular symbol on the back of either Drones' hands change their colours to that of the other Drones' respective colours, but only on that one hand. Primarily, the left one. It's a marvellous thing to see on a Drone and is usually celebrated afterwards, in respect of the newlybonds' privacy.

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Lizzy finally snaps out of it with a little nudge from Doll. The ecstatic cheerleader instantly grins the widest, most genuine grin Doll had ever seen on anyone ever. Not that she's any different. Both Drones clash into each other, gushing over one another and crying out of sheer joy, Lizzy accidentally smacking the digi-roach out of Doll's hand, sending it flying.

Lizzy sobs as she nods, hugging Doll with a dangerously tight grip on her torso. "YES!! Yes, hell yes, I'll CoreBond with you! Oh my robo-god, holy hell, Doll! You actually-- I can't--" Doll chuckles at Lizzy's words toppling over one another, before sniffling softly and tenderly kissing Lizzy's cheek.

"[You better believe it, Sweetness. I love you.]" Doll whispers, holding her girl close with utmost care and consideration, stroking her hand through Lizzy's golden-pink strands as if she was touching something that wasn't supposed to be. Doll purrs with glee, grinning as a little message pops up on her visor. By Lizzy's sudden jolt, Doll assumes she just got the same message.

"Doll is requesting to CoreBond. Accept?"
"Lizzy is requesting to CoreBond. Accept?"

Both girls' optics lidding with a warm affection, they dreamily smile at each other and lean in close, cores pulsing and illuminating with excitement and anticipation. They join their left hands together, intertwining their fingers lovingly. They are both extremely eager to do this, knowing they're never gonna be able to reverse this. Neither girls even want to, anyway.

"I do."
"[I do.]"

With the clear, verbal confirmation spoken aloud, their systems illustrate a tick and smiley face of acknowledgement in their HUD, before a loading symbol begins spinning the top-right of their respective screens. Doll leans in to plant a genuine, loving kiss right on Lizzy's lips to which Lizzy eagerly accepts, pushing Doll's face back a little with the excited force, causing Doll to chuckle softly. As both of their left hands' triangles wash into the others' primary colour, Doll's left-hand triangle turning a rose-pink, and Lizzy's opposing triangle turning a crimson red, the process is completed.

'System_Core_Lock_PRGRM' In Progress...
...
...
Initialising...
...
...
✓!
[CoreBonding Completed! <3]

Chapter Text

Doll twitches slightly as she sits back down in her seat, claws lightly digging into the tablecloth. The infected Russian girl apologetically grins at her parents, who seem unresponsive to the whole fight. "[My apologies. Lizzy and I don't always see eye-to-eye. Anyways, where were we?"] Doll inquires (mostly to herself) as she glances towards her parents.

Doll then sighs and peers down towards her plate. Despite the contents being appetising and necessary, Doll really doesn't feel like eating at the moment. She feels sick and wrong. The guilt claws at her back with malicious intent to make her feel more horrible about herself than she already does, but the troubled Drone simply pushes those feelings right back. Doll, without a word, excuses herself from the dinner table to allow her parents to eat in peace, while she brings her plate to the fridge to store it for later. No point in keeping it out if she's just gonna throw it up if she tries to eat it.

Exhaling through her mouth, Doll drags her hand along her screen in utter emotional exhaustion. She should really apologise to Lizzy for her behaviour, she needs to sort this out. With a small amount of hesitance, Doll exits her section and heads over to Lizzy's quarters which she knows the directions to by (metaphorical) heart. The Russian Worker Drone arrives to the ever-familiar door, and knocks in a pattern that allows Lizzy to know it's her. Doll could just unlock the pad like any normal Drone would, but Doll knows Lizzy prefers people knocking before they enter.

The door slides open, revealing a pissed off and upset Lizzy standing before her. Doll winces, knowing that Lizzy's been crying recently. That's a sight she's not gonna forget anytime soon. With a bit of hesitance, Doll begins to speak, only for Lizzy to raise her hand, stopping Doll instantly out of respect for Lizzy's input. "No-- Stop. I've been wanting to talk to you, Doll. Like, for a while now. It's important, get in here." Lizzy's voice is curt and sharp. A very bad sign.

Anxiously, Doll steps inside Lizzy's room and jolts as the door slams shut behind her. She sits on Lizzy's bed and, out of concern, grabs her girlfriend's hands and worriedly glances along Lizzy's screen. It's no doubt Lizzy's pissed, she was just trying to help her out all this time, only for it to backfire repetitively. Doll can't really blame her. "[Lizzy, I-I... I'm so sorry for lashing out at you. You didn't deserve any of it--]"

"You're damn right I didn't!" Lizzy quickly interrupts, startling Doll instantly. "You keep doing this, Doll, and I'm honestly so sick of it! I've tried so hard to help you out with your folks or whatever, but what do I get!? I get yelled at, bitten, traumatised, threatened and I'm done with it!" Lizzy shouts, all of her pent-up emotions finally spilling out into the open air. Lizzy has tried everything in the book to help her girlfriend, and it's never worked. She's so tired of being terrified to help her literal girlfriend out and to get absolutely nowhere at all. She knows Doll's been through a lot, but it doesn't excuse hurting her, point blank. So, Lizzy's been pondering for a long, long while. She's made a choice.

Doll has no other option but to cower as Lizzy lets her frustrations skewer Doll through the core. Her hands tremble as the paranoia seeps in-- This doesn't seem to be leading anywhere good. Nonetheless, Doll keeps silent out of respect, she always will show Lizzy respect. Always. The cheerleader furrows her digi-brows at Doll, gritting her teeth as she hesitates for a second, before finally sighing.

"I've tried, Doll. You're a total freaky dork, and I love you, but I just... Can't keep doing this right now. I... I wanna get some distance between us for a bit. Like, until you put effort in and actually get better. Not breaking up or anything, but.... Like, You're gonna have to sort out this whole eldritch whatever by yourself, I'm not getting hurt anymore by being involved in this junk." Lizzy states, firm in her decision. She's finally gotten the toughest part out. Now, she just has to deal with the initial reaction that she knows is gonna lead to something major down the road, but for now? Lizzy stands with her choice, knowing it's for the better of her health. She can't let Doll drag her into her trauma junk and mess her up, no matter how much Lizzy loves her. A break from eachother would do them good.

Doll, on the other hand, feels like she's experiencing every way there is to die all at once. Her core, her very being, feels like it's being torn to atoms and tossed into molten lava. Lizzy said she's not dumping her, but it sure feels like she is. Doll swears she nearly entered a Fatal Error shut down. It really seems like it.

With no shortage of desperation, Doll quickly takes to begging. She can't lose the only one she has left, she just can't. If Lizzy wants to take a break or whatever, she might want to actually commit to a breakup. Doll doesn't know what she'll do if Lizzy leaves her, if she abandons her like this. Panic tears at her soul as she pathetically grapples into Lizzy's upper arms, startling the cheerleader immensely. "[W-what!? You... You can't be serious, Lizzy, I... Lizzy, please, are you even thinking straight right now??]" Doll questions, honestly so confused and terrified, feeling like that same girl she'd been when her parents had been taken from her. It's so sudden.

Lizzy rips her arms out of Doll's grip, knowing how she'd react. She feels bad, she really does, but Lizzy has to focus on herself and her health, not just Doll's. It seems like, if she stays with Doll all the damn time, she'd also be as miserable and hurt (physically, too) as Doll is and Lizzy can't have that in her life. The good times were amazing, but the bad just outweighs them by a landslide. "Of course I am, duh, b-but I'm not getting hurt because you're caught up on the past. You're also involved with literal murders and have a weird... Demon thing possessing your systems. I'm sorry, girl, but I ain't gonna be pulled down and pretend not to be bothered by it anymore. Again, not breaking up, I'm just... Putting us on hold until you're not.... Like this. You need to change."

Lizzy's elaboration tears more holes than Doll thought possible into her core. Doll feels like she's losing her girlfriend, her best friend, her everything, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Yet, along with the sorrow, a tinge of anger scratches its way into Doll's circuits until it's frothing to the surface. Doll clenches her fist in rage, gritting her teeth as she uses her sorrow to try and choke back the anger. How could Lizzy just 'put distance between them', after all this? Put on hold like she's something that can just wait for Lizzy to feel comfortable like a dog on a leash? After being so close, only to be broken apart by doing something good--- Killing a Disassembly Drone. Or, attempting to.

Doll cannot help what she is, what she's become, and thought Lizzy understood, that she was willing to help her work through it as best she could with absolutely no judgement of her trauma. Lizzy promised she's never going to leave Doll alone, and explicitly stated that she's not scared of her. It appears, however, that Lizzy is a goddamn liar.

"[You truly are like the others. Just another traitor willing to ditch the expendables to save yourself. I shouldn't've expected any different from you.]" Doll's cold, dead tone of voice causes a defensive bubble of Lizzy's own anger to rise as the cheerleader instantly whips around to face Doll, a deadly expression of seething vehemence burning onto her visor.

"The hell did you just say!? Don't you dare say that like I wasn't always there for you! I was right by your side, totally not caring about how many times you needed me! I just never expected you to be killing everyone off, and then trying to kill someone I bonded with!" Lizzy shouts, facing the very Drone who she knew could kill her without a second thought if she got angry enough. Lizzy doesn't even really care right now, she's too pissed off.

"[Bonded!? That thing can't bond! It TOLD you it was manipulating you, right from the damn start! And I have to kill, Lizzy, or I'd die myself!]" Doll argues, red electricity sparking at her fingertips as she begins to lose control of her ability. She reels herself in and rears her head back, in disgust, as Lizzy slams her foot down in front of Doll.

"V's a way better person than you think, moron! And you don't need as much oil as you got in your creepy friggin' room! You're killing aimlessly and V's killing for an actual reason! You ain't lookin' that much better than her!" Lizzy shoots back, pointing her finger in Doll's face accusingly. It takes a lot in Doll not to just bite her finger off right then and there, but she resists the urge in favour of snarling at her girlfriend. Doll knows things are slowly escalating, but she just can't help herself but to keep arguing.

"[V's a remorseless, insane maniac! I care about the people I kill and respect them; I was only killing so much because I was out of it because of that parent-killing parasite! I've snapped out of it, but that monster needs to learn consequences for taking my family away!]" The Russian Worker Drone screams, digital tears beading down her screen as she glares at Lizzy. The sight doesn't really deter Lizzy at all-- She's in no state of mind for sympathy to come into play. To the cheerleader, Doll is just making excuses and is a terrible person. It's a wonder she didn't see it earlier.

"How is hanging them on meat hooks respecting them!? What the hell is wrong with you!? You've taken away more people from their families than V has, you absolute freak!" Lizzy's exclamation causes Doll to simply roll her eyes, before she opens her mouth to snap a comeback at Lizzy, but Lizzy beats her to it. Completely blind in her rage and fury, Lizzy's words tear apart the final seam with a raging scream that really pushes the boundaries.

"Y'know, instead of SULKING, you should be thinking about this; would your parents be proud of what you're doing, moron? I think you're disappointing the hell out of them!"

Doll stops dead.

Her mind, systems and voice go radio-silent as her arms droop to her sides, crimson optics hollow with absolute disbelief and shock. She can't believe Lizzy just said that. The audacity of the sentence burns in her memory storage, replaying over and over in her subconsciousness. With each replay, Doll's anger grows and warps into sheer resentment.

Lizzy gasps and instantly covers her mouth in horror for the unbelievably insensitive thing she just blurted out to her grieving girlfriend. Even Lizzy knows that was way too far, way too soon and harsh for even Doll to be subjected to and regret tears at each atom of her wiring. Shakily, all anger drained from the teen, Lizzy reaches towards Doll. "D-Doll, wait, no! I'm... I-I'm so freaking sorry, I-I-"

Doll just smacks Lizzy's hand away, scarlet eyelights piercing into Lizzy's damn soul with venom she's only seen Doll glare at V with. Doll, resisting with all her strength, not to pounce and tear Lizzy's core out and heat it up so much that it melts in her hands like lava, resorts to releasing a ferocious, terrifying growl that echoes throughout the entire room. With a snap of her fingers, Doll is, suddenly, right in front of Lizzy in the worst way possible, looking into Lizzy's soul and speaking with a chilling tone of voice.

"[You're right. We need a break away from eachother for a while. Don't even think about talking to me until you've figured out what the hell you want and where your head's at. And don't you dare talk about my parents like you know them.]"

With that, Doll teleports away and leaves Lizzy in her room, shaking and weak. Lizzy's legs collapse under herself, causing the petrified cheerleader to stumble to the ground and hyperventilate, clutching her head in fear and panic. She just lost her girl. Sure, she was planning on distancing herself from Doll a little, but Lizzy never anticipated it to go this far. She thought, at least, that they could work their issues out, help make Lizzy feel comfortable with Doll again and go back to being joined at the hip, but she absolutely fumbled that entire argument. Lizzy knows Doll wouldn't be willing to talk with her for a good, long while after that stunt she just pulled. Lizzy couldn't've done this whole thing any worse.

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Rocking back and forth in an oil-soaked corner, Doll hisses inwardly and absentmindedly scratches at her arms, drawing oil that she licks off her fingers. The hatred and betrayal of Lizzy's words are rolling and boiling in her mind, Doll unable to ever see Lizzy the same way again. Ever. She can't believe Lizzy, can't believe she'd say that after she knows what stemmed all of this drama. Stemmed the revenge-fueled massacre. Gritting her sharp teeth, Doll stares at her trembling hands, before a manic grin worms it's way onto her face.

Maybe Lizzy's right. Maybe she is a monster. Maybe she is a freak. If that's all she is, if that's all Doll's good at, then why not act like it? Why not let Cyn do her thing and stop fighting the process? Doll's right optic twitches, flickering gold for a split second, as if Cyn directly approves of Doll's niggling thought. Doll knows she's ruined what little she has left, knows her reputation will never not be derived from fear and anxiety. Doll has nothing left to fight for, to keep going for if Lizzy wants space: the one thing Doll can't handle. Her parents certainly won't be able to be happy she succeeded in locating the potential cure, so why keep going?

Why not show everyone the definition of Eldritch Monster?

Chapter Text

It's been so goddamn long, being in this school and dealing with Lizzy and Miss BugFreak. It's a struggle to get through the day without either being stuffed in a locker, made fun of for her height or without anyone bringing up her anime shows to bully her about it. (They're super COOL, by the way!!) So, Uzi's honestly decided she's had enough, and has been working out a way to get revenge on both of the main idiots making her life hell.

Being as epic she is at making cool weaponry and tech stuff, Uzi came up with a plan quite easily. She thought back to how she 'borrowed' Braiden's sentience for a little bit, and hey, cool psychology stuff! Uzi's good at that, too! Just not the social parts, but that's not the point. The point, is that she knows how to tap into a Worker's memories like she had with N and V, and if she can do that, she can figure out a way to pull a harmless little prank. And, hey, if it isn't harmless, it isn't Uzi's fault because, technically, she's not involved!

So, the plan is that she's gonna be swapping Lizzy and Doll's CPU storage into the opposite bodies. Neat, right? That's kinda what brings her to now, stifling her snickers while she watches the loading symbols on both of the cheerleader's visors as the two are knocked out on their desks. No one's even noticed yet, probably thinking they've both had enough of listening to the teacher running his mouth again for the zillionth time in a row. Ohh, if only they knew. With a yank, Uzi discreetly pulls out the cord connecting to the back of the girl's heads, waiting for them to regain consciousness.

This is gonna be freakin' hilarious. An act of revenge, plotted by yours truly!

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As time ticks on, the class filing out of the room to their next class, Uzi perks up from her boredom as she sees both Lizzy and Doll finally waking up. Pausing in packing her things, Uzi smirks, watching as both of them grit their teeth, obviously feeling the massive headache that comes with having your mechanical brains warped into the other's head.

Lizzy groans in irritation, her crimson optics narrowing as she spots Uzi standing next to her desk. Wait... Did she always sit here, or is she closer to the window? Ugh, not her problem at the moment, her head's killing her. "[Ugh, ew! What the hell are you looking at, freak?]" Lizzy instantly snaps her mouth shut as she hears Doll's voice, Russian dialogue and all, pouring from her lips instead of her own.

Taking a look at Doll beside her to see if she was the one who spoke instead of her somehow, Lizzy's eyes widen as she stares right back at herself. At first, she thought her headache or whatever was just playing tricks on her, but no. After rubbing her eyes and whacking herself in the head a little, she glances back to the Drone next to her, it's abundantly clear that it's herself.

Not that it's that bad, Lizzy thinks everyone should look a bit more like her, but that doesn't explain why she's speaking in Doll's voice. She looks down at her hands, only to find Doll's unique crimson instead of her own amazing pink colouration within her luminous, triangular imprints. Freaking out, Lizzy rips her phone out from her bag, turning on the camera, before instantly freezing up. Lizzy can feel her oil both boiling and freezing--- She knows what Uzi did. "[...AaaaaaAAAAHH--]"

Uzi just watches in amusement, arms crossed as she watches her bully's CPU run rings around itself trying to calm her down. Lizzy swears up a storm, pounding on the desk in rage, actually looking quite hilarious (and threatening) seeing Doll's body doing something like this. Uzi's really getting a kick out of this--- If she had her phone on her, she'd totally be recording this, right now.

Doll, now completely awake and startled, watches Lizzy freak out and manages to figure out what happened much more quicker than Lizzy. Doll glares at Uzi, her pink optics narrowed with venom as she rises from her seat. "You. You did this. You think this is funny, do you?" Doll calmly asks, though Uzi can practically hear the fire in Doll's (Lizzy's, technically) voice.

Uzi just grins, extremely proud of herself, as she rocks back and forth on her heels. It's absolutely hilarious to watch these two dorks scramble around and get pissed, Uzi lapping up every second of this. "Mhm! It ain't so funny when other people pull dumb shit on you, now, is it? Besides, idiots, this'll wear off after school, sooner or later; your CPUs can't handle being transferred for long, so the data's gonna find its way back." Uzi explains, situating her bag on her shoulder. Uzi cackles as Lizzy and Doll frown and try run after her, only for Uzi to slam the classroom door in their faces and make her escape.

Doll groans as she rubs her visor, before glaring at the door. Doll turns back to her body, which Lizzy occupies, crossing her arms in annoyance. Lizzy huffs and strides over to Doll, picking up her schoolbag and shoving Doll's in her arms. "[Great, perfect, amazing! We gotta spend the entire day cosplaying as eachother, damn it! Not that I don't like being literally up close and personal with ya, but you do understand what this means, right?]" Lizzy inquires, flicking her long, purple hair back to behind her shoulders, unused to such long hair that isn't tied in a ponytail.

Doll tilts her head, casting Lizzy a questioning gaze to which Lizzy rolls her eyes at. "[We gotta pretend to be eachother for the whole friggin' day. Think about it--- We can't just tell everyone what's happened, or they'll think the freak bested us and I ain't having that on my record!]" Lizzy argues, crimson eyelights locked onto Doll's pink pair. The prior-Russian Drone nods in agreement--- She doesn't want anyone to know that Uzi got the best of her. Again. So, Doll just sighs, shoulders drooping.

"You have English class next, right?" She asks, her voice carrying a level of exhaustion and annoyance Lizzy's never heard from herself before. Lizzy, shaking off the initial weirdness of hearing that, nods and presses a quick kiss on her own cheek, but she's sure Doll understands the sentiment. Doll blushes slightly, before nuzzling Lizzy's cheek; her own, personal show of private affection to Lizzy. She'll shamelessly do this with Lizzy, no matter what body she's in.

"[Bingo. I know you got Maths and literally finished it all, so thanks for the free lesson, hun. See ya later?]" Lizzy questions, casting her girlfriend a soft smile. Doll, not blushing like she normally would (because she really doesn't like seeing herself, especially after her sins and Doll literally is not able to see herself without getting blasted by glass shards from a shattered mirror), just grins and nods in confirmation. With a switched-up, confusing kiss, the pair make their way to class.

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Doll sighs as she holds Lizzy's books close to her chest. She knows Lizzy slacks in English, so she'll be glad to give her an instant boost in class instead of just for homework. Doll just has to do Lizzy's work and act like her. Pretending to be Lizzy shouldn't be that hard, right? Doll practically knows Lizzy like the back of her hand; it should be simple! Yet, knowing someone well doesn't mean you can do what they do best.

As Doll sits in Lizzy's regular seat, she's instantly swarmed by noisy jocks, her and Lizzy's mutual cheerleader friends, and some wannabe outcasts who think they're better than the main popular girl. It's extremely overwhelming, Doll isn't used to all of this as Lizzy usually tanks the convos while she stands behind Lizzy contently. Trying not to show her rising anxiety, Doll tries her best to act like the one she knows the most as Rebecca blathers to her about Chad's embarrassing football game.

"So, yah, Chad totally lost the game and his dignity all at once, so that's why he's currently crying in the bathroom or whatever. So lame, right, Liz?" Rebecca drones on, Doll barely able to keep up with all the drama, though she tries.

"U-uh, yeahhh, totally! Chad's gotta up his game or I'm posting about it on my socials." Doll fakes a little, sinister giggle as Rebecca and her friends cackle at the extremely shitty tack-on. As Doll watches the others converse with themselves, she tries to focus on getting Lizzy's English grade up, only for Brad to rip the paper from her and slide it across the desk so she can't reach. Doll lids her optics, annoyed and unamused.

"Pfft, you're doing schoolwork? Laaaame, where's your vibe today??" Brad whines, his cobalt eyelights staring into her own. Doll seriously doesn't understand why or how Lizzy tolerates these people, they're all so hyperactive and out of control. It's really annoying, and Doll wants to just lure him off so she can pop his head off and be done with it, but Doll doesn't have her powers and doesn't wanna ruin Lizzy's entire school reputation, so she just remains silent and passive to the best of her ability. Rebecca rolls her eyes and shoves Brad away, slapping the worksheet back on the desk Infront of Doll.

"Ugh, knock it off, moron! Liz probs needs to up her grades; don't you remember her complaining about it?? Besides, Liz's probably out of it because she's thinking of her giiirlfrieeeend~!" Rebecca swoons, clasping her hands together as she's always such a stickler for romance and everything about it. Doll, happy that Rebecca's at least somewhat tolerable, grins a little to herself and continues working.

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Lizzy is in a mega dilemma. For the past hour since she got here, this class absolutely sucked. The silence, the nerd vibes, the annoying ticking of the clock--- Lizzy's been stressing. She's also been the only one on her phone, the rest either working or dead-asleep on their desk like Doll probably is when she's in here. It's so awkward, Lizzy could be chatting with Rebs and Chad, right now, but no! The purple freak just had to have a revenge plan conveniently set up for today! Little piece of ---

She needs to clear her head.

"[I'm going to the bathroom.]" Lizzy calmly states, standing up and walking out of the room. The teacher doesn't even raise his hand, most likely asleep, too. Lizzy really tried her best on that Doll-personality-mimic, remaining as cool and mysterious as Doll usually is in public. Lizzy's not going back to that damn room at all, she's wagging and Doll can yell at her for it later.

Lizzy exits out the door and heads down the hallway in order to find the really shoddy bathroom located down the hall a little. Ugh, Doll's friggin' skirt has oil on it, damn it! Lizzy's gonna be giving it a mega-thorough washing tonight, that's for sure. The cheerleader rolls her eyes internally, rounding the corner only to stumble back in surprise and yelp, along with another student. Groaning softly, Lizzy angrily glares across from her, only to see Thad sheepishly picking up his stuff.

"O-oh, jeez! Sorry, Doll, I honestly didn't even see ya there! Not that anyone ever does, anyway..." The jock chuckles, helping Lizzy to her feet. Lizzy initially goes to respond with a snappy insult and shove Thad into the closet and lock it, only to remember who exactly she has to be right now. Her CPU shooting forward all memories of how Doll acts, Lizzy tries her best to live up to the lie.

"[Ah, it's... Fine. Just watch where you're going next time, I don't exactly wanna be late for doing nothing all throughout class time and still get a good grade because the teacher's a biased idiot, y'know!?]" Lizzy shouts, her own anger getting the best of her since she isn't exactly known for being able to reel in her emotions all that well. Don't blame her! Lizzy's crimson optics hollow, Thad's olive eyes mimicking the action, as she realises that she just literally acted nothing like her girlfriend at all.

"[Uh... Sorry. I haven't slept well.]" Lizzy blurts out, then immediately internally bashes herself for the absolutely lame excuse. Thad just laughs nervously, before giving her a thumbs up and backing away slowly. Wow. Doll's gonna freakin' kill her when she finds out.

Disregarding that embarrassing moment and continuing on her way to the bathroom, Lizzy sighs as she enters and pulls out her phone, unable to use her social media since it'd be suspicious for her to be online or posting while she's technically with Rebecca and the others. Lizzy leans against the wall, scrolling through Boltstagram (totally not a knock-off} on her separate account. The cheerleader huffs as she sees that Kelly posted about her petrol intake for the millionth time. Ugh, such a prissy idiot. "[Stupid moron...]" Lizzy mumbles, before whipping her head up in surprise, Doll's voice startling her until Lizzy realises it's just her.

Jeez. This stuff was complicated as hell! But, it's unique to hear Doll say whatever Lizzy wants her to say, the cheerleader wishing Doll'd say bold stuff way more often.

Wait...

Glancing at herself in the mirror, Lizzy's grin stretches deviously.

Lizzy can check Doll out as long as she's alone in here! Without any embarrassing or edgy consequences!

With a devilish grin, Lizzy looks around the bathroom before resting her head on her hands, gazing at herself in the mirror with cheeky adoration. She really shouldn't be doing this, but now? There's no strings attached and she's gonna milk every bit of this. Is it morally wrong? Maybe. Does Lizzy care? Nnnnope! So, Lizzy just continues to stare at 'Doll' with a lovesick gaze, indulging in her really concerning amount of simping for her girlfriend. Lizzy glances around really quickly, before swiftly pulling down Doll's shirt a little, catching a glimpse of her Core, before instantly pulling it back up.

Undeniably down bad, Lizzy, absolutely flustered beyond belief and loving Doll's flustered expression in the mirror, squeals in giddy adoration, before her optics hollow at the creaking of a door behind her. Turning around, Lizzy faces Emily, who looks immensely disturbed as she steps out of the changing room. Shit.

Both Drones stand opposite eachother, neither able to say anything. Lizzy literally made Doll look like the biggest, most sappy/weird dork in front of someone, a situation in which she knows Doll literally hates with her freakin' life. Emily just slowly backs away, raising her hand as if she was about to speak, but ultimately just scurries off, probably threatened by Doll's trademark creepy aura, despite her nervous and terrified expression.

Lizzy drags her hand down her visor in an embarrassing self-hatred moment, before checking the time. 3:02. Time to get back to Doll so she can walk home with her. This should be over soon, if what the freak said is true.

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Doll stretches, finally finished with Lizzy's bookwork, before packing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Doll trudges along the hallway, heading towards her math class where Lizzy should be, only to feel a sharp tug in the back of her head. Dizzy, Doll yelps and nearly collapses as the room spins, finding herself down the hallway nearby her own, leading out from the girl's bathroom. Taking a look at her hands, Doll is completely relieved to see her own, crimson triangles reflecting back at her. Doll sighs, finally relaxed, as she heads for the exit to meet Lizzy up there.

Doll makes a quick break to her locker to put her stuff away, perking up once she hears a locker slam shut beside her. Emily. Doll's always delighted to see her, she's always so sweet and shy. Doll smiles and waves, expecting the usual wave back, but Emily just cringes away and shakes her head, narrowing her eyes at her. Instantly defensive, never taking rude gestures lightly, Doll growls and flexes her clawed hand (a Solver anatomy 'bonus'), Emily yelping at the sight before scrambling away. Doll rolls her eyes, pissed and confused about the weird encounter. Eh, whatever, not her problem.

"Doll!"

... Lizzy...? Was that Lizzy Doll just heard!?

Doll instantly forgets everything about Emily, grinning widely as she sees Lizzy excitedly running over towards her. The two clash into eachother, elated to finally see the other instead of themselves all the time. Lizzy gently caresses Doll's face, invoking a hefty crimson blush. "I missed your stupid face, idiot..." The cheerleader purrs, blushing softly in the face if her beloved.

Doll snickers, before giving Lizzy a small, gentle kiss. She's so glad to finally be back in her own damn body! The Russian girl latches onto Lizzy and forcefully peppers butterfly kisses all across Lizzy's face, primarily landing on her lips. Lizzy giggles uncontrollably, playfully fighting against Doll's infallible grip yet not actually wanting to leave it. "[Missed you, too, Liz.]" Doll sighs, calming down from her excitement.

The two Drones slowly look at each other, a little smile developing into a shared grin, the girls knowing exactly what the other is thinking. It's natural to them at this point.

"Movie night?"
"[Movie night?]"

Chapter Text

"Out of my damn way, losers!"
"Move it! I'm more friggin' important than you!"
"Ever heard of WALKING!?"

Is all the students of the makeshift school in the Bunker hears before they're shoved into one another, causing a domino reaction caused by an extremely troubled and panicked cheerleader as she storms through the hall and slams her room door behind her once she reaches it. She's stressing.

Lizzy has not done literally anything to study for her exams, she's barely even done bookwork! With exams starting tomorrow, Lizzy knows she's in for it now. She's had a month and an extra half (because the teacher knows practically no-one studied the first month) to get to studying and did she do it? Nope.

She's screwed in all senses of the word. Each subject has an exam and Lizzy doesn't care about any of them besides her English exam, since she needs, at least, a C+ in English to pass her year level to move onto year 12 and she's done no reading up whatsoever. Lizzy's aware of what she needs to do, she and the others just have to sit there and answer questions like "what are synonym? Why is emotional repression relevant to literature? Explain a source analysis". See, that stuff is literally just janky. Why does Lizzy even need to know this!?

It doesn't help that she won't have Doll with her, either, since the little jerk already finished her exam a week before, because the teacher was tired of her sleeping in his class. He knows she's just gonna sleep or distract Lizzy throughout her test, so he let Doll go on holidays early. Lucky little twerp... Lizzy needs help and Doll can't even give her the answers in the test room or whatever the hell it's called!

And there's no other option for Lizzy to go to help for, either. She's not asking anyone else other than Doll, hell no! She kinda has a reputation to keep, and she ain't just gonna go as low as to ask the classroom peasants for help, like, ew! Plus, what're they gonna help with? They probably just studied the most irrelevant stuff that won't even be on the exam and Lizzy needs an actual detailed study sheet that only Doll knows how to make the way Lizzy likes. Totally not biased or anything, though.

And if she asks her father? Oomph, just bury her now. He's not as much of a wimp as her mother is, not easily as affected by murder-y, traumatic events, and would not be afraid to reprimand Lizzy at all, unlike her mother who'd be scared to even think about it, so he'd instantly be on her case for hours about why studying is important and how Lizzy needs to get her grades up so she can pass.

Plus, Lizzy's been telling him that she's the top student, she's looked up to and is a role-model for the younger year levels! Any evidence of that being a total lie would immediately flick a lightbulb in her dad's head that she's totally far from everything he thinks she is. She can't take that kind of stress! Her dad being direct friends with the teacher is also not a fun fact, either. Great, just freakin' perfect.

Lizzy needs to think. There's... One other option. Doll. Doll's always been able to help her cheat on her tests, not really caring that she isn't actually learning anything since even Doll knows Lizzy won't need it in her life. Lizzy's honestly surprised Doll even still attends class. Doll says doing schoolwork in a quiet environment helps her calm down and relax, just gets her mind focused on anything other than... Whatever else Doll doesn't like thinking about.

It's weird and kinda dumb, but if Doll found a way to chill and get her mind off things while still hanging around Lizzy more often, then who's she to complain? Plus, she's smart. Doll probably already knows half of what work she's been given! Lizzy thought Emily was the nerd of the class, but she's got some competition, apparently. Lizzy often wonders how Doll even knows half the stuff she does.

Sighing, Lizzy grabs her phone and scrolls through her contacts, pink optics scanning for the one that matters most in this dire moment. There! Doll's icon pops up, Lizzy instantly tapping on it to shoot her a message.

Beauty_Blonde: Doll
Beauty_Blonde: Doll pick up this is important
Doll is typing...
Doll: What?
Beauty_Blonde: exams are tmrw i need help
Beauty_Blonde: i know you won't be there tmrw but can you get the answer sheet off the teacher???
Doll: I don't think so. He's not marking them this year, he doesn't have the answer sheets and I dunno who does. Sorry.
Beauty_Blonde: DOLL PLEASE
Doll: Calm down, jeez, I'm sure you know the basics. You don't need me for everything.
Beauty_Blonde: yes i do :(
Doll: Flattery isn't gonna help.
Beauty_Blonde: it always does dolly don't kid yourself ;)
Doll: Stop.
Beauty_Blonde: i know you're blushing rn cutie ;;;)
Doll: Lizzy!
Beauty_Blonde: you know I'm right <3
Doll Is Offline.

Lizzy snickers to herself, before flopping on her back and sighing, staring at her roof blankly. She didn't get her answers, but she did get a rise out of Doll which is always worth it. Still, Lizzy's practically hopeless right now and she's gotta get to sleep. Sending Doll a quick pic of herself winking, Lizzy turns off her phone for the night and prepares to enter Sleep Mode. Tomorrow is gonna be total shit.

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"Okay, you all know the drill. No talking, no looking up from your papers! You've got ten minutes of reading time to look at the questions, and then you can start!" The teacher announces, sitting at his desk and looking just as miserable as the rest of the students in the room.

Within the dull, monochromatic walls of the classroom of which the students are seated individually, Lizzy internally groans as she takes her ten minutes to just rest her head on the desk. Surely her memory banks kept something in there, right!? But when the cheerleader runs an internal storage review, she's quickly disappointed as nothing regarding anything she'd learnt all year comes up. Damn. There goes her father's respect for her.

As the silence of the classroom continues to raise Lizzy's anxiety, the Drone takes a quick peek at the other students around her, being extra stealthy as to not alert the teacher of what she's doing. Maybe they're having a rough time, too.

Yep, there it is. The anxious and stresses expressions of her fellow students, Sam actually managing to look a little more nervous rather than off his rocker than usual. This is a senior year exam and year 11 is no joke if you wanna get into year 12. They all know it. Uzi, however, doesn't look the least bit worried. Lizzy rolls her eyes; the freak probably cheated or got her pet Murderer to give her the answers. She wouldn't be surprised.

The cheerleader jolts as the alarm beeps and it's officially time to start the exam. Internally scream-crying, Lizzy turns page 1 of 6 and picks up her pencil, blankly staring at the first question in there.

'What are 5 poetic devices?'

Aaaand Lizzy has no idea what any of that even means. Does the teacher want her to write a poem or write ABOUT poems!?! And 'devices'!? What devices??? Does he mean techniques or what's going on??? Throughout the minor mental breakdown Lizzy's undergoing currently, she fails to notice a certain pair of crimson lights peering at her from above, hidden within the vents.

Squinting at the paper, Doll's vision zooms in on the multiple questions layered on the sheet. Yeah, Doll knows Lizzy doesn't have any idea what's in front of her right now. Sighing with a fond eye roll, Doll pulls out her pen and paper and begins writing down the answers she put on her own sheet a while back. Once she's finished, Doll writes her own little message to Lizzy before folding the paper neatly and dropping it down, towards Lizzy.

Lizzy nearly screams when she feels something slide against her arm, but reels herself in once she sees that it's just a folded piece of paper.... Huh? Frowning, Lizzy glances at the teacher to make sure he's not looking, before unfolding the piece of paper. The cheerleader's optics hollow with surprise and utter relief once she reads that all-too-familiar handwriting giving her all the answers she needed. Grinning to herself, Lizzy quickly copies down each answer, knowing Doll probably just gave her an easy A. "Doll, you're an actual friggin' SAINT." Lizzy thinks to herself, knowing exactly who's gonna get swarmed by an endless sea of affection later on.

Sighing softly, the female Drone finally finishes up her exam and waits until the lesson's over so she can leave to see her girl. Yet, as Lizzy takes another glance at the answer sheet, she's interested by a little extra detail included in the bottom left corner. Complete with a little doodle of Doll and Lizzy holding hands with scratchy hearts drawn around them, a note is there to match.

"[Here, I couldn't let you just fail, Lizzy, but you owe me. I hate going through the vents. You should really pay attention in class, I hope you learned something from this. Love you, I'll see you after! -Doll ♡]"

Shaking her head fondly, Lizzy snickers silently and rips off the message, separating it from the answer sheet and stows it in her pencil case for safe keeping. Lizzy takes a chance to peer up at the vent in the corner of the room, seeing two scarlet optics looking right back at her. One eyelight closing in a wink, they both soon quickly disappear.

Lizzy sighs wistfully, resting her head on her hand. She's lucky to have such someone like Doll backing her up, honestly. Lizzy really doesn't know what she'd do without that absolute moron.

Chapter Text

The heat was unbearable.

It's so unfamiliar, so foreign and hard for her systems to comprehend. Every inch of her is working on overdrive as her internals burn with every artificial breath she takes. She doesn't know when this happened, doesn't know why, it's all so foggy, so blurry and... Difficult. It hurts. It burns.

Lizzy is hungry.

She feels different.

Panting heavily, Lizzy's hands twitch as she staggers down the hallway, prehensile tail swaying behind her as if courting death itself. Faded pink feathers line the very tip like a traditional Japanese fan, plumage also blooming from the very base, tipped with white gradient on each delicate feather. Built to fly in this different form, Lizzy's wings flare to attention, feathers crooked and large, yet sparse at the base of her large wings save for a few downy feathers.

She feels different.

Looks different.

Lizzy snarls under her breath, pink optics flickering between her usual eyes and a menacing tri-pronged glyph that no Worker should ever be burdened with. The symbol projects onto Lizzy's visor, leaving the Drone expressionless, only emotions visible from viewing her mouth with is curled upwards in a sadistic grin.

"Lizzy!"

A voice.

Lizzy grumbles as she whips her head to look over her shoulder at a Drone she feels like she should know. But no memory files resurface to the forefront of her mind. This is prey. This Drone is prey.

"Lizzy! You're... Oh, god... You're just like... L-like them..."

Lizzy tilts her head in slight confusion, but blatantly disregards the blue Drone in favour of her mind-tearing hunger. Lizzy giggles, fingers and wings flexed, before she pounces on the victim who dared make herself known. It shouldn't feel nice, tearing apart the limbs from this girl. It shouldn't taste good, drinking the oil from her. It feels so weird, but... It's good. She's significantly less hot.

She feels... Different...

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...

...

"Aaand we're just meant to go after that?? Jeez, don't tell me that I look like that when this happens..." Uzi murmurs, wincing in disgust as she watches the cheerleader feast upon her friend with delirious delight from around the corner of the hallway the trio take cover behind. N doesn't say anything, just looks away nervously.

"Uh."

"[No time for that.]" Doll intervenes, glaring at them both. They should know better than to be discussing irrelevant matters in this situation. Especially when it involves Lizzy. Doll watches, with horror and sympathy, as Lizzy eats her best friend mercilessly. Rebecca is Lizzy's best friend... How can Doll tell her that Lizzy ate her? It'll be rough. No matter.

"[Remember the plan. I lure her here, you two catch her with the net and we'll take it from there. Got it?]" Doll glares, just daring one of the two to say they don't remember the plan that they came up with. N and Uzi nod with determination, and Doll sighs, readying herself.

She steps out into view.

"[Lizzy.]"

Doll's voice instantly catches Lizzy's attention and Doll winces at the sight of Lizzy's oil-stained mouth. She's totally gonna freak out about that when she comes to... Doll clenches her fist, before stepping close to Lizzy, who growls softly, abandoning her meal in order to lunge at Doll unexpectedly. Doll yelps as she dodges just barely, Lizzy abnormally fast in this form. It must be the feathers, the added aerodynamicity... Shit.

With a grunt, Doll instantly swerves back around to grab Lizzy's arms with her hands, firmly grabbing ahold, only for Lizzy to giggle and lift Doll up with abnormal strength and slam her into the floor, leaving a Russian-Drone-sized dent. She's strong. Lizzy knows exactly what she's doing when she's like this. Doll would be proud of her if she wasn't currently fighting for her life.

Doll grits her teeth, shakily peering down at her arm which is bent in a way it should not be. No time for ineffective limbs! Doll braces herself, before slamming her injured arm against the wall roughly, the impact straightening it out despite the searing pain shooting throughout her body. It's best not to use it.

Doll jumps in order to avoid another pounce, before she turns to the other two. The initial plan isn't going to work like this, Lizzy's too fast. Luring her won't work. Doll waves both of them off, before throwing herself on Lizzy, who screeches and struggles to try and throw Doll off.

"[Ngh, c-calm down! Lizzy! It's me, don't you remember me!? Doll! It's Doll, Lizzy, I'm right here! Relax, stop --Mph!-- fighting!]" Doll barks out, digging her feet into the floor to ground herself against Lizzy's suprisingly strong thrashing. Doll just tightens her hold on Lizzy, only to yelp in surprise as she's picked up by two strong arms. N.

Feeling a sudden gush wind against her face, Doll just keeps holding Lizzy as N rushes towards her room. Uzi follows close behind N, before running to face Doll from beside her. She grins encouragingly. "So you thought me and N would just leave you alone with that idiot?! Pfft, please!"

Doll's eyes widen, before she softly smiles at Uzi. "[... Thanks.]"

Uzi snickers, before halting as N skids to a stop in front of Lizzy's room. N opens the door, chucks Doll and Lizzy in, before closing it shut. Lizzy's cornered and trapped now. It's up to Doll.

Doll sighs softly, turning to face Lizzy, who pants with exhaustion, drool leaking from her mouth. "[... I'm so sorry, Sweetness... You're the last one I wanted this to happen to.]" Doll whispers, reaching a hand out to shakily trace a circle on Lizzy's cheek. Lizzy falters, lifting her head to see Doll better. Her eyes flicker from the glyph to her optics, but she doesn't speak.

Doll sits down, gently guiding Lizzy down with her. She needs Lizzy to relax and she'll do it the best way she knows how. Doll impulsively snatches Lizzy in her arms, before pulling her into her lap. The slightly taller Drone gasps, before shivering in Doll's hold. Lizzy can't think, but she's not hungry. Not now. She's not.

"[Relax... We'll get through this together, I promise you that. I love you.]" Words of affirmation rush through Lizzy's audio receptors, striking Lizzy's core deep. Lizzy trembles, before burying her face into Doll's chest and begins sobbing softly, feeling guilty over something she doesn't understand yet. Doll just holds her girlfriend closer, nuzzling her cheek.

Lizzy continues to cry out her fear and stress into Doll's chest, wings shakily brushing against Doll's sides before enveloping her in a warm hug of sorts. Doll doesn't react, just allows Lizzy to use her as her anchor. Lizzy continues sobbing, shaking miserably, her head clearing up enough for her to properly appreciate the affection given.

She feels different. She feels better.

Chapter Text

"[Ugh....]" Doll groans, leaning her head back in boredom and annoyance as she rummages through her files and documents recorded about the Solver. She's trying her best to figure out a quicker way to help Lizzy revert back to her usual appearance instead of all the stuff the Solver gave her. Doll squints at the papers, only to jolt as a hand lays itself on Doll's shoulder.

"You getting tired?" Lizzy asks, smirking softly at the tired underlines projected underneath Doll's eyes. Lizzy appreciates what Doll's doing for her, but sleep deprivation isn't exactly what she wants for her girlfriend, especially since it's her Doll's stressing about.

Doll doesn't reply straight away, opting to just sit and feel Lizzy's comforting hand, but soon glances back at Lizzy to regard her properly. "[A little, but I may be close to getting somewhere. I just--]"

"Ah! No! Stop it right there, girl; the only thing you should be getting close to is a bed and me! Now, c'mon." Lizzy interrupts, surprising Doll greatly. She didn't even get to finish her sentence... Lizzy must be really firm about this. Doll is even more surprised as Lizzy actually picks her up and places her on the bed gently, the cheerleader soon hopping in afterwards. Lizzy grins with smug victory as she takes note of Doll's expression.

"Pfft, you look like a dork. But you don't gotta be doing all of this for me, don't lose sleep over it. I'm fine, it's just that these wings and the tail makes it really hard to style myself." Lizzy mutters, rolling her eyes softly. Doll just rolls her eyes fondly; she wasn't even that tired. Really, she wasn't, she was just stressed that she isn't getting anywhere. Doll shrugs nonchalantly, sitting up in order to flip the lights off.

Lizzy watches silently, her wings curling around herself to retain warmth and comfort as she waits. Doll stares at Lizzy's wings for a second, before repositioning herself to get up closer to Lizzy's wing on her left side. Lizzy tilts her head in confusion, her optics hollowing as Doll flops onto the light-pink wing, crossing her arms behind her head and a leg over the other. Doll grins at Lizzy mischievously, earning a playful slap on the forehead with her feathered tail.

"Having fun there?" Lizzy remarks light-heartedly, unable to resist the fond grin on her lips. Doll nods happily, enjoying the feeling of Lizzy's soft plumage on her back. The Russian Worker Drone reaches out to stroke Lizzy's head softly, earning a slight purr, before returning back to her position. Lizzy snickers softly, before settling her head into her pillow, soaking up Doll's warmth.

"[Love you, Lizzy. I promise I'll figure this out.]" Doll whispers, eyes closed yet her voice carries a note of seriousness in it. Lizzy curls her tail around Doll's waist affectionately, trying to soothe Doll a little more.

"Don't stress about it, girly. I'm fine with it for now. Think about it this way; the longer I have the wings, the more we can have moments like this." Lizzy informs, chucking a sneaky grin towards Doll. Doll blushes slightly, not able to deny that. Doll knows Lizzy knows that she loves it. The other Solver Worker Drone simply huffs and nuzzles into Lizzy's wing more, ending the playful back-and-forth.

Things were complicated and so simple at the same time. It's confusing, too, knowing little to nothing about the Solver and how to fix it, but Doll and Lizzy have eachother and that's all they need to get through this.

Chapter Text

"Muuum! Moroznyy's being a jerk again!" Teplo whines, tugging on Moroznyy's purple, pink-tipped hair. Moroznyy bites at Teplo's hand, magenta eyes narrowed, the child acting marginally more immature despite being a literal year older than Teplo. The irony of the scene causes Doll to just lid her optics blankly, staring at her daughters with annoyance.

"[Teplo, Moroznyy, behave. Now. Or, no-one in this room will be able to stay up late like you wanted. Would be a shame.]" Doll calmly states, her authority radiating off of her in waves as she stares at the two. Teplo crosses her arms and shuffles away from Moroznyy, brushing her blond, purple-tipped hair away from her face. Shooting Moroznyy a fleeting glare with her piercing blue optics, Teplo ignores her sister's indignant scoff.

"She started it..." Teplo mutters, frowning and burying her face into the collar of her jumper as Doll gently nudges her shoulder in warning. Doll never thought having a child, let alone two, would be anything like this. It wasn't hard, it wasn't easy, but there were in-betweens and mixed of the two, but Doll and Lizzy always got through the obstacles.

Speaking of Lizzy, she's doing it again... Doll glances back at the previously-blank corner of the room, now being lined with plushies, blankets, pillows, even some soft towels. Her daughters unbothered as they've always seen Lizzy act like this, Doll is not so accustomed. With a soft smile of fond affection, Doll just stares at Lizzy lovingly, shaking her head in humour of Lizzy's antics. Lizzy says she can't help it, that it's just something she does now, but it's still unusual.

Ever since Lizzy got herself a taste of the Solver, she's been way more... Like Doll, should she say. Maybe even worse, since she doesn't know how to reel it in. Lizzy's been doing things she normally wouldn't, such as purring, nesting, screeching at the sight of a plastic cucumber; things Doll usually does, but ten times worse. There was also something that drove Lizzy to do the Courtship Incident.

Doll doesn't like talking about the Courtship Incident.

"Owwww! Muuuuum! Teplo's throwing things!" Moroznyy whines, pointing at her older sister. Teplo looks at Moroznyy in utter offence, despite holding a plushy at a suspiciously throwing position with her arm. Doll glares and opens her mouth, only for her crimson optics to hollow. It appears that Lizzy's done with the nest. If one thought Doll was strict, try testing Lizzy.

Lizzy glares at Teplo, the little troublemaker of the duo, before leaning her head down and biting down on the back of Teplo's shirt, picking her up and dropping her in the nest. Lizzy places her hands on her hips in irritation. "Uh, excuse me? I ain't hearing anything about you being a little brat, am I? Coz I'm totally not gonna be pleased if you did, Teppy. Are you being naughty?" Lizzy firmly inquires, her fiery pink optics baring down on Teplo with an intensity only a sassy mother could achieve.

Teplo instantly grins with sharp teeth, shaking her head nervously as digital sweat beads down her visor. Lizzy smiles softly, rubbing Teplo's head affectionately and turns her head towards Doll, who gently places Moroznyy in with Teplo. Doll holds Lizzy's hand, to which Lizzy wraps her tail around Doll's waist, feathers brushing Doll's stomach.

"[Right. You've both gotten yourselves an extra thirty minutes of television time, but no loud noises, no devices and no playing around. It's bedtime, and you need to get to sleep soon.]" Doll informs, passing a gaze of authority and caring sternness over her kids. Both Dronelings nod innocently, knowing that they're not going to listen to that at all.

Both parents giving their children a kiss on the forehead, they flip off the light and head into their own room for some alone time for once. Teplo and Moroznyy wait for a bit, before Teplo devilishly grins, teeth bared as she stares at her slightly less mischievous younger sister.

"We should totally go and sneak out to see Aunt V." Teplo suggests, pointing towards the slightly cracked window that leads out of the Bunker and across to the new and improved Pod where V, N and Uzi all occasionally sleep together in when they wanna reunite for a bit.

With a smirk that matches Teplo's naturally chaotic energy, Moroznyy nods at her sister and quietly sneaks over towards the door. She and Teplo open it carefully, only for their eyes to hollow with dread as they see Doll standing right in the doorway, Solver glyph evident on her visor.

"[Knew it.]"

Chapter Text

Lizzy is a little concerned. Confused, concerned, a little bit nervous, they all kinda blend in. Lizzy knows Doll; she'd say she knows that creepy dork better than anyone in this hellhole, and Lizzy knows when something's up. When something's not right. It's easy to tell Doll's emotions apart when you know her enough to look deeper into it; this one's hurt. Hurt and anger. Lizzy would be pissed off if Doll was reacting this way towards anyone else, since who the hell's making Doll feel like that!?

But it's her.

Doll's avoiding Lizzy in particular.

It was subtle, at first; they'd just made it out of the parent-teacher conference thingy and Doll looked... Distant. Contemplative, to be really specific, Lizzy could figure out that much. Doll was thinking about something and it obviously sparked up some type of anger aimed at Lizzy, since Lizzy invited her over and what was the reply?

"[No. Bye.]"

And that was it, before she teleported off, leaving Lizzy dumbfounded with a lot of questions and doubts on her mind. That was unusual, Doll never just avoided her without a reason! And that scares Lizzy. There's a reason why Doll's avoiding her, Lizzy did something to Doll. She just doesn't know what. But she's gonna find out.

With a determined huff, Lizzy heads over towards Doll's lockers, knowing that's where she'll find her alone. She likes sitting by the lockers when she knows that there'll be little to no students out and about.

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It was a joke, she didn't mean it.

Tasteless. It hurt.

But Lizzy's sweet; she wouldn't do that to hurt me.

But it hurt.

Lizzy didn't know it'd hurt.

It still left a mark.

I'm acting ridiculous.

I'm in the right, I deserve to be angry.

I'm overreacting. She didn't know.

But it hurt.

Torn between herself, Doll sits against the lower lockers by her lonesome, heavily conflicted. What Lizzy said back at the conference room... It shouldn't feel so personal. Lizzy jokes like that all the time, why was this one different? It... It was aimed at them. That's why. But. Lizzy didn't even mean it in a rude way, it was just a joke.

Yet, despite knowing this, Doll also knows she doesn't have to be subjected to deal with any jabs towards her parents, no matter who told them. It wasn't right, it was too soon, it would always be too soon. Doll can't help avoiding her, she doesn't want to talk to Lizzy right now.

"Doll! There you are!"

Not like she'd get a choice anyway.

Lizzy, relieved that she'd finally found her girlfriend, crouches down in front of Doll, who slowly meets Lizzy's gaze. Lizzy ignores the cold, expressionless glare, steeling herself as she gently takes hold of Doll's warm hands.

"You're mad at me, girl, I can tell. Wanna... Tell me what I did?" The cheerleader softly whispers, running her thumbs over the surface of Doll's hands. Doll just remains stationary, staring at Lizzy blankly with that same, familiar stare; irritation. There were many variations of Doll's blank stares, and this one was clearly irritation. Lizzy hates that it's aimed at her.

"Please, hun, I... I gotta know what the hell I did to you. I wanna make it right, so just... Just tell me, love." The desperate plea invigorates a slight twitch from the Russian girl, who sighs softly, hands gently returning Lizzy's grip.

"[You knew where my parents were, yet you asked me that anyway. It hurt.]" Doll softly admits, casting her gaze away from Lizzy. It felt strangely guilty to say such a thing, but Doll knows it's for the best she doesn't hide how she feels about it. Emotional repression is bad.

Lizzy squints in confusion, tilting her head as she tries to think about what Doll said. Sje knew where Doll's parents where? When did Lizzy ask--... Wait...

Wait...

Oh, god...

Lizzy's optics hollow in recognition, hand slapping over her mouth as she realises exactly what Doll's on about. She made a jab at Doll's dead freaking PARENTS. How tasteless is that!? No wonder why Doll's pissed, Lizzy literally made a joke about the cause of Doll's traumatic spiral! Lizzy's eyes fill with remorse and horror, flickering over Doll with concern.

"Holy shit! Doll! That's what you're mad about!? I... Oh, my god, I'm so goddamn sorry, I shouldn't've even said anything about it, I know it's hard on you! What the hell's wrong with me!?" Lizzy shouts, panicking as digital tears slip down her visor, feeling as if Doll hates her and is gonna just leave her for this. She screwed up bad.

Doll merely watches, for a bit, as Lizzy continues to beat herself up over this. Doll never likes seeing Lizzy cry, it's weird. Not like her. Lizzy's the tough diva who never gets brought down or broken by anyone. Doll supposes she's an exception. Slowly, Doll regards Lizzy's guilt and carefully places a hand on Lizzy's cheek lovingly. Lizzy's breath hitches as she stares at Doll with rapt attention.

"[I know you're sorry. I forgive you. It just... Stung. I shouldn't've been so harsh about it, but could you please just be a little more careful with the parent jokes? I... Don't like them.]" Doll requests, whispering shakily as she shuffles towards Lizzy carefully. Lizzy pauses, staring at Doll for a while, before tugging her close, burying her face into her girlfriend's soft hair.

"Don't you worry, gorgeous. I'm never doing that again." Lizzy promises, clutching Doll tighter as if Doll's gonna change her mind and leave if she lets go. Doll just smiles fondly and affectionately kisses Lizzy's forehead, comfortingly shushing Lizzy and rubbing her back.

No matter what Lizzy jokes about, offensive or not, Doll could never hate Lizzy for it. Ever.

Chapter Text

Things have been really looking up! She's getting used to the whole Solver thing with Doll and Uzi, her skills have grown and she's getting so much better than she had been! It's been going really well, and Lizzy's grateful for the help.

It's just... That ominous voice in her head's growing annoyance by the day. She doesn't know what it is, it's origin, the connection to Doll or anything, but it's there and it's bugging her. Always telepathically yapping about the 'exponential end', killing other Drones, telling her things that occasionally send her into a panic attack--- It's not fun.

As she walks along the hallway to get back into her apartment, Lizzy yelps in surprise as she hears it, yet again. That synthetic voice, the AI automatic voice thing, it's unsettling. Uncanny. Not natural.

"Hello, Lizzy. You really should totally lend me your body. I don't like this one. It is... Faulty. Annoyed sigh. Or maybe just get a bite to eat. Out of... Ominous pause.... Your friends! Tee. Hee. Exclamation point."

Ew. Lizzy grits her teeth and slams the door behind her, only to instantly open it back up and dash towards Doll's room. Doll knows what to do, she always does, there's always something she can do about this stuff. She has to help. Doll has to. Lizzy books it down the hallway, banging on Doll's door desperately, pausing when she hears an annoyed exclaim from inside. Lizzy waits for Doll to come and open the door, metaphorical nerves buzzing with fear.

"Ugh. Not her. She's so rude, wouldn't recommend talking to her."

Ignoring the voice, Lizzy perks up when Doll reveals herself. Desperately, Lizzy clings to Doll's arms and whines softly, before gritting her teeth in slight fear, Doll extremely confused. Just what in the hell is going on, exactly??

"Dolly, you literally need to help me out, this is freaking me the hell out! Look, I-I got this really creepy friggin'... Robot voice thingy talking to me and--"

"[What.]"

Doll's voice is so firm and dead-serious that it actually shocks Lizzy into silence. Doll glares intensely at Lizzy, paranoid and shaky as she tries to sort out her head. She knows who Lizzy's talking about. She's unfortunately all too familiar. Cyn. The little freak is always trying to get a hold of her so it can break her in just the right way it wants, just so Doll can be a new body or experiment. The damn brat just can't leave her alone, can it? Doll can't get a break... But she'll try to help Lizzy get one. Doll grasps Lizzy's hands in her own and speaks seriously.

"[Lizzy, don't engage with Cyn. Don't. You... You can't get rid of it, but you're gonna have to tough this brat out. It's all you can do, but I will help you. Come here.]" Doll urges, spreading her arms out. Lizzy instantly crashes into them, barely registering the feeling of teleportation that Doll triggered. Can Lizzy... Really not fight this thing off? Is it that hopeless? Lizzy curls up to Doll on the bed, gritting her teeth as it speaks yet again.

"Stop that. Frown. You need to give up."

"Ugh, I just want this idiot out of my head..." Lizzy whines, holding Doll's hand tightly. Doll kisses Lizzy's cheek lovingly, trying her best to distract her from Cyn. Lizzy shudders, trying not to focus on that voice, instead trying to focus on the sensation of Doll's artificial lips.

"Ew. Stop ignoring me! >:("

Lizzy grits her teeth and jolts, but Doll holds steady and slides her hand down to Lizzy's waist, gently tracking relaxing circles on Lizzy's torso in order to soothe her. Lizzy sighs softly as she relaxes just a little bit, but grips Doll tighter as she tries to ignore another return of the voice. Doll frowns, before gripping Lizzy's cheeks tightly and smashing her lips against Lizzy's harshly, personally embedding her taste and lip texture into Lizzy's memory, nothing else for Lizzy to register.

Mind suddenly going completely blank, Lizzy kisses Doll back with just as much ferocity, frowning into the kiss as she clutches Doll's crop top shirt with one hand and pulling her closer roughly. Lizzy can barely register the faint literal sign of the voice, along with a final remark.

"Mmh. Stubborn, the both of you. I hate love for this very reason, so cringe, icky. :( I'll remember this, 048. And next time I visit you... It will not be fun. Ominous cackle."

Lizzy shows blatant disregard for Cyn as she just continues kissing Doll intensely. Finally, the two Drones pull away, blushing and panting heavily as they stare at each other with shock and affection. Doll tilts her head at Lizzy, holding her hand in slight concern. "[Is she gone?]"

Lizzy pauses, before smiling softly and nodding in relief. She gently nuzzles Doll's cheek lovingly, before relaxing into her arms tiredly, having taken a massive mental beating from the brat. "Yeah... Yeah, thanks, hun..."

Chapter Text

All dead.

They're all dead.

Their bodies.

Their faces.

All recognisable and dead. She was too late, she got didn't listen, and now? The price had been heavy. Sickeningly heavy. Those things took everything from her, everyone she knew and loved had been ruthlessly slaughtered. Their faces, some distant from their respective bodies, were all familiar to her and it almost makes her throw up.

Rebecca.

Darren.

Khan.

Thad.

N.

Uzi.

Doll.

Those are the only ones she was willing to put a name to, Lizzy may just scream until her sanity crumbles if she tries to identify the others. Lizzy can't believe someone like Uzi died to that thing, can't believe Doll...

D-Doll...

Why the hell didn't Lizzy listen to Doll when she had the goddamn chance!? Doll was cornered, left leg and right arm completely torn off from her body, the left upper side of her torso exposing wires from the deadly wound bitten off of her. It was a simple instruction, basically everyone was begging Lizzy to do it while Doll was down and V was closing in.

"[Do it! J-just pick up the knife and stab through the core! Lizzy, PLEASE!]"

Lizzy has never heard Doll beg in her entire life before, but that shout, that desperation, it was the will of someone who refuses to die. Lizzy couldn't do it. Buckled under the pressure, so Uzi had to step in, which gotten her stabbed through the head by V's tail, N screaming in pure terror and hatred. Not hatred for V, but for what's inside of her. Whatever Doll called the yellow brat, had Eldritch-ified V beyond recognition, flesh and blood pooling around V's every step.

Pure mania.

But Lizzy hid.

And is the only one left.

Worker Drones are extinct from Copper-9.

As Lizzy stares at the oily floor, her head pounds.

Hurts.

Oh, n-no, wait... That actually really friggin' hurts...

"[Hey, over here!]"

Instantly, Lizzy's head snaps up in desperation of the familiar voice, and her optics hollow as soon as she sees Doll running towards her. Why is she dressed in a hoodie? Why's her hair braided? Why're she and Doll in the snow?

No matter.

"[Lizzy, another one came through the wormhole, I think this one is... Unfortunate. She has oil on her clothes.]" Doll whispers, using her name yet not speaking to her. Lizzy slowly reaches out to touch Doll's arm, to which Doll hesitantly allows. Doll doesn't know what this version of Lizzy has been through, but she can tell it wasn't pretty.

Speaking of pretty, the other Lizzy storms over towards Doll, her hair noticeably longer than Lizzy's own. Lizzy tilts her head in confusion, not willing to speak as her voice box hasn't accustomed to the trauma just yet. Doll sighs and gently holds the other Lizzy's hand, whose luminescent triangle is a crimson red instead of pink, Doll's triangle taking on that pink instead, yet only on one hand between them both. CoreBonded. Ah. Lizzy isn't... In her own world or whatever. Another timeline, another universe. This isn't her Doll.

She doesn't know if that's a good thing.

"Jeez, you sure took a hit... Hold on, you take her inside and I'll start searching for a good timeline to let her live in. Maybe one where their Lizzy died only..." The other Lizzy mutters, squinting at a comically misplaced computer setup that has wires running towards a weird, bright portal looking thing, which is a blinding light mixed with a multitude of yawning colours. Eugh...

Doll silently leads Lizzy inside the Bunker, which is notably less gorey than her own world. Doll turns to face Lizzy, placing her hands on her shoulders comfortingly. "[I know you're confused, they all are, at first, but you're not in your home. You're in another timeline, we're relocating you to another unfortunate timeline whose world lost you exclusively. Be patient, it'll be alright. Help yourself to whatever you need around here.]" Doll whispers gently, her voice is as comforting to Lizzy as it ever is.

Lizzy just shakily nods, Doll teleporting off and back again to drape a blanket over her shoulders. Doll hugs Lizzy close, yet it carries a hint of unfamiliarity to it, given that they both don't exactly know eachother, they just know who they are. With poorly disguised pity, Doll trudges back to the other Lizzy.

"[She's not spoken since she got here. I'm worried.]" Doll states, sparing a glance to the unfortunate version of her Lizzy. Lizzy sighs softly and tenderly kisses Doll's forehead, before tapping the computer. She's loaded up a good few selections for the unfortunate Drone, some of which had only lost a few people, Lizzy included in the casualties.

"We got this, we'll get her to a world fit for her. Girly's gotta live a good life, y'know." Lizzy mutters sassily, to which Doll nods in agreement. Doll had initially been against Lizzy looking at this kind of stuff, knowing that different timeline situations can mess a Drone up, but Doll caved under Lizzy's insistence.

Doll looks at the unfortunate Lizzy, sighing softly in understanding of the situation she's been through, whatever it may be. Doll will remain here with her until she can find a good place for her.

God knows Lizzy needs it.

Chapter Text

Another one's shown up, of-goddamn-course. Doll doesn't know where they come from, what Cyn's been doing to create them, how many she even has, but it seems like she's been working on them for a while. Especially this freak. It's agile, moreso than the other lumbering beasts sent their way, and it's got the ability to learn. It can learn. Doll can't let this thing get away, not if it has any capability of cognitive thought or learning.

Built like a horse-sized lizard of red, disgusting flesh and surprising armour, Doll shoves Lizzy back into the wall so she's out of view of the creature. Can't even head to Lizzy's room for a nice, relaxing night until one of these shows its ugly face, and it pisses Doll off to no end. She just needs this thing to go back to hell.

The armoured reptilian tilts its head at the action, remaining silent, buying Doll enough time to send a vital blow to the ribcage with her boot, sending the creature squealing into the wall. Lizzy cheers Doll on from the corner, throwing occasional insults towards the lizard creature. Doll grins at the encouragement, before rushing towards the creature while it's down and gripping its top and lower jaws, pulling them apart with no shortage of a struggle. The creature gargles out a screech, tail thrashing as it tries to get back on its four feet.

Doll falters as she's jostled around, giving the beast an opportunity to throw her off and head right for Lizzy. Doll grits her teeth in anger and panic, charging up her Absolute Solver. She is not letting that thing hurt her girlfriend. Lizzy gasps and backs right into the wall, glaring as she picks up a knife Doll had thrown at the beast and missed. Lizzy braces herself, only for the beast's jaws to clamp around her wrist.

Lizzy screams in pain, slamming the knife into the armoured head, only for the metal to shatter on impact. The beast squeals as it feels Doll latch onto the tail and swing it into the wall with a devastating amount of force, crushing each and every one of its internal organs under the bones. It remains alive, wheezing desperately. Lizzy, unfortunately, was taken along for the ride, but only for a second until the lizard creature let her go. Still, it was enough momentum to swing her into the wall and cause her to go offline.

Doll pants heavily, standing above the body of the beast. As angry as she is, she needs this thing alive to record its actions and run a few tests. Then, it's all Lizzy's to use as a target. Speaking of...

Doll gasps as she sees her girlfriend sprawled against the base of the wall, fingers twitching slightly. Doll rushes over towards Lizzy and bends down, sitting Lizzy up against the cold steel properly. The Russian girl gently taps Lizzy's cheek rapidly, trying to encourage her systems to reboot a little quicker. Lizzy's gonna have the headache of a lifetime after this one, but Doll will make it up to her. Doll perks up as she sees a few written words on Lizzy's visor.

Status: Offline.

Condition: Critical. Report to an experienced Technician.

Data remaining: Minimal. Error-- Files lost, attempting to resurrect.

...

...

Failure.

Please report to an experienced Technician.

Rebooting, please stand by...

Success.

[Wakey Wakey, BlondeBeauty227!]

Doll reads the lettering with no shortage of horror and disbelief. What did Lizzy lose!? Her memory, her cognitive functions, her ability to learn!? What memories could she have lost? It said it was critical. Doll doesn't like that. Doesn't want to believe that. Doll shudders softly, hating the fact that she's not excited for Lizzy's return.

Lizzy's pink optics hollow in shock as she gasps, instantly sitting up and looking all around her. Lizzy hyperventilates at the new surroundings, though she's unsure what she sees as familiar. And who the hell is touching her right now!? Saying stuff about a yellow brat and Solver stuff, Lizzy's beyond confused and creeped out by whatever she's saying. Hell no, she needs to get this (admittedly hot) creep off of her.

"Hey, back off! What are you doing!? Where am I, what's going on, I-I don't understand! Who are you!?" Lizzy defensively shouts, glaring at Doll with paranoid anger. Doll's entire body tenses, before relaxing as her mind numbs slightly. Lizzy tilts her head at the reaction, but remains wary.

"[What...? Lizzy, stop joking around. I don't like those types of jokes, it's not even funny. Let's get you to your room, okay?]" Doll's voice quivers with the offer, gently standing Lizzy up and guiding her towards her room. Doll knows exactly what's going on, but she doesn't want to believe it. She can't. It's not possible. Please. Resigning herself, Doll just deflates in acceptance. What she saw spelled itself out perfectly.

Lizzy just sneers at Doll, before sighing and trembling a little as she enters a... Really pink room. Points for style. Whoever lives here probably has really good taste, damn. It might be this 'Lizzy' girl or whatever, but it doesn't ring a bell when Doll calls her that. It doesn't feel right.

Doll sits Lizzy down on the bed, holding her hands. Lizzy pulls her hands away, but flinches as Doll keeps a tight hold on them. Doll grabs two picture frames that reside on Lizzy's bedside table. Doll shows Lizzy the first one, which is a group photo of her, Doll and all of her friends in the picture. Everyone Lizzy has befriended is in here. Lizzy has to remember. "[Here. This is a group photo we all took, all of your friends, me... Do you remember them?]" Doll gently asks, placing the picture in Lizzy's hands. Lizzy stares at it for a bit, trembling as she runs her hand along herself in the picture, looking cheery as she tugs 'Doll' and a blue-haired girl close to her.

"... Who... Who are these?" Lizzy asks, head hurting tremendously. Her CPU is stuttering and buffering in her head, it really freaking hurts. Doll's hypothetical heart breaks, looking at Lizzy's lost and pained expression. She knows Lizzy's trying her best to remember, Doll hates that she can't even begin to do so. That goddamn creature...

"[Rebecca, You, Me, Thad, Darren, Emily, Sam, Uzi. Or, as you call, the Freak.]" Doll informs, earning an offended and slightly disgusted glare from Lizzy. Doll shrinks into herself at the glare, unsure of what she did wrong. She's only trying to help Lizzy...

"What!? I wouldn't call anyone a freak! What the hell's wrong with you!?" Lizzy shouts, pointing to Uzi. Lizzy can't believe the audacity of this Drone next to her, she isn't getting on her good side in the slightest. Doll's mind breaks a little, that statement confirming everything. Lizzy would never defend Uzi in her entire lifetime. Shaking, Doll shoves the second picture frame into Lizzy's hands before teleporting off.

Lizzy's entire opinion and thought process shatters as she gazes upon the picture of her and this unfamiliar, rude, creepy and slightly hot Drone kissing passionately under a ruined, frozen tree.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-"-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"[You.]"

The singular word echoes throughout the hallway, the air becoming far more cold than it had been. Doll walks closer to the beast on the ground, who's still wheezing. It hisses at Doll weakly, tail lightly swaying behind itself.

"[You took her from me.]"

Doll raises her leg above the head. The initial plan can go screw itself back to hell, Doll is ENRAGED. The firey emotion spreads itself through Doll like an uncontrollable wildfire, sparking in her mind dangerously and taking over her impulse.

"[My girlfriend.]"

Stomp.

A pained squeal.

"[My best friend.]"

Stomp.

A gargled roar of pain.

"[I hate you.]"

Stomp.

A weak, watery hiss.

"[I hope you rot.]"

Stomp.

A bloody pulp.

"[I hope you're in pain.]"

Stomp.

A squishy mess.

"[I hate you.]"

Stomp.

A flattened pile of gore.

"[I fucking hate you.]"

STOMP.

Messy droplets of blood and flesh fly onto the walls, clinging to the steel.

"[You took Lizzy from me. If I can't recover her... You will wish you never came into contact with me.]"

Doll was not talking to the pile of flesh and blood.

Chapter Text

"Aunty Dooolllllll! Can we go to the outer segment??"

"Aunty Lizzy, we promise we'll behave! Mum and Dad always lets us go!

This is all Doll and Lizzy have been hearing from N and Uzi's kids for hours since they were dropped off. They have an apparent fixation on the outer segment that's being built, so much so that it's literally all they talk about. Even after being told numerous times that they're not going anywhere today, they still persist defiantly. Sparky and Bolt have been a pair of troublemakers from the start and once they want something, they're gonna get it. Even unwillingly by their aunties.

Lizzy groans as she leans against Doll, who sighs. They've lost the battle. Now, they're moving throughout the unfinished Bunker segment, searching for the duo who narrowly escaped their grasp and is probably drinking paint or something as a dare from the other. Sparky is the older sister, who never really takes responsibility for her little brother and instead molds him into another mischievous little idiot. Perfect.

"If I ever say I'm considering having kids, punch me." Lizzy pants out a request, to which Doll nods in agreement. This kind of stress is the exact reason why they're never having kids. They're cute and all, but the stress will eat them both alive.

Doll and Lizzy continue to call out for them both, only to be silenced by a horde of Drones running in the opposite direction they're going. Doll can barely catch the words "Disassembly Drone" before they're all gone, just like cowards. Doll thought they were past that phase, ready to fight and lay down their lives for the battle if only to deter the beasts a little while longer. Doll supposes old habits die hard.

Lizzy and Doll give eachother a brief glance of paranoia before rushing towards the danger.

They gasp when they see Sparky and Bolt throwing things at the duo of Disassembly Drones that must've found a chink in the reinforced walls they're building. Huh, the kids are gutsy and brave, Lizzy's gonna give them that. Shame the adults couldn't find that same bravery.

Sparky gasps and pulls Bolt when she sees her aunties, running away from the Disassembly Drones that trail after her. Doll grabs them both and matches Lizzy's stern glare. "[What were you both thinking!? Don't go running off towards danger WITHOUT supervision!]" Doll shouts, raising her voice for once, which startles the Dronelings. Lizzy nods in agreement before gasping and leaping over them both to slam the Disassembly Drone against the wall as it tries to lunge. Doll flinches, before proudly smiling. She teleports the kids back to Lizzy's room before preparing herself to take on the second Disassembly Drone.

Doll grunts as she delivers a harsh kick to his stomach, the Murderer snarling angrily as he raises his sword and swings it down. Doll ducks and slams her fist against the Disassembly Drone's chin in an uppercut, lopping its head right off. Doll crushes the core beneath her boot, before avoiding a round of bullets from the other. She watches Lizzy take hers on, wanting Lizzy to hone her skills.

Lizzy grits her teeth and raises her hand, calling upon the Absolute Solver Program to send a knife through the Murderers knee and boomerang it back again. The second Disassembly Drone screeches in pain, before crawling towards Lizzy rapidly like a freaky little lizard. Lizzy exclaims in disgust, before launching herself off the ground, Doll throwing a metal pole over to her. Lizzy catches it with the Solver, before sending it right through the core.

There.

Done.

Lizzy sighs and lumbers over towards her girlfriend, hugging her tightly as she kisses her in appreciation. Doll purrs, holding her close as she feels Lizzy return the purring sensation. Doll grins and holds Lizzy's hand, Lizzy smiling smugly as she feels Doll charging up her Solver to teleport them back. Lizzy casts a glare over her shoulder towards the cowardly WDF squad.

"By the way, you're all getting replaced. Seeya, cowards."

Then, they're off.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Doll and Lizzy enter their home in a blip, only to find Uzi and N praising their children as if they didn't nearly just get themselves killed and disobeyed their aunties. Uzi turns to face Lizzy and Doll with a grin, holding Sparky while N holds Bolt.

"Sooo, thanks for totally protecting these two, me and N owe ya. We're paying a visit to the damage, we wanna see how cool it is." Uzi informs, N nodding in excitement as he bounces on the balls of his feet. Uzi can't wait to see how epic it must look, if there's a whole bunch of damage dealt.

They both take their leave, leaving Doll and Lizzy dumbfounded.

Doll just sighs and gently takes Lizzy's hand, pulling her to the bedroom. Lizzy blankly follows along, seething underneath her veil of blandness. "[We're taking a nap. Don't accept the next time they want us as a babysitter, they can experience the hell we're put through with those two.]"

Chapter Text

"Uhh, mark this one, too. We can probably expand here, there's not many trees to knock down." Lizzy explains, gesturing towards the bland area of snow, littered with human houses that can be reinforced and joined with steel hallways in order to expand the Bunker, trees scarce from view. Doll nods and sprays a nearby tree with red spray paint to let the construction workers know where to start building. Doll turns to Lizzy and earns a nod and a kiss, startling Doll.

Lizzy giggles at her flustered girlfriend, caressing her cheek before sashaying past her to explore the town a little more. Doll shakes her head to snap out of it, before following Lizzy along. "[Save it for later. We have a job to do.]" Doll reprimands, blushing slightly at the smug glance Lizzy gives her with those pink optics of hers.

"Lighten up, not like I'm gonna pause my priorities for this." Lizzy flirtatiously remarks, running a finger up from Doll's stomach to flick off her chin. Doll tries not to get herself sent offline, so she just keeps quiet and peacefully continues marking wherever Lizzy says to mark. Suddenly, Lizzy goes off-course, into one of the ruined houses that can be potentially dangerous should it collapse under the pressure of age and time.

"[What're you doing? Get back here, it's not safe.]" Doll informs, quickly trailing after Lizzy. Lizzy just rolls her eyes before showing Doll a bottle of perfume she found, not that she'd really need it since she can't exactly smell anything with that amount of strength. Not without a nose, anyway. Lizzy chucks it away, the bottle shattering against the floor on impact.

"Chill. You're so tense, girl, maybe you need this to loosen up!" Lizzy cackles, pulling out a half-empty bottle of pure vodka. Doll deadpans at Lizzy and grabs the bottle, placing it down on the table next to her as they stand in what seems to have been the kitchen.

"[We're not exactly built for drinking that. And was that a Russian joke?]" Doll asks, tilting her head as her hand subconsciously reaches for Lizzy's own. Without even thinking or realising it, Lizzy's hand tightens around Doll's, rubbing the back of it with her thumb. Lizzy throws Doll a small, mischievous grin as she looks away, acting innocent.

"Mayyybe~!" Lizzy chimes.

Doll rolls her eyes and scoffs, before playfully shoving Lizzy, causing her to stumble. Lizzy glares at Doll, before snickering and baring her sharp teeth, batting at Doll's head repetitively like a cat would've. Doll squints at the entourage, before huffing and dropping the can of spray paint. Lizzy's primrose optics hollow. Shit.

Doll immediately tackles Lizzy to the ground, batting at her head softly, Lizzy poking her tongue out at Doll before flipping her over through tactic rather than pure strength she knows she possesses. Doll yelps in surprise, yet stuns Lizzy with a quick kiss to the forehead and shoves her off. Lizzy tumbles off of Doll and stands to her feet, Doll quickly doing the same.

They both eye eachother, watching the other's moves very closely. Then, Doll quickly lunges at Lizzy, to which Lizzy avoids carefully. Lizzy then spins around and holds Doll in a tight grip so she can't escape, Doll instantly teleporting out of it, something Lizzy has yet to master.

"Not fair! Get back here, jerk!" Lizzy shouts, looking all around the room for Doll, but she's nowhere to be found. Lizzy gasps in shock as she feels two strong arms pick her up and place her in the kitchen table. Doll smirks at Lizzy in victory, Lizzy rolling her eyes before laughing. She pulls Doll in for a sweet kiss, Doll leaning into it. Then, Lizzy cheekily runs her synthetic tongue across Doll's lips extremely quickly, taking Doll by surprise. Doll relaxes, before raising her digi-brow in humourous questioning.

"[Hhmm?]"

"Hmmhh...~"

The flirty sing-song hum of Lizzy's muffled voice causes Doll to roll her eyes, chuckling against Lizzy's lips. Doll decides to give a few minutes to indulge in Lizzy, tilting her head as she continues the passionate lip-lock, forgetting about her job for now. Lizzy purrs softly, running her hands along Doll's back, before she nips Doll's lip in order for her to sneak her tongue inside. Doll huffs in slight annoyance, oil running down her lip from Lizzy's bite. She needs to get those sharp teeth in check.

Lizzy spares a second to run her tongue up Doll's chin, licking up the delectable oil she once thought of as gross and vile. Doll purrs, clutching Lizzy tight, only to jolt and teleport in the middle of the room, cautious as she listens intently, remaining still. Lizzy glares at the interruption, panting softly as she tilts her head. Rude.

Doll growls softly under her breath, darting her gaze towards the noise which she heard from the other house across from them. Doll peers out of the window and into the other, crimson optics hollowing as she spots Bolt and Sparky rummaging through the opposing building, giggling and showing eachother cool things they find.

Lizzy squeals softly, grinning as she runs off to go see the duo of troublemakers. Doll whines, panic rising, watching as her girlfriend greets them from the other house, before teleporting in front of them. Doll glares at the two, who instantly shrink in on themselves. "[Sneaking out again? And just what are you two doing in a place that hasn't been renovated for safety yet? You should know way better! We need to get you two home, Uzi and N must be worried because of you both!t Then, we gotta--]"

"Doll, knock it off, they're just trying to explore! It's adorable, they wanna be like us and go out and do things!" Lizzy defends, firmly crossing her arms and raising her digi-brow at Doll in expectancy of retaliation. Doll just sighs, not wanting to argue right now, that can wait until after, when she confronts Uzi and N for not looking out for their kids no matter what they might be doing. Kids take priority.

"[Fine. Let's just get back, we're on a time limit and I wanna be done with this.]" Doll grumbles, only to blush heavily as Lizzy brushes past her, whispering a snide, flirty remark.

"That's not what you were saying before...~"

Doll stammers, darting towards Sparky and Bolt, who remain oblivious. Doll watches as Bolt looks towards the outside window innocently, only to gasp and scramble towards his aunties, pulling Sparky along with him. Immediately alert, Doll and Lizzy whip their gazes towards the window, greeted by two Disassembly Drones, their yellow optics pinned on the kids.

"[Stay in here, both of you! Lizzy, you're with me, let's go!]" Doll barks, before teleporting out of the house and into the open. Lizzy runs out the door, Bolt and Sparky watching intently from the window.

Doll growls as she hits the male Disassembly Drone, 'K', with a right hook, cracking the visor. K hisses, switching his hand to a blade and slashing at Doll with it with anger. Doll skillfully dodges, wrapping her hand around the blade and using her entire body strength to launch the Disassembly Drone into a nearby house. K skitters upright, running right back at Doll again.

Lizzy grunts as she takes on the other male, 'P', using her Absolute Solver to stab it through the arms, with metal poles, so it can't use any weapons against her. Not like bullets would work, anyway. P unsheathes his wings and launches upwards, sliding his arms off of the poles and spins on the way down, aiming at Lizzy. Lizzy gasps, before grinning and jumping up right when he's in front of her, and slamming her boot onto P's head, sending him crashing into the ground, head-first.

Lizzy's pink optics hollow as P screeches, visor crushed as he rises quicker than expected. P glares at Lizzy, before rushing towards the house where the children are. Lizzy exclaims in panic, before quickly running over, chasing P down, but her speed isn't a match for a Disassembly Drone's. Lizzy watches as he gains on the house, only for Doll to intercept, teleporting behind him and grabbing him by the tail. Doll grunts as she swings him into the ground, Lizzy running over and stabbing him through the core to finish him off. Sparing a glance at K, who's way beyond dead, Lizzy slumps.

Doll gently sighs and sets Lizzy up, flinching in surprise as she feels two bodies crowding around her and Lizzy, shouting muddled compliments and even crying a little. Lizzy smiles at the kids, her and Doll hugging them close affectionately, calming them down with soothing words. Doll looks at Lizzy, who nods softly.

"Let's get you two dorks home, huh?"

Chapter Text

"[Lizzy, please, calm down...]" Doll sighs, gripping Lizzy's arm tightly as the cheerleader tries her best to break free and devour a minimum of five Drones. Lizzy thrashes against Doll's grip, scrabbling for the nearest group of Drones who're huddled together in fear of Lizzy, astounded by the fact that the most popular girl in school would ever act like this.

Lizzy's pink, faded wings beat against the ground rapidly, the wind from the motion kicking up dust into the otherwise stagnant air. Doll tries to avoid each swipe of Lizzy's thin, furred tail, only to be smacked in the face by the fan of feathers splayed from the end to the tip. Doll grumbles slightly, before dragging Lizzy towards her room forcefully. Enough of this, Doll needs Lizzy to take a damn breather for once.

Lizzy warbles softly, the Solver glyph flickering as she follows her unwillingly. Doll just opens Lizzy's door, ignoring the indignant hiss as she shoves Lizzy into the room. Lizzy instantly snaps her jaws at Doll, arching her back and standing on all fours. Gosh, Lizzy's literally way worse than Doll when she's in her Solver form... At least Doll has some semblance of sentience, Lizzy's just... This. Whatever this is.

Doll glares at Lizzy, crouching down to her level, to which Lizzy tilts her head and leans her head in closer, Doll's familiar scent alluring her. Doll pats Lizzy's head, rolling her eyes as Lizzy eagerly wags her tail, wings dropping against the floor tamely. Doll would give a remark, but she doubts it would do much of anything anyway.

Lizzy's energy is almost admirable, if Doll wasn't nervous and slightly annoyed by it. She bounces off the walls when she's like this, probably a subconscious punishment for Doll forgetting to supply Lizzy with oil from recent kills. Lizzy doesn't like to do the killing (when she's normal) so Doll does it for her. It's best Lizzy doesn't have to deal with a guilty conscience as well.

But it comes back to Lizzy's energy. Doll needs to draw that out.

Sooo....

Lizzy instantly perks up as she spots a small, red dot on the floor beside her. Curious, Lizzy lightly places her hand on it, only for the dot to move directly form under her hand. Startled, Lizzy growls at the dot and pounces on it, a tactic that's sure to work! Yet, Lizzy is disheartened as she sees the dot behind her instead. Lizzy's tail flicks slowly, before she screeches and begins to give chase. Doll cackles as Lizzy runs all over the room in a desperate attempt to try and catch the unobtainable, the Russian girl darting the laser torch all over the surface of the floor.

Lizzy stumbles into the wall as she narrowly avoids a sharp turn that could cause a crash, but shakes her head and continues to skitter towards the red dot. It's so close, but she can never catch it, no matter what she tries to do! Lizzy huffs as Doll lids her optics, before she becomes bored. Time to finish off. Doll sends the beam of light towards Lizzy's bed, the infected cheerleader slamming herself down on the fluffy material. Lizzy calms down as she gets a proper feel of the fabric, before flopping on her stomach, content.

Doll hums. "[You're really something. Strange, but... Something.]"

Chapter Text

Doll sighs as she stands beside Lizzy and her mother, who both place reassuring hands on her shoulders. They're both concerned about her mental health and readiness to face her own doings, now having a clear enough conscience to feel tremendously guilty about it.

"[Are you... Sure you're ready for this, little one?]"

"Yeah, girl, you don't gotta do this in one hit. We can take it slow."

Their reassurances cause Doll to grab both of their hands and lower them, but not loosen her grip. Doll knows what she did, she knows that she won't be able to take it if she doesn't get them all out now. It has to be today, they all need to go today. Doll nods with determination, yet doesn't have the stability (or is it the courage?) to talk just yet.

Lizzy kisses Doll's cheek, proud of her girlfriend for finally doing something. She's fixing herself, little by little and Lizzy could not be more proud of her for trying. The cheerleader blushes as Doll gently purrs in response, before Lizzy gently steps away and towards a conveniently placed box that she brought with her to Doll's room, knowing what they'd be doing. Doll and Yeva raise their digi-brows in confusion as Lizzy pulls out a yellow suit; a Hazmat suit.

"[Where did you even get something like that??]" Doll questions, actually curious and weirded-out enough to make an effort to ask about it. She's never seen a Hazmat suit before and doesn't know if they even still existed on the surface, since time surely should've worn down the material or froze it over beyond use. It seems, though, Lizzy has managed to successfully obtain one.

"Don't worry about it. We got a really gross job to do, so let's get in there!" As cryptic as Lizzy's answer is, she's right about that last part. They have to do this, no more stalling for time. Yeva and Doll nod, before following Lizzy (who now wears the yellow suit and somehow manages to actually pull it off) into the crime scene of a room. Yeva gasps as she sees her plates on the table, filled with oil and scattered mechanical parts.

"[My plates! Those are my favourite ones! Doll, are you serious? It'll take me so long to wash that out...]" Yeva groans, completely antagonized by the thought of endless cleaning of the black substance. Doll bows her head in apology; it's not like she knew what she was doing when she set the dinner table for the last time.

"[My apologies. I... You deserved to use your favourite plate. It had been a rough night after the incident, y'know. I thought it'd help you feel better.]" Doll mumbles, blankly staring at the ground. Lizzy worriedly glances back at Doll, a comically large bag in hand as she swipes an abundance of body parts and heads into it. She doesn't like the look on Doll's face, no matter how familiar. That's the face of dissociation.

"Dolly, hun, look at me... Your mother's here, don't worry about it. You know she couldn't eat if she was... Y'know..." Lizzy trails off, not wanting Doll to relapse further. Doll twitches, muttering an apology, before continuing on with the task at hand. She needs to get a damn grip if she wants to do this correctly. No hiding bodies for later, no drinking oil, none of it. Doll wants to be better.

The three Drones continue to clean the room, wiping oil off the counters and floors, knocking body parts into the large bin bags. Yeva winces softly as she accidentally gets a droplet of oil on her arm, before brushing it off. Gosh, Doll really lost her head while she was gone. It's so sad to think that Doll was left alone to stew in her own mania, getting worse with every kill she makes. Doll's trauma won't be an easy fix, but this cleaning process is a true step towards healing. For all of them.

Doll guiltily tries not to look at the faces of those she's killed, pulling Drones down from the meat hooks she doesn't remember being there previously. The air of the room is warm, disgustingly so, instead of the standard cool temperature it should be in here. Doll's hand shakes as she touches the warm, dead body of someone she used to know. She doesn't want to remember her name, but her guilty subconscious keeps whispering it to her. Milly.

Lizzy, having completed cleaning a small section of the room, glances at her girlfriend in worry as she sees the horrified expression on her face. She's probably realising the full extent of what she's been doing all these years. Lizzy shuffles towards Doll, nudging her out of her trance. Doll silently stares at Lizzy, who kisses Doll's cheek to comfort her. "You're doing so good, Dolly, just keep it goin'. I know it's hard, but you got this. I love you." Lizzy whispers, striking up a determined fire in Doll's core. Doll blushes and hugs Lizzy close, before letting her continue on.

"[I love you too.]"

Yeva secretly watches the interaction with pride, elated that Doll found someone who's willing to assist her, even with all of this. She's glad for Lizzy for keeping Doll in check while she wasn't able to. Lizzy is a sassy angel and Yeva couldn't be more accepting of the girl Doll has chosen as her own. Yeva continues to work on cleaning, managing to get almost all of the bodies down from the meat hooks. They'll have to burn these later. Can't risk the Absolute Solver wriggling into them after death.

Doll's hands tremble as she pauses in her work, having managed to successfully clean up all of the pots she used to cook a rather unappealing meal in her prior insanity. Doll is healing. She's actually, genuinely healing; something she thought she was incapable of for so long. Doll's optics flicker, a digital tear sliding down her face as she breathes shakily, emotions of gratitude and self-pride overwhelming her. Lizzy casts a curious glance to Doll, only to gasp in concern as she sees Doll crying.

Lizzy drops everything and rushes towards Doll, grabbing her tightly and rapidly whispering words of encouragement. Yeva, startled by the sudden clanging of dropped body parts, takes one look at Doll and grins lazily. She knows that look. That's the sight of someone who's fought to get where they are and recognise their progress. Yeva could not be any prouder. She walks over towards Doll and Lizzy, placing a hand on Doll's head. "[I am proud of you, child. Recognising your mistakes and putting in effort to fix them is the most courageous thing someone can do. You'd do well to understand that.]" The Russian mother states in a calm manner, her pride towards her daughter hitting Doll hard.

Doll whimpers into Lizzy's neck, holding her mother's hand and clutching Lizzy close with the other. Lizzy smiles at Yeva, who grins at Lizzy playfully. Lizzy nuzzles Doll's cheek placatingly, enjoying the strange warmth she'd come to love. "Yeah, girl. You're awesome, I'm so proud of ya, you creepy friggin' dork." Lizzy snickers, to which Doll sobs a little bit more, system overloaded with emotions. Doll tugs them both closer, trembling and standing strong against the negativity she'd caused and is willing to fix.

"[T-thank you. I'm so sorry.]"

Apology and acceptance being another step towards healing, Doll knows she will never forget this.

Chapter Text

Doll glares at the wall, arms crossed as she tries to ignore the fact that the acid flinger is currently having a fully-fledged excitable rant with Lizzy about classmate gossip and the like. Talking about how much she and Lizzy love to pull pranks on Lizzy's classmates, and how they'd go about doing them; something Doll would be talking about with Lizzy if V would just leave.

It's odd.

Doll's never felt like this before, never in her life. It was a rather ugly feeling; it twisted in her stomach and made her feel slightly ill. Doll knows that, overall, she has nothing to really worry about since she knows that Lizzy loves her and only her. But... Why isn't Lizzy even paying attention to her!? Why isn't she being included, why... What's so special about some Disassembly Drone? Why did this rust bucket have to just walk into Lizzy's life? Why couldn't it just leave them alone?

Glancing at them in secret, Doll huffs as she watches Lizzy rant on about some makeup product she wanted to try out on V. Disgusting. Lizzy shouldn't waste anything on these hellish beasts.

...

Doll doesn't understand why she's so angry. (Is it anger?) She knows that it's really not necessary, V's just here for a casual hangout with Lizzy and her. Well, maybe not so much her as it is Lizzy. But still, there's a clawing sensation at the back of her mind that makes Doll feel like she needs to get rid of V. Granted, she always feels like that, but it's intense, now. Much more intense.

Is it because she's paranoid? Paranoid that Lizzy's gonna betray her again; see how great V is in comparison and the fact that Doll could never even begin to be half as interesting or social as V? Doll hopes it's not that, but she also trusts Lizzy enough to make the right choice. Doll really shouldn't be so angry about it. But she can't help but feel it swell as V slings an arm over Lizzy's shoulder as she shows her random pictures on her phone.

Doll continues to glare at the wall, but tries her best to make it look like she's just zoning out, as usual. She can only hope the rust bucket keeps her hands to herself.

As V snickers at the image of Lizzy shoving Uzi into a locker (hey, she doesn't condone it, but it is kinda funny), she casts a quick glance at Doll and almost begins wheezing in amusement, seeing the absolutely pissed off--- No, no, not pissed, jealous expression on her face. It's subtle as she tries to hide it, but not enough to not be obvious as all hell. V smirks sassily. It seems she overstayed her welcome.

V grunts as she stands up to her feet, startling Lizzy and Doll alike. Lizzy tilts her head, before deflating, a little bit disappointed that V's leaving an hour earlier than what she planned for. Lizzy stands up as well, frowning as she crosses her arms. "And just where the hell are you going?" Lizzy questions, gesturing to V in an annoyed manner.

V just grins and makes her way over to the door, standing in the doorway. If Doll's gonna be pouty the entire time she's here, V doesn't really see any other reason to stay, since she could be a hair trigger away from Doll literally killing her because she's jealous. V doesn't really understand why Doll's so jealous; it's not like she's gonna take Lizzy from her, jeez. "Eh, just getting worried that Uzi and N are doing something they probably shouldn't be. Idiots... But yeah, I gotta head back, Liz. I'll talk to ya on the phone later, m'kay?" V raises her digi-brow as she turns back to Lizzy for acknowledgement.

Lizzy just sighs and rolls her eyes, before walking out the door with V. "Fine, whatever. Lemme see you off and I'll get back inside." Lizzy mumbles, to which V nods. In the middle of the hallway, out of earshot, V smirks and places her hand on Lizzy's shoulder, bends down and whispers into her audio receptors. Lizzy's optics hollow as she turns her gaze towards her room door. So that's why...

Doll sighs in relief as she hears the sharp sound of V's wings unsheathing and sending her off into the night sky. Finally, about time V left.

"So. I heard why you're acting like a total grump. Wanna tell me what that's about, huh?" Lizzy firmly inquires, tapping her fingers on her crossed arm. Lizzy glares at Doll in annoyance, now understanding exactly why Doll's been so against V hanging out with Lizzy tonight. Or any night, for that matter. She's being a jealous little jerk, and Lizzy's gonna need to sort this out if she wants to keep hanging out with V.

Doll just grumbles and turns away, only to yelp as Lizzy roughly tugs her head right back to face Lizzy, who frowns in annoyance. Doll just relaxes, looking away from Lizzy as she tries to run from her problems.

"Uh, no, don't even think you're gonna be avoiding this. Doll, you're gonna need to get over this jealous streak, okay? It's not okay. I'm allowed to hang with whoever I want, I'm my own person. But... I want you to know that I'd never up and leave you for V. Why the hell do you think I would?" Lizzy questions, desperate to try and get an answer out of Doll. The Russian girl simply scowls and deflates, glancing at Lizzy and then back to the wall. There's something about Doll's expression that tells Lizzy all she needs to know. Oh...

Lizzy sighs in understanding, caressing Doll's cheek affectionately as she tries to calm her down. "It's prom, isn't it? I screwed up once and you're thinking I'll do it again, aren't you?" Lizzy whispers, trailing her fingers along Doll's arm to gently hold her hand. Doll squeezes Lizzy's hand with a caring pressure, not wanting Lizzy to feel guilty about it. It's in the past now.

"[No, I know you won't. But I can't help but think about if you did, if you did leave me for her. I don't think I--]"

"Stop." Doll flinches at the harsh command, crimson optics hollowing as she feels Lizzy hug her tightly. Doll shakily wraps her arms around Lizzy's slim frame, burying her face into Lizzy's blonde hair. "I will never leave you. I really hate it that you think I would..." Lizzy mutters, playing with Doll's hair. Doll just nuzzles Lizzy's head softly, feeling like this has spiralled.

"[No. I'm sorry. I need to control myself better, I know you won't do anything with V. I'm sorry for being so weird about her.]" Doll apologises, to which Lizzy pulls away to face her girlfriend and smiles gently. Lizzy kisses Doll sweetly, earning a short purr of delight, before slightly pulling away and squeezing her hand soothingly.

Lizzy smiles at Doll proudly for recognising her mistake enough to make a change, before the soft smile turns to a smug grin. "Pfft. You're such a jealous little dork." Lizzy teases, causing Doll to deadpan at Lizzy.

Doll rolls her eyes. "[Don't start.]"

Chapter Text

BeautyBlonde: yo how you going
Rebsy: eh
BeautyBlonde: fair
BeautyBlonde: so like
BeautyBlonde: do you wanna hang out today i haven't seen you for a bit
BeautyBlonde: i miss you :(
Rebsy: lol omg
Rebsy: aight ye where at i missed you too qwq
BeautyBlonde: your place plzzz
Rebsy: you're not just saying you wanna go to mine so you can steal my snacks are you
BeautyBlonde: no
Rebsy: liar
BeautyBlonde: wtf I'm not lying I'm trying to be a good friend here jeez settle
Rebsy: liz
BeautyBlonde: okay fine whatever maybe
Rebsy: ugh
Rebsy: just meet me at the south wing of the bunker idiot
BeautyBlonde: rude
Rebsy is Offline

Lizzy rolls her eyes and chucks her phone on her bed, before walking off to her desk, where she keeps all her makeup products and such. Lizzy sprays visor polish on her visor, rubbing it in, before she frowns in the mirror. Wait... All her stuff's already out. Was she going somewhere before this...?

Wait.

'Dinner date with Doll.'

The sticky note on the top right corner of her mirror sends a wave of realisation and horror throughout her body. She had a dinner date with Doll today, damn it! Oh, god, she totally messed this up! Ugh, this is not how she wanted her morning to go. This is stressing her out to no end. She has no idea who to even choose! Her bestie or her girlfriend? Lizzy doesn't feel comfortable leaving either of them hanging.

Guilty, Lizzy picks up her phone from her bed and taps on Doll's contact number, texting her.

BeautyBlonde: hey girl...
Doll: What did you do?
BeautyBlonde: ugh why do you always assume i did something??
Doll: You never text when you're getting ready. Speaking of, are we meeting up at yours?
BeautyBlonde: i dunno
Doll: ?
BeautyBlonde: i made a mistake doll a big one
Doll: I'm not surprised.
BeautyBlonde: ugh just shut up and listen! hypothetically
BeautyBlonde: i double booked you and Rebecca I'm so sorry i didn't mean to i really didn't
Doll: Ohh.
Doll: How long has it been since you even saw her last?
BeautyBlonde: like a year
Doll: Damn
BeautyBlonde: ikr
BeautyBlonde: but i don't wanna cancel either of you i dunno what to do here
Doll: Hold on.
Doll is Offline.

Lizzy stares at her phone in confusion, beginning to text Doll back about it, only to yelp in surprise as Doll appears right in front of her. Lizzy deflates softly, looking away from her girlfriend in guilt. Doll looks indifferent, as she sits beside Lizzy on the bed. Doll holds Lizzy's hand, which the troubled cheerleader barely recognises. "I... I'll cancel Reb--"

"[No. You haven't seen her in a year, Lizzy. Go hang out with her, you and I can always reschedule.]" Doll states, calmly smiling at Lizzy, who stares at Doll in surprise. Lizzy's pink optics hollow as she realises that Doll's willingly giving up their plans together so she and Rebecca can have some time together for once. Lizzy grins. What a freaking sweetheart.

Doll returns the grin and stands up, using the Absolute Solver to levitate the visor polish into Lizzy's hands. Doll gives Lizzy a small, little nuzzle, before brushing her hair behind her face. Lizzy blushes at the contact, loving every second of it nonetheless. "[Go. We'll have our dinner date tomorrow, right?]" Doll whispers, tilting her head. Lizzy nods in agreement, perfectly fine with that.

"You got it! Thanks so much for understanding, Dolly, I really appreciate it." Lizzy thanks, placing her polish down in order to give Doll a proper hug. Doll melts into Lizzy's arms, purring gently as she relaxes against Lizzy's body. Doll holds the contact for a while, before pulling away gently.

"[Of course. I'll be seeing you later.]" Doll winks flirtatiously, before blipping out of existence and into another. Lizzy shakes her head in amusement, before turning back to face the mirror, continuing her makeup routine. Lizzy's so grateful to have someone as understanding as Doll in her life, it's such a relief to know she'll never freak out at her for making an innocent mistake.

With a ready grin, Lizzy is prepared to go meet up with Rebecca for an epic hangout, gossiping about literally everything at school. Lizzy casts a quick look towards the picture of Doll she has framed up on her makeup station, before heading out the door, extremely appreciative of Doll's calm understanding.

Chapter Text

"Hey, freakbag! Get your ass up, we got a problem!"

The sudden shouting at the sleeping Russian girl nearly sends her into a core malfunction, as she teleports behind V on instinct and nearly pierces her through the head with the knife she keeps on her. At the last second, Doll pauses right before it strikes the Disassembly Drone down. Doll glares at V, tired. "[What? Do you have any idea how much I don't wanna see you today? Or any day, for that mat--]"

"Shut up, Lizzy was kidnapped, damn it! You need to help me get her back; you're the only one with the skills to do it!" V barks, slapping Doll's accusatory hand away from her face. Doll's scarlet optics hollow as she begins to freak out over the jarring information.

"[What!? Where!? By who!? Did you--]" Interrupting Doll a second time, V shoves her hand on Doll's mouth to keep her quiet and calm down from the panicking. She quickly pulls away when Doll bites her hand harshly.

"Ow, hey! Ugh, Liz and I were hanging out and one of those... Solver creatures just came and swiped her up. Weird looking guy, too; looked like a creepy-ass bird or whatever. It was gone before I could act." V explains, gritting her teeth in disappointment and anger of her failure. Doll sighs, before staring at V. She has a plan and she's gonna hate it, but... Anything goes when it comes to Lizzy. Absolutely anything.

"[... Okay. Let's go, we gotta get there fast before it tries anything. I have an idea of where it went.]" Doll admits, V tilting her head at Doll in confusion.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Ugh, do you have any house decorations that aren't random body parts?? Oh, and way to be a host; didn't even offer me a drink or anything at all, thanks! Hey, do ya mind loosening these flesh binds or whatever? I know you're probably just luring my girlfriend to me and all, but this just feels weird. Do you things even have any makeup around here or--"

It's not even been half and hour and already, the Eldritch bird beast is willing to absolutely chop its head off in order to get away from this insufferable Drone. Master can find another way to capture the target, it doesn't want to do this anymore. It's literally about to deviate from the plan, it can't take it anymore.

It stalks over, with it's long, gangly, eye-ridden legs and lowers its elongated head to poke at Lizzy's visor with its beak, earning an exclamation of annoyance and disgust. The bird creature chirps, before squawking in alarm as the hiding spot is infiltrated with a loud explosion. Lizzy and the bird creature both exclaim in elation, the bird biting at Lizzy's restraints an nudging Lizzy over to her saviours. Confused, V and Doll glance at each other as Lizzy hugs them both. The bird flees, finally free.

"[What was...?]" Doll begins, only for V to shrug and hug Lizzy tighter. Doll growls softly and tugs her girlfriend towards herself, who giggles in amusement and grins.

"Thanks for that, both of you. Not gonna lie, though, that freak was kinda cute." Lizzy admits, shrugging dismissively when V and Doll stick their tongues out in disgust and heavy confusion. V shakes her head, before nudging Lizzy out the door.

"Okay, Liz, whatever you say. Let's get you back home." V sighs, Doll following them both quietly. V glances back at Doll, who meets her golden optics with a blank stare that carries a lot of meaning. Doll gives a calm nod, to which V grins, understanding the meaning behind it.

'Truce.'

Chapter Text

"[Do you even think this is gonna work...?]" Doll tiredly asks, looking at Uzi with a depressed stare as the gothic Drone attaches electrical wires in specific parts of her CPU that triggers memory storage, wherever it may be at this point, anyways. Uzi shrugs, squinting as she continues to fiddle and set up the wiring that'll hopefully bring Lizzy's memories back and get Doll to stop being such a sad sack.

"Hopefully. We can try..." Uzi mutters, not reassuring Doll all that much. Doll anxiously watches as Uzi attaches an electrical wire that'll contribute to sparking the rest and, with luck, Lizzy's memories. Uzi takes a deep breath, before glaring with vibrant determination as she triggers an electrical current into Lizzy's CPU, causing Lizzy to twitch slightly. Uzi and Doll watch, but nothing happens. As Doll deflates with disappointment, Uzi rushes to try again. "Ugh, work, damn it!"

Doll glares at Uzi as she repetitively tries to spark up Lizzy's memories so she can have a chance at getting her usual self back to Doll, the Russian girl speaking up. "[Can't you just do whatever it is you did with N?]" She questions, seeing it as a viable option.

Uzi frowns, not looking at Doll as she continues to attempt to trigger anything at all. "Yeah, but that takes a lot more time than this. Plus, I don't think it's safe when she's experiencing a malfunction like this one; we might get malware or whatever. Think, Doll, jeez." Uzi quips, frustrated by the consistent streak of failures to succeed.

Doll huffs in annoyance, crossing her arms in slight offence, furrowing her digi-brows. "[Settle, it was just a suggestion.]"

Uzi rolls her eyes. "Well, it was a dumb one--"

Foreign Electrical Current identified.
Triggered Processes...
Memory Storage...
Recovering Vital Files...
Accessing Storage...
Please Stand by...

Doll and Uzi both stare at the string of words on Lizzy's visor, before grinning at each other in excitement and enthusiasm. Doll claps a hand on Uzi's shoulder in gratitude, nodding in satisfaction. "[You did it! I don't think I can thank you enough for this, Uzi, really.]" Doll states, to which Uzi smiles and rolls her eyes, blushing in embarrassment.

"Whatever. You think you're cool with Lizzy alone? I kinda got a date with N, y'know." Uzi reminds, raising her digi-brow at Doll. Doll offers a thumbs up, Uzi giving a cat-like smile in return before exiting the room. Doll sighs and looks at her immobile girlfriend, reaching forward to touch her cheek.

"[You can do this, Lizzy, you just gotta remember. Please...]"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Everyone, we have a new student joining us today, uhh... She's... Her name's Doll, and I hope you all get along with her (and for your own sake, don't bully her. I'm not losing my pay because there's less brats to teach...)"

That's the first indication of the new student who would soon become the most important Drone in Lizzy's life. Lizzy, confused by the teacher's usual demeanor faltering, raises her head towards the door and there, she sees her. Violet hair, striking crimson eyes she's never seen on a Drone before, and that expression... That's something Lizzy can only describe as 'unbothered'. Who the hell is this girl!? The teacher might've said her name before, but Lizzy didn't catch it if he did.

Lizzy's optics hollow as the new girl brushes her gaze over hers, meeting her eyes for only a split second. Lizzy flinches as she flicks her gaze back to Lizzy, that blank stare boring into Lizzy's mind and memory. Lizzy tilts her head slightly, Doll mimicking the motion. Woah, she's pretty... That settles it. This one's gonna be a great addition to her multitude of friends.

The teacher, unlike the usual with all the other new students, doesn't get this one to speak at all and does it for her, instead. "This one's name is Doll, as stated before. There's no records of a last name... Huh. So, all of you better get used to her, because she's a permanent student here now. Alright, continuing on... Watermelons are oftentimes described as---"

Doll. That's right. Lizzy ingrains the name of this girl in het mind, keeping it stored, permanently, in her memory banks as she does with almost everyone. The curious cheerleader nearly jumps out of her seat as she sees Doll walking towards her and sits beside her, neither girl paying any attention to the lesson.

Lizzy continues to just stare at Doll, before shaking her head and mustering up the courage to speak. How's that, huh? The most popular girl in school, and she's afraid to talk to some weird, mysterious Drone like this one. Reeling in her usual manner, Lizzy nudges Doll, capturing her attention. Those beaming eyes are so close now...

"Hey, I'm Lizzy; the most popular girly in this dump! So, like, what products do you use in your hair?? Looks hella shiny." Lizzy compliments, trying to weasel her way to Doll's good side using flattery. Doll, seemingly knowing exactly what Lizzy's doing, blinks at her.

"[None.]" Lizzy falters at the cryptic mumble, but is moreso distracted by the silky-smooth voice Doll has on her. Wait. Was that...?

"You're Russian?" Lizzy asks, squinting at Doll in curiosity. Doll merely nods, still boring into Lizzy's head with that damn stare she has. Lizzy grins and wraps an arm around Doll's shoulder, pulling her close. Doll just lets it happen, surprise showing for less than a second.

"Adorable! Look, girly, stick with me and you and I are gonna rock this place."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Lizzy's visor goes blank, before a loading symbol spins on her screen, a tick projecting soon after. Lizzy gasps as she shoots upright, startling Doll, who's been asleep, resting on her lap while she waits. Doll wordlessly stares up at Lizzy in anticipation, who stares right back at her. Lizzy then smiles slowly, both hands coming forward to caress Doll's cheeks affectionately.

"Hey, girly... Missed me?" Lizzy whispers, a blush evident on her visor as her pink optics flicker towards her lips. Doll's crimson eyes hollow in shock, before they arch with elation and enthusiasm. Doll instantly wraps her arms around Lizzy, barely able to get a word in as she fears that speaking will trigger a mass of hysterical sobbing. So, Doll just whimpers in Lizzy's arms, clutching her tight. She missed her girlfriend so much...

Lizzy giggles, knowing full well that Doll isn't gonna let her go outside for a few days, at the very least. Lizzy tilts Doll's head up, the teary Drone tilting her head in curiosity with a smile, before letting out a muffled yelp as Lizzy slams their lips together, missing the touch and taste of her girlfriend.

Doll purrs into the kiss, shutting off the lights and making sure the door is unable to open from the outside for the time being. Pulling away for a second, Doll nuzzles Lizzy's cheek lovingly and holds her hand, Lizzy sighing in adoration. "[I love you.]"

The cheerleader blushes heavily, giggling at the heartfelt declaration, before responding with a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, idiot."

Chapter Text

Lizzy; well-known for being the most popular girl in school, ready to beat down anyone else who she deems as 'inferior' or 'lower', friends with a serial killer who's hell-bent on getting revenge on the Disassembly Drone who killed her parents in cold oil. Who would've thought? Not Lizzy. That's not what she thought when she befriended her two months ago. Her views have changed, and while she's not afraid that Doll's gonna suddenly bite her head off for so much as looking at her wrong (because she would've gotten out of this friendship right from the start if she thought that she was in danger), she is... Concerned.

Doll isn't a regular Drone. She's not dumb and blind to danger, she doesn't hesitate to bring up the deaths or anything like that. She's cryptic as hell, not one to take anything from anyone. The first and only time that happened, Doll literally leaked some guy's IP when he called her a freak. The second he said it, Doll begun to list off the series of numbers and from then on, everyone knew to stay the hell away from her try get on her good side.

From there, Lizzy's reputation both soared and dwindled. She was known for both her popularity and being the only one who's willing to talk to Doll and vice versa, but people are starting to avoid Lizzy rather than come up and beg her for a slight taste of being up in the popular hierarchy. Doll is driving them away and Lizzy doesn't know how to feel about it. She's grateful for the flock to stop bugging her, but it also means that her reputation isn't what it used to be. She feels like she's fallen from it, somehow.

She knows Doll didn't mean to do anything about it, or ruin it at all, but Lizzy can't help but tread carefully whenever she's with Doll around others. She always has to reassure them that Doll won't do anything, but it doesn't help when Doll says nothing when they look at her for validation or agreement. Lizzy's already spoken with Doll about it, who agreed to make sure that the others don't feel threatened anymore, so that's a relief.

But then came the gossip and rumours, of which Lizzy never thought she'd be subjected to in her life.

She caught wind of it from Rebecca, who's (thankfully) chill with Doll, Thad still coming around. They think Lizzy's only interested in Doll for the sake of gossiping about what she's like and how creepy she is. They're also going on about how they can't understand why Lizzy's even hanging out with someone who'd, otherwise, be lobbed in with Uzi and the other losers if Lizzy didn't take her under her wing and raise her up on the hierarchy beside her. They don't understand why Lizzy's hanging out with Doll. It should be obvious. Not everyone has to be popular to catch Lizzy's interest; she'd think they'd learn that from how she befriended Rebecca.

Lizzy thinks that's the stem of her falling reputation. Those gossiping little idiots. She has to end it quickly, or Doll could find out and if she does, Lizzy's reputation will take yet another hit. Lizzy knows Doll doesn't deserve to fall with her, it isn't her fault. Doll'd be really guilty that she caused it by being scary as she usually is and, despite Doll not sharing anything about herself to Lizzy, Lizzy knows Doll's not who she puts out there. Doll isn't originally like this, so Lizzy needs to help both Doll and herself.

So, Lizzy sets off in search of the idiots who started this. Get them to knock it off and tell everyone it's okay, and it'll all be fine again.

There they are.

Look at them. Chatting away like they're not messing everything up for her and Doll.

Three of them; Kyle, Vicky and Collin. They're relatively unpopular--- Lizzy might've bullied them one time or another. They're all standing around in a circle, chatting amongst themselves, unaware that Lizzy is right behind them, despite two being able to see her if they'd pull their heads out their asses.

"Yeah, everyone knows that Lizzy's probs in it for the novelty of having a suspected Murderer on her side, y'know? Why else would she be hanging with her?"

"That's what I'm saying! I was talking about it with Darren earlier, he thinks she's just happy to have Doll as a friend, but it's so random, right?

"Mhm. Tch, I bet even Uzi's in on this kinda talk. Liz really needs to ditch that freak; it's so weird that they're attached at the freakin' hip..."

"You guys talking about lil ol' me?" Lizzy growls out, causing all three to jump and shout in surprise. All three Drones have sweat droplets shooting down their visors, obviously not expecting Lizzy to be there, but they know she just heard everything they said. "I should be flattered to be the talk of the town, but... You idiots are causing me and Doll a bit of trouble. So." Lizzy's hand slams on the locker beside them. "This is how it's gonna go."

"You're all gonna have a 'change of heart' and tell everyone you blabbered to that Doll's not a bad person. She's just quiet and doesn't take anyone's shit. I can be friends with whoever the hell I want, and it's not gonna be a problem. Right?" Lizzy threatens, stepping closer to the trio of gossiping geeks. She's gonna have a field day, seeing these three get sent to the boiler room of the hierarchy, constantly bullied everyday at her command. The three Drones nod, unable to speak under Lizzy's completely serious gaze.

"You're all gonna fail this year and the next. You're lucky I haven't called Doll over to deal with you instead, because she'll be perfectly fine with becoming exactly what you think she is if it means you'll stop bugging us. Get to telling people that she's fine, or else. Got it?" Lizzy growls, earning a unanimous shout if agreement before they all skitter off to get the job done.

Lizzy sighs in relief, crossing her arms and smirking. Even with the hit her reputation's taken and rebuilding, Lizzy still knows exactly how to twist people's arms in order to make them obey her directly. The cheerleader turns her head behind her, gazing, intensely, at the ominous, shadowy corner. Two crimson eyes stare back at her. "C'mere."

Instantly, Doll is at Lizzy's side, smiling a little as she stares at the spot the three idiots once stood. "[You really know how to manipulate them, Lizzy.]" Doll states, Lizzy understanding it's a compliment rather than a jab. Huh. She's really getting the hang of reading Doll. It's easy when you focus.

"Damn right. They won't be messing with my g-reputation again." Lizzy snickers, masterfully covering up her little slip that Doll focuses on for less than a second. It doesn't seem like that's what she was gonna say, but whatever. Doll just blinks as Lizzy wraps her arm around Doll's shoulder like always, calmly allowing it.

"[I'm sure they won't.]"

Chapter Text

She can't stop thinking about her. At the start of every day to the end of each night, Lizzy has Doll on her mind, the thought of the vengeful Russian girl crowding her mind until she can't even focus on any school work anymore. She's making things worse for herself, too. Doll knows she still hangs out with V, which makes her all the more bitter and distant, thinking she's been replaced, but if she just gave Lizzy a chance to explain herself, Lizzy might be able to actually fix this whole mess.

But she knows Doll's a vengeful Drone. Petty, sometimes, as well. It derives from the hurt and emotional turmoil she's been coping with since the event that ruined her life. Lizzy can't even blame her, either; she'd sure as hell be pissed if Doll flaked out on her mid-plan execution. Lizzy has tried, though, to make amends and explain herself so many times through text, calls, physically, notes, everything imaginable. Lizzy is trying her best to reconstruct the friendship she lost due to her own idiocy and panic.

Shuddering as she sits on the edge of the bed, head in her hands as her elbows rest on her knees, Lizzy looks miserable. Her hair is kind of a mess, as Lizzy hasn't really bothered to make it look its absolute best like she usually would do. Despite this, Lizzy's bow remains perfectly fine and bright, as it'd been a gift from Doll herself. Lizzy would never let her bow become neglected. Ever.

Lizzy slowly raises her head to face the door of her home, contemplating if it was worth another shot to talk to Doll about it. Doll's always worth it, so Lizzy doesn't know why she's hesitating so much--- Probably because she knows what'll happen again. She'll probably just get ignored or shoved into the wall again, but there's no way she'll give up. Not when she feels like this.

The guilt, the pain and... The sheer adoration for her dorky Russian bestie. Lizzy's known what she feels for her; it's been a niggling thought at the forefront of her mind constantly. Lizzy is undeniably in love with Doll. Who the hell wouldn't be? Doll is everything Lizzy's ever wanted in a relationship, platonic and potentially romantic. She's sweet, tough, hot as hell, understanding and always willing to listen to her problems, no matter how minuscule they may be.

Lizzy has suspected that Doll felt the same for a while and just the thought makes her Core pulse faster. They've shared moments together that would be rather questionable for a platonic relationship, such as holding hands literally everywhere, Lizzy's playful flirting, Doll blushing at Lizzy's touch and much more. Lizzy has been preparing herself to confess to Doll for a while, but has never gathered the courage. In fact, the upcoming prom was where she decided would be the perfect opportunity to ask her out.

It was fun, romantic and a passionate event for students. Lizzy's plan was very simple; hang out, flirt, ask Doll to dance, get closer, confess while on the dancefloor. Thad was even willing to hook her up with the music Lizzy knew Doll liked, ready to play it on the speakers.

Shame it all blew up in smoke. Literally and metaphorically.

Lizzy screwed up with Doll's plan, all because she had an attachment to V. It could be the novelty of befriending a Disassembly Drone, or just because V's cool and outgoing, but Lizzy thought of V as a cool friend to have around. Amidst the anxiety she'd felt when it was time to get V on the mark and let Doll take the lead, Lizzy just couldn't. It all went downhill from there.

Now? Doll won't talk to her anymore and Lizzy feels sick. No, like, actually. She feels ill, deep inside her chest, just behind her Core. Lizzy knows what it is, she'd heard about it in class (the only cool thing she's ever learnt), but it's much less so when she's up close and personal with the affliction. They call it Hanahaki Disease. A phenomenon where petals of sorrow, rejection and heartache bloom in from oil leaks, where the tubes connected to the Core, splinter a little due to heartbreak. The oil droplets transform into petals and are thrown up by the inhabitant, effectively lowering the oil supply and subsequently killing the victim slowly and painfully.

There's a solution, however. Rid her CPU of her overwhelming love for her best friend, heal the oil tubes and continue on with life, now completely detached from the prior crush. But Lizzy would rather die than never feel this way for Doll. It's stupid, she knows, but she got a taste of what a relationship could be like with Doll and now, Lizzy's addicted from the small droplet she had gotten. She is not giving that up.

Steeling herself, Lizzy opens her door and begins to hunt down Doll. She needs to settle this, needs to sort it out. Ignoring her weakening knees, the cheerleader begins to search for the cute Russian weirdo.

...

...

There she is. Lizzy sighs in relief when she finds Doll, who's sitting down in the corner of the changing room by her lonesome, scrolling through her phone idly. Doll flinches in alarm as she notices someone sit beside her, only to glare once she realises who it is, exactly. Lizzy. Why can't she just leave her alone to mope? This is getting ridiculously desperate, at this point. (Doll hates herself for liking the cool air surrounding Lizzy, trying to ignore the positive pulse in her Core when Lizzy's cold hand rests upon her own warm one.)

"Dolly... You ready to talk to me?"

No response aside from a small grunt.

"Gorgeous? You alright?"

Doll hesitates, before nudging Lizzy away from her. Lizzy, although expecting this reaction, feels the metallic taste of oil and sickening hint of flower petals rising from her chest. Lizzy gently squeezes Doll's hand, silently begging for Doll to just talk to her, say it's alright and she forgives her. But Lizzy can't kid herself.

Doll frowns at Lizzy, her hand glowing a soft crimson as she calls upon the Solver to spark at her fingertips. "[I have to go.]" And with that, Doll teleports away, cutting their little meeting short.

Lizzy giggles.

Then, she laughs softly, digital tears running down her screen as she covers one of her eyes with a trembling hand, feeling her limit finally being reached.

Laughter devolves into sobs as Lizzy speeds off, towards her room, slamming the door shut as she collapses onto the floor, gagging on the scarlet petals that clutter onto the floor from her oil-stained mouth. Clenching her hands into fists in pain, Lizzy feels a jolt of static run down her spine as a warning message appears on her visor.

[AFLCTN: Hanahaki: Critical.]
[Oil Reserves: Critical.]
[Imminent Shutdown Estimated in three (3) minutes.]

It hurts so bad, but Lizzy welcomes it with open arms. Despite how badly she doesn't wanna die, she'd much rather lay down her life than give up this mind-spinning love. So, Lizzy's sobs slow to a stop, petals half-hanging out of her mouth and clinging to her wet, blackened lips as she feels herself fade. Maybe she should've told Doll about these feelings, regardless of consequences...

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Three days. It's been three days and no signs of Lizzy. Not in class, not online, not anywhere in the Bunker and Doll is becoming increasingly more concerned about her as time goes on. Maybe she should finally stop feeling sorry for herself and actually work to fix it, stop ignoring Lizzy and her obvious guilt and regret. Doll owes Lizzy that much.

Doll sighs, before teleporting into Lizzy's room to give her a nice surprise. Lizzy always loves it when Doll lets herself in unexpectedly, playfully yelling at her to knock it off, even though they both know Lizzy wants nothing more than for Doll to keep showing up, no matter how Doll did it.

"[Lizzy? Lizzy, I---]"

There.

In the middle of the room.

Crumpled on the floor.

Petals and oil surrounding her like a beautiful scene of death and anguish.

Lizzy.

Her best friend.

The one Doll was late to tell she loved.

Doll's crimson optics buffer and flicker, before hollowing with the morbid, horrifying realisation that Lizzy has been subjected to, quite possibly, the worst death a Drone could ever experience. Hanahaki. Lizzy had Hanahaki. Lizzy loved Doll. And Doll ignored her, repetitively, despite loving her as well.

Doll slams her hand onto her chest, claws leaving faint scratches in her hardened plastic chassis, trying to resist her Core from shattering on the spot or melting into a puddle of scarlet muck. Doll can't bare to look at Lizzy's face, where she knows she'll see a Fatal Error message permanently buzzing on her screen, never to project those pink, sassy optics again.

Doll's mind nearly shuts down in on itself as she realises that she's crouched before Lizzy, barely registering that she's actively screaming as loud as her voice box can manage. She's sure everyone else in the Bunker can hear her, wondering what the hell is making the local unemotional Drone scream so damn loudly, but Doll can't even hear herself amidst the rapid apologies that scrambles her mind, tumbling out of her mouth.

"[I'M SORRY, I'M SO SORRY, WAKE UP--- PLEASE, LIZZY! I LOVE YOU!]"

Doll's screeches fall on deaf ears of the only one she wants to hear it.

Lizzy is gone, dead due to a harsh, agonising grief of loss and rejection.

And it is all Doll's fault.

Chapter Text

"Doll, talk to me! You know I gotta check up on my girl every now and then, and I know something's up! Please, just talk to me!" Lizzy pleads, walking next to Doll as Doll makes her way down the hallway, no real destination in mind. She just wants to lose Lizzy so she can have some time to herself, as dangerous as being alone right now may be.

Doll merely shakes her head in response, an annoyance for her girlfriend wriggling up to the front of her mind. She doesn't like feeling annoyed with Lizzy, she never does, but having a short trigger to her loose emotions doesn't often come in handy when the situation is tense. So, Doll must try her best to get out. She needs to leave. She doesn't want to do anything rash.

Lizzy frowns as she notices Doll speeding up in order to attempt to get away, the cheerleader instantly running ahead of Doll and spreading her arms, blocking Doll's path. It won't do much of anything, considering the fact that Doll can simply teleport behind Lizzy and keep going, but the intent is all the same. Doll pauses, feeling a desperation to get away from Lizzy right this second.

"Doll, please. You're totally out of it, you need to lie down. How about we put on a movie and spend the night together?" Lizzy offers, holding her hand out to Doll so Doll can take it. Doll would normally love to join Lizzy for a night together, but she really feels like she has to leave. Her anger is growing.

"[Lizzy, I'm fine. Knock it off.]" Doll growls, trying her best to keep her temper under control, no matter how stoic and well-mannered she puts herself out to be. Lizzy glares at Doll in challenge, a little offended, but she knows that it's not entirely Doll's fault. Well, it is, but she knows Doll's temper can... Get out of hand. Doesn't make it right, but Lizzy doesn't think Doll means it. Nonetheless, Lizzy scoffs and reaches out to touch Doll, her fingertips just barely brushing against Doll's arm and that's what Kickstarted it. Doll sneers at Lizzy, before rearing her fist back.

Lizzy's pink optics hollow in horror as she watches Doll's fist launch at her. Lizzy grits her teeth and squints her eyes shut, preparing herself for the, possibly fatal, blow she's about to cop. After a few seconds that feel like decades, Lizzy slowly opens her eyes and gasps at the sight of Doll's fist just barely making contact with her Core.

Doll aimed for the Core. Just one good punch and Lizzy is completely gone from the planet, beyond dead as her weak spot would've taken a fatal hit. But Doll restrained herself. Lizzy shakily peers at Doll's expression, which displays pure horror and guilt, mortified written in every pixel of her digital facial expression. Gingerly, Doll lowers her hand, neither Drone speaking a single word to one another.

Doll nearly killed her. She never thought she'd ever attempt to do so. What the hell is wrong with her!? Doll literally just put Lizzy's life in jeopardy, her own girlfriend! Doll can't do this. Immediately, with a quick glance of guilt, Doll blips out of existence, entering her room to have a massive breakdown, Lizzy knows. It's best Lizzy leaves her be for now, as she doesn't really wanna approach her. Not after that whole showdown. Lizzy can't defend Doll from that. That was completely out of line and she's gonna have to talk about that with her when Doll's stable enough. For now, Lizzy thinks it's time for a well-deserved nap.

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She nearly killed her. Doll still hasn't been able to wrap her head around such a horrific concept; just one more inch was the only difference between Lizzy's life and death. Doll really is no better than V. All her life, since she's known about V, she'd always gloated and taunted that V is a mindless Murderer incapable of genuine care, but who the hell is Doll to make that claim when she nearly sent Lizzy six feet under? Shuddering in the corner of her room, Doll clutches her head in regret and guilt, self-hatred dwindling her sanity.

Doll is exactly like V. V never even attempted to hurt Lizzy and she's not as close to her as Doll is! Doll can't say the same anymore. She doesn't know what to feel, but it doesn't even matter, as her systems pick out those feelings for her, instead. Hatred, anger, fear, regret, guilt, sadness, horror, the whole mixture of emotions fester in her mind. Guilt and self-hatred is the most prominent.

Before releasing what she's doing currently, Doll picks up a nearby knife. Her whole body feels numb, not scared like it had been when she first started doing this a long time ago before Lizzy helped her quit. It was something to take the edge off, something to make her feel anything other than what she is now. It's a dangerous habit, a habit no-one ever wants to see their friends doing to themselves, but when the self-hatred cuts into her this deep, the knife can't help but follow.

Releasing a shaky sigh, Doll falls back into her old habits and presses the sharp, metallic blade of the knife up against her wrist. She starts off with a gentle scratch, drawing nothing more than a bead of oil. It stings a little, but it took her mind off of the emotional pain in exchange for a physical substitute. Easing into it, Doll drags the knife deeper into the metal of her arm, the cut about five centimetres this time, a more generous amount of oil trailing down her arm.

This is freedom.

Inhaling through her teeth sharply, a sudden surge of anger causes Doll to glare at her arm, with vehemence, and give herself another harsh slash, the thought of Lizzy's terrified expression burnt into her mind permanently.

It's not enough. She needs more.

Her arm littered in cuts and oil, Doll moves the knife away from it, intentionally using her arm to pull down her shirt a little, in order to reveal her Core. Doll purposefully rotates and jostles her injured arm so it hurts more, sharp bolts of pain shooting throughout her entire body. Doll glares at her Core, the sickening crimson irritating her for once. Why the hell would Lizzy ever kiss this thing?

Carefully, Doll drags the knife over it, leaving a thin scratch on the plastic that protects her raw Core, almost as if warning it that she'll pierce it if she feels like it.

Doll's head shoots towards the door right as it opens, revealing Lizzy, who looks absolutely mortified.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It's been three hours... Lizzy thinks that's enough time for Doll to calm down. She can't let Doll stew in her room alone for too long, since she's worried about the fact of Doll's... Old habit. It's a disgusting and horrible habit to have, Lizzy certainly not wanting to ever see Doll do it again like she busted her doing it earlier on. That's why she feels as though she has to leave now. The air doesn't feel right. Lizzy feels paranoid. She can't have Doll relapse again; it was hard enough to break the habit the first time.

Lizzy opens her door, swiping the spare roll of bandages she has lying around on her desk for emergencies just in case. Lizzy storms off towards Doll's room, feeling her metaphorical nerves buzzing with concern and fear for what she might see. She just has to hope against all odds that Doll didn't do it again.

As Lizzy approaches Doll's door, she punches in the code and the door opens. Relieved to see two crimson optics staring back at her, hollowed, Lizzy feels a little bit better. Quickly, she flicks on the light, ignoring Doll's flinch.

Oh, god.

Oil, everywhere. It's on Doll's clothes, her hands, the floor, somehow her face, and on the knife. Doll stares back at Lizzy, knife cluttering to the ground as her hand weakens, loosening. Lizzy's knees feel weak. She feels sick, worried sick to her stomach. In a flash, Lizzy drops to her knees and darts towards Doll, throwing the knife away so Doll doesn't even think about picking it back up. Glaring with tears in her eyes, Lizzy shouts at Doll.

"Just what in the hell were you thinking!? Why the hell did you do it again, why did you hurt yourself again!? Oh, you got oil everywhere, damn it! Keep still, lemme do this..." Lizzy trails off, wrapping the bandage around Doll's injured arm firmly, making sure it's tight enough that Doll can't pick it off. Lizzy's hands tremble as she wipes the oil off of Doll with a cloth, hating every time Doll flinches because of the pain.

"[I'm sorry, I... I nearly hurt you... I couldn't handle it...]" Doll whispers, barely audible, but Lizzy's been around Doll enough to be able to hear her perfectly. Lizzy sniffles, refraining from slapping Doll upside the head, before holding her hands tightly, inching herself closer.

"So you cut yourself!? What kind of absolutely stupid logic is that, Doll!? Look, I... I know it's hard for you and all, but... I hate it when you do this to yourself. It freaking hurts me, Gorgeous. I don't want you doing this crap to yourself, no matter how you feel." Lizzy whispers, tugging Doll into a hug that Doll doesn't even believe she deserves. Nonetheless, Doll instantly wraps her arms around Lizzy, whimpering in pain me and guilt. Yet, it feels as though a weight is being lifted off of her shoulders just from Lizzy being here.

"[I'm so sorry... I won't do it again.]" Doll promises, burying her face into Lizzy's neck. Lizzy sighs, glancing down at the light scrapes on Doll's Core. Gently, Lizzy bends down and kisses Doll's Core directly, causing Doll to blush heavily and shudder. Lizzy grins at the reaction, giving her Core a little playful lick, before smashing her lips against Doll's. Doll gasps, before melting into the kiss, feeling every bit of her troubles fade into static at the back of her mind.

Lizzy releases Doll after a moment, panting softly as she smiles lovingly with a glint of teasing playfulness in her pink optics. Doll smiles in return, her calm demeanor falling back into place. It's amazing how fast Lizzy can heal her, almost like a remedy of its own. "That better?" Lizzy mutters, to which Doll nods truthfully.

Lizzy checks Doll's body for anymore injuries, relieved when she finds none present. Lizzy places her hands on Doll's shoulders, the cheerleader looking absolutely serious towards the Russian girl. "We're gonna get through this, Doll. I ain't gonna let you break this habit alone, girl, we'll fix it together. I'm taking all of your knives, first of all." Doll deflates at the declaration she knows Lizzy's serious about. "Then, you and I are due for a night together. Sound good, Gorgeous?" Lizzy softly inquires, earning a warm grin and a nuzzle.

"[Very. I'll set up the bed while you do that?]" Doll asks, gesturing towards the knife lying around; the first of many to be discarded. Lizzy nods, pulling Doll up with her and giving her a sweet kiss that nearly causes Doll to buckle. Lizzy giggles, before pushing Doll towards the bedroom, the Russian girl entering the room to set up the bed.

Lizzy sighs in relief, having finally gotten through to her. It's a learning curve, today was all about learning to cope. Lizzy's gonna help her girlfriend get better at it, at talking about her feelings without lashing out. Picking up a bundle of knives and bagging them up in Doll's bin bags, she silently promises herself to never let this happen again.

Chapter Text

"Doll, you're sure this whole thing is safe?" Lizzy questions, acknowledging the notification that alerts her of a fighting simulation Doll has just recently installed. Lizzy squints as she swipes the notification off, looking at Doll, who nods.

"[Relax, it's fine. I've done it before, many times, so you should be fine.]" Doll states, patting Lizzy's head in order to try soothe her just a little bit more than before. Lizzy frowns at Doll.

"Uhh, 'should be'---?"

"[So! You can't get hurt in the simulation and it's completely safe, not like reality is. It's exactly the same thing (kinda), you just gotta get used to it. It's easy.]" Doll grins, trying her best to calm her cheerleader down from the obvious worrying she's mentally sifting through. Lizzy grins a little, shrugging as she leans against Doll, blushing softly.

"Eh, if you say so. Not gonna lie, this is actually pretty epic that you made this thing." Lizzy compliments, Doll rolling her eyes as she knows exactly what Lizzy's trying to do here. Doll gently flicks Lizzy's forehead, earning an indignant scoff, poking her tongue out at Lizzy.

"[Don't try stalling. Here's a challenge for you: Take down a Disassembly Drone by the end of the simulation. That's the enemy by default, so all you have to do is fight. Any and all weapons that can be seen in the scenery are at your disposal. Best you practice up with the Solver.]" Doll suggests, earning a nod from Lizzy, determined to fight and win. Lizzy gives Doll a thumbs up, the Russian girl returning the gesture, before Lizzy's visor goes blank as she enters the simulation. Doll props Lizzy's head up with a pillow, before laying next to her and scrolling through her phone, waiting.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Woah..." Lizzy whispers, marvelling at the realism of the simulation. She's in a snowy wasteland like back home, outside the Bunker, trees surrounding a small clearing to form a perfect circle. At the bottom right corner of her vision, she's able to see a little exit bar that she'll use to return to the real world so she can gloat about her victory to Doll. Lizzy grins, ready as she summons the first opponent, who idle-animations while Lizzy stretches her body and exercises her Solver. Lizzy snaps her fingers after a deep breath, and the Disassembly Drone, 'X', launches right at her.

Lizzy jumps upwards, using the Solver to boost her for a higher jump to grab onto a tree branch and hang there, X shooting under her like a raging bull. Lizzy snickers mockingly, only to gasp as X spreads its wings and bullets up at her. Lizzy grunts as it headbutts her in the chest, but she only feels a slight tingle and pressure, no pain at all. "Huh, Doll wasn't kidding..." Lizzy mutters.

X hisses at Lizzy, as she lands on her feet safely. Lizzy pokes her tongue out at the Disassembly Drone, earning a pissed off snarl, X running at her yet again. Lizzy quickly calls upon her Solver, the pink hologram gripping a tree branch and ripping it off the trunk, slamming into X and pushing it back. X shakes its head, leaves and bark falling from its silver hair. Lizzy giggles in amusement, only to yelp as she narrowly avoids a round of bullets. "Picking it up, are we?" Lizzy rhetorically asks, giving a wild, toothy smile and lifting her hand as X zips towards her.

Lizzy's pink optics hollow as her Solver fails her, flickering and fading from reality, only managing to pull a sharp piece off the fallen branch and into Lizzy's hand. The cheerleader rolls her eyes and groans. "Ughhh! You do this now!?"

X raises itself up above Lizzy like a fox about to bury itself in snow, Lizzy acting on impulse and squealing, jabbing the branch into the AI's head, earning a screech of pain. Lizzy cackles victoriously, gasping when the Disassembly Drone recovers much quicker than expected. Lizzy growls, before running over towards the trees, X swiftly blocking her way, wings spread. No weapons and out of options as she watches X bucket towards her, Lizzy blinks as she remembers a move from her cheerleading lessons.

Lizzy instantly leans forward, lifting herself up with her hands and curling her legs, waiting until X is right above her. Lizzy rapidly unfurls her body, back arching as she slams her boot right into X's dumb face, shattering its visor and sending it back a few meters. Lizzy grunts as she collapses into the snow, but sits up as she stares at X. X's form flickers, before giving her a thumbs up and glitching away in a storm of static. She won...

She won!

"Hahahaaa! Eat that, Doll, I freaking won on my first try!" Lizzy pridefully shouts, casting her gaze towards the exit bar and accessing it, sending her out of the simulation. Lizzy shoots upwards from her bed, startling Doll as she begins laughing maniacally. Doll snickers, tilting her head.

"[I take it the simulation went well--]"

"I WON! On my first try, I freaking won, you shoulda seen me, girly! I didn't even use the industrial ghost thingy!" Lizzy exclaims excitedly, beyond hyper and ecstatic with her first ever victory. Even Doll didn't get it on her first try. Doll watches, with pride, as Lizzy continues to gloat about it and message all of her friends (and the entire Bunker) about her win.

Lizzy's gonna be on her case all the time, for a while, but Doll doesn't mind in the slightest. Lizzy's extremely proud of herself and willing to go another round later on if she wants, which is all Doll wanted for her. This kind of encouragement will help Lizzy become more eager to fight and therefore, grow as a fighter, able to defend herself when Doll's not able to.

Giggling uncharacteristically, Doll presses her lips against Lizzy's, sending Lizzy into a slight shocked daze, optics replaced with spinning spirals and a blush marking her visor. Doll grins softly, tugging Lizzy close. "[Good job. I'm proud of you.]"

Chapter Text

"Aaand we're wrapping this up for tonight! Remember, tomorrow night's stream is a real important one! I'll be showing you my girlfriend since literally none of you believe I have one! I've set up a poll on what game we should play! Seeya!" Lizzy signs off, winking at the camera before finally shutting off the PC she had Doll and Uzi repair. Streaming is a pretty common thing for Drones to do, now that they've got the internet back up and running.

Lizzy's one of many Drones curing the boredom around the multiple colonies littered around Copper-9 that were built during the Expansion Movement. Luckily for Lizzy, her popularity followed her on the internet as well as in real life, being ranked as one of the top ten gaming streamers on the planet, just a few pegs down from Uzi, to Lizzy's expectancy, honestly. That girl seemed chronically online before the internet got set back up.

Sighing as she gets up from her setup, she stretches and heads over towards her room from the gaming office. Lizzy isn't surprised to see Doll sitting on her bed when she hadn't been before, and Doll seems a little nervous as Lizzy approaches her. Doll blushes as Lizzy flumps into her arms, groaning softly as she'd just got done with the two hour stream. "[You will be taking a break this weekend, by the way.]" Doll states, which quickly becomes fact to Lizzy. Lizzy just nods, knowing there's no talking Doll out of it anyway.

"Cool. Tomorrow night, you remember the plan, right?" Lizzy questions, absentmindedly playing with Doll's hair with her index finger. Doll huffs, extremely hesitant to show her face to the ten established colonies all at once, online or not. "I promised them I would, girly." Lizzy tacks on, Doll sighing as she nods in understanding.

"[I know. But don't expect me to stay for more than one game.]" Doll warns, gently flicking Lizzy's forehead before tugging the blanket over them both with her Solver. Lizzy rolls her eyes playfully, before simply nuzzling up to Doll calmly. Doll hugs Lizzy tight, her protective hold unyielding as she prepares to enter Sleep Mode. She knows Lizzy's adamant on revealing her tomorrow, and she's not looking forward to it. If it was just a local stream, Doll would be fine with it since everyone in Bunker-Alpha (the original; hers) already knows about her. The whole planet? Doll's not so sure.

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Alright, welcome back to my channel! I'm BeautyBlonde24 and I got a lil surprise for all of ya!" Lizzy announces, her account name familiar with almost all Drones present on the planet. On her face cam, Lizzy is seen waving, before reaching off-screen and tugging Doll into frame, in full view of everyone. Doll just stares at the camera, tilting her head, only to yelp as Lizzy sits her down in the chair next to her, in front of her own setup.

Doll grumbles slightly as the view count rises, glancing at Lizzy for reassurance. Lizzy holds Doll's hand under the table, squeezing it to relax Doll just a little bit more. "Heeere she is~! Guys, meet Doll, my girlfriend that I TOLD you I had! She's, uh, a little camera shy, so don't overwhelm her. I mean it. Anyways! You all voted and we're playing a few rounds of Mario Kart! A classic! Then, we'll do Gang Beasts and whatever." Lizzy announces, shrugging nonchalantly as she selects her character; Peach. Not surprising.

Doll huffs a little, selecting Dry Bones. She's only ever played this game when she hung out with Uzi, so it's not lost on her what the controls are or what she has to do here. She's normally pretty good at this game.

Rebby: omggg doll hiiiii!!!
DarkxWolf17: doll looks so awkward lol
Puppy_Crow: HI LIZZY HI DOLL I'M WITH UZI RIGHT NOW!!!
Droney4: why does she look bored
FallenGhosty: kisskisskisskisskiss
V_Killing: Lizzy tell Doll to stop leaving dead bugs in my damn house
Sporterboi: hi doll how you liking the stream???
NewDisassembly: Is she a threat

Doll completely ignores the chat feed, Lizzy answering them instead. Doll waits for the course to load up, pissed that Lizzy chose the freaking mushroom one to start off with. It's pretty and all, but Doll hates the mushrooms. She always falls. Lizzy grins as she gets a head start, boosting ahead of Doll who broke down at the starting line. "[You're kidding.]" Doll hisses.

Lizzy cackles, peeking at Doll's screen and nudging her a little, before continuing to focus on the game. Doll soon catches up to Lizzy, tailing her Kart and grinning madly as she obtains a red shell (for once). Doll launches it, only for Lizzy to defend herself with a banana peel then speed off with a mushroom. Doll clenches her hands tightly, before slamming her fingers on the keyboard to try catch up. "Pfft, loser." Lizzy quips, Doll rolling her eyes.

Doll, in last place, is getting shot down by every single NPC there is in the round. Only one round left. Luckily, she just scored a blue shell and a golden mushroom. Launching it, it barrels through everyone ahead of her, Lizzy growling lowly under her breath as she knows she's gonna have to take a hit. Lizzy rolls her eyes as Doll enters third place through the golden mushroom, her character unable to recover in time as Doll barrels past her and wins the game. "[I won.]" Doll states, as if it wasn't already obvious.

Lizzy scoffs and crosses her arms, before signing off early and turning her PC off. Lizzy glares at Doll, who smirks and hugs her tightly. "[Aww, you pouty because you lost?]" Doll teases, Lizzy mocking her saltily. Lizzy drags Doll over to the bed, needing to recover from the sudden humiliation of losing to someone who barely goes online.

"Shut up, I could see you getting pissed. Was that payback for dragging you on stream?" Lizzy questions, watching as Doll shrugs cryptically and lays down on the bed with Lizzy, not bothering to pull the blankets up since she's kinda hot.

"[Maybe.]"

Lizzy blinks, before releasing the tension through a slight snicker and eye roll. Lizzy tugs Doll close, kissing her passionately before lidding her pink optics at her girlfriend. "Petty."

Chapter Text

Lizzy giddily holds Doll's hand as Doll happily interacts with Rebecca and Thad, actually talking to them normally instead of the conversation being one-sided or blunt. Doll is visibly putting in effort, noticeably healing, and it's all Lizzy's ever wanted for her. She's so proud of Doll. She's so much more energetic and enthusiastic these days, often coming up with ideas to hang out rather than Lizzy constantly organising them. It's an odd sight for everyone in the Bunker, but a positive one, for sure.

"[And I've actually already made a meal that isn't, y'know, oil! I think I'm gonna get back into cooking again, honestly.]" Doll admits, causing Thad to gasp in excitement and Rebecca to latch onto Doll's arms and swing her around with a heartfelt enthusiasm for her friend.

"Oh, my gooshhh~! Lizzy, are you hearing this, right now?? Looks like your girlfriend's finally got a bit of her spark back!" Rebecca exclaims, looking towards Lizzy, who's trying her best not to tear up and humiliate herself as she watches Doll giggle under Rebecca's touch, genuinely happy. Lizzy nods, snickering playfully as she places her hand on Doll's shoulder.

"Yyyyup, that's my girl, alright!" Lizzy agrees, shaking Doll's shoulder in acknowledgement. Thad grins and claps Lizzy on the back, causing her to jolt forward into Doll, who catches her with ease.

"Glad to hear it, Liz! Uh, me and Rebs gotta get going to meet up with N for drawing lessons (us more or less teaching him), so we'll leave you with--" Thad is immediately interrupted as Rebecca releases a loud gasp at the reminder of N, a large blush blossoming on her visor, her hopeless crush on N obvious to everyone who has ever met her. Rebecca drags Thad off, who shouts in defiance, unable to get his footing right.

Lizzy and Doll both chuckle at the antics of their friends, before Lizzy leans against Doll, something on her mind that's been sitting there for a while now. It'd be nice to spend a night in Doll's room, now that it's completely cleaned up and sterilised from death lurking in every crevice. "Pfft, idiots. Soooo, Dolly... I've been thinking, and, since your apartment's all cleaned up now, do you think it'd be okay if I slept over yours for a change?" Lizzy asks softly, tilting her head at Doll as the Russian Worker Drone blinks in slight surprise.

Doll has never had anyone stay in her house for more than half an hour, so for Lizzy to ask for an entire night, Doll isn't so sure about it. Despite the fact that it's completely safe and clean, she's still self-conscious about the nonexistent bodies in there, still seeing them from time to time as though they were phantoms. Sensing Doll's hesitation, Lizzy places her hand on Doll's waist. "It's safe, nothing's in there that's gonna creep me out. It isn't like before, Doll, everything's totally cool now. Plus, your mum's super cool." Lizzy tacks on, shrugging.

Doll, now a little bit more comfortable with the request, nods softly and teleports both her and Lizzy into her room.

It's perfectly clean, now. The basketball court is cleaned up, there's two new couches installed in the lounge room, the bedsheets are cleaned to perfection, the dining room is spotless. It looks like nothing ever happened in the first place, able to fool any Drone who doesn't know better.

Lizzy spots Yeva, who's reading a newspaper on the couch, and runs up to her in excitement. Yeva gasps and stands up, hugging Lizzy tight and swinging her in a circle before placing her back down. "[Ah, Lizzy, what a pleasant surprise! I take it you've convinced her?]" Yeva questions, glancing at her daughter. It seems Yeva's been in on the sleepover plan for a while now.

Lizzy nods smugly, to which Yeva giggles and pats Lizzy's head affectionately, like a true mother would. Yeva grins and gestures and Doll's room, which looks dark and comforting to Lizzy, unlike how menacing it was before. "[Great. If you two need me, I'll be out here! I'm cooking dinner soon, so I hope you're hungry.]" Yeva mentions, smirking as she witnesses Lizzy and Doll's optics hollow in eager hunger, Yeva a naturally expert cook, well known for her classic Russian dishes.

"Right, got it! Thanks, Yevie, I'll see ya in a bit!" Lizzy calls out, Doll chuckling at the nickname Lizzy couldn't help but give her mother. Doll follows as Lizzy tugs Doll into the darkened room, flicking on the light and shutting the door. The cheerleader sits Doll on the edge of the bed, ruffling through the movie disks available. "Ugh, it's been, like, SO long since we've had a movie night, Dolly. Too long." Lizzy scoffs, back turned to her girlfriend.

Doll nods in agreement, despite Lizzy being unable to actually see it. Doll stares at Lizzy for a while, a little lost in thought. How does she deserve her? How is Lizzy real? How is any of this? Doll doesn't know, but she's never going to take it for granted, not when Lizzy and her mother have done so much for her. "[.... Thanks, Liz.]"

Lizzy, after shoving the movie disk in, turns to face Doll, her head tilted in slight confusion. Doll smiles softly, spreading her arms, to which Lizzy rushes into, knocking her back onto the bed with a slight grunt. Her cheerleader on top of her, Doll runs her fingers through Lizzy's golden-pink hair, sighing. "[I appreciate what you're doing for me. It's almost scary to think this is all real...]" She shudders, Lizzy nuzzling Doll soothingly.

"No problem here, Gorgeous. I'm just happy to see you okay again, I was wondering where ya went. I love you, Doll, all of this is totally real. I promise." Lizzy purrs, flirtatiously batting her eyes at Doll, who giggles and blushes at Lizzy's playfulness. Doll pulls Lizzy in closer, sighing as she relaxes, her guard completely let down in Lizzy's presence.

"[I love you too, Lizzy. You don't know how much you mean to me.]" Doll breathes, brushing her hand along Lizzy's cheek. Lizzy giggles playfully, holding Doll's hand to her cheek and kissing her forehead sweetly.

"I can take a guess, girly."

Chapter Text

"Yo, you got that one?!" Serial Designation L calls over to her girlfriend, who halts in the process of taking off the chassis of an unsuspecting Worker Drone slowly, essentially peeling off the 'skin'. Serial Designation D nods wordlessly, golden nanites swirling around in her tail's vial. L smiles happily, before sadistically blending the internals of a Worker Drone who had the gall to attempt hitting her with a wrench.

The oil loosens and mixes with the mechanical parts to make a delicious slushy of Worker Drone gore™, L then picking the Worker up to pour the morbid liquid into her toothy mouth. L wipes her maw of the oil, walking over to D, who's currently eating a Worker alive, holding it in place as it pleads for any form of mercy from the gods it doesn't even believe in. L rips the head off and crushes it with her claws, gulping down the oil and cooling herself down.

D stands to her thin 'feet', tail lashing as her short, chest-level jacket drips with oil and Worker residue. L rolls her eyes, adjusting D's Ushanka to properly fixate to her head, yet avoids blocking off her bulb-eyes. L brushes off her suit-dress, disgusted by the filthy oil staining it (despite it being nearly the same colour). "We really gotta work on not making a mess of ourselves when we kill off these losers." L scoffs, to which D shrugs.

"[You mean you. I like the way it looks on me.]" D hisses with mania, the telltale X flaring to life on her visor. L just rolls her eyes and flicks D's cheek, tail curling around D's own.

"Freak."

D giggles at the teasing quip, shrugging dismissively as she nuzzles up to L, relishing in the touch of the slightly taller girl. L sighs and pulls D close, anything who sees this tender moment unable to live to tell the tale. L doesn't mind the snowy wind whipping through her silver hair, the yellow bow D stole--- found keeping her long, silver ponytail fixed into place. L neatens up D's long, straight hair, mindlessly watching the silver strands give way to her fingers. "Mmh, what's our body count now, D? You been keeping score or do I gotta get up the stats again?" L asks, raising her digi-brow.

D blinks up at L, golden eyes wordlessly communicating the answer to L. Despite this, D hums softly and tenderly purrs, cheekily shrugging at her girlfriend. "[Do I look like I'm in it for the tallying? I already know we have the highest score than any other squad--- We've nearly driven this Bunker to extinction. Just a few more and we'll need to take over the one J and her crew are slacking on.]" D replies, glaring at the direction of where the best trio used to make good on their goal is. Shame they've fallen behind.

That's why she and L were sent. They've been wreckless and murderous from the very beginning, so JCJenson saw them as the best fit to drive the Workers to nonexistence, extinction and utter death. They are, by far, the biggest threat the Drones of Copper-9 has ever faced, Worker Drones relaying information about their whereabouts to eachother all to try their best to avoid getting absolutely slaughtered. It never worked in their favour.

No matter where they ran, how many strategies they devised to avoid being spotted by them, they were always found. Not one Worker was let go, all finished off and killed on the spot. If they fought back or if L and D were in the mood, their death would be slow and painful, just so the Disassembly Duo could hear them scream. The Workers know their lives are in danger, the Bunker the only thing between them and extinction, and it terrifies them. They can't ignore the problem, repress it for later, no. They knew they had to deal with it accordingly.

That's when the traps begun showing up.

They've only ever captured D once, D stepping into the bear trap out of sheer surprise and unfocus towards the sharp metal. Soon after, D had complimented the attempt with a nice helping if Murder on the side. L had been furious that they dared to capture D even for a second, so much so that she cursed each Drone out before treating each of them to a slow, agonisingly painful death.

They became more alert after that; their bulb-eyes able to see foreign objects within the snow, both skillfully blowing up the traps and dropping the remains off at the foot of the Bunker's door as a taunt.

The Workers had weapons, though; new weapons consisting of guns, pipes and other stuff they either crafted or swiped from whatever they found lying around in spare boxes or scrap piles left by humans. L had actually found it hilarious, picking up the pipe that a Worker was also lifted up by, refusing to let go. HAHAHAHA! D, get a load of this! Look how freaking dorky this is! What a bunch of half-baked jokes!" L had gotten a massive kick out of it.

Once her laughter died down, she grinned and proceeded to skillfully eliminate all Worker Drones who had the idiotic bravery to bring a pipe to a limitless weapon fight. The last Worker Drones to die were absolutely hopeless and mortified, nothing they thought they could take them down with working.

This duo was truly sent by hell itself.

"Alright!" L's shout startles D, causing her to jolt a little, before relaxing and tilting her head towards her girlfriend. "We've got approximately... 347 kills on our hands! Whoo, ain't that gonna make J fume?" L snickers, her violent opinion towards the 'bossy bitch', as L calls her, obvious to D and kind of warranted. It's not like D likes J herself, and it's always hilarious to watch her lose it at her squadmates for falling behind.

"[Wanna make it 400?]" D snarls, a large, sadistic grin blooming across her face as her left optic flickers with poorly disguised mania. L matches the expression, wordlessly whipping out her built-in machine gun.

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"[L, look. Fresh trap.]" D notifies, unsheathed claws resting on her hips as she looks at the obvious bear trap in genuine disappointment. L scoffs in annoyance, picking it up and launching it into the air with an unmatched level of strength only a Disassembly Drone could ever reach.

"Ugh, it's like they want us to kill 'em off. Look, you go ahead and take the right side, I'll hunt on the left." L instructs, D giving a salute before spreading her wings and speeding off towards the rightmost side of the Bunker, sure that Workers are scavenging for parts. Again.

L watches D take her leave, before sighing softly and blushing, golden lines lighting up her visor. This is it; the perfect opportunity to execute her plan that she's had for a long while now. All she needed was an excuse to be alone, and thankfully, these idiots have given her exactly that. She supposes that she could make their deaths relatively quick, as a thank you.

L giggles as she watches a large group of determined Worker Drones come out from the shitty ambush attempt, unsheathing her gun and keeping her right hand as her long claws. L rushes towards the first five, slamming each of them with her tail, knocking four back into the others and wrapping her tail around the arm of the last one. She lifts him up to face her directly, X beaming through his hollowed, blue optics. "Heya, loser~!"

L then slashes his head right off, launching his body at two of his friends, taking their heads off, as well, with the force of the throw. 12 remaining Drones rush at L, to which she simply whistles idly, tripping some over with her tail and shooting others in the Core. Very quickly, L has eradicated each and every last one of the squad.

Besides one.

A female Worker Drone shakily grips a long pole with her hands from her position on the ground, looking absolutely terrified and miserable. L snickers, ripping it out of her grip and throwing it behind her, before crouching down to the Worker's level, brushing her hand along her cheek menacingly, toying with her. "Aww, did I kill them off too soon? Tsk, I'm sorry. Wanna join 'em?" Before the Worker Drone could answer, L slams her fist straight through her screen, exposing internal components and wires.

Huh... That was pathetically easy.

Anyways! L has a job to do, and needs to do it quick before D gets back. Given the fact that she's not back yet, L can only assume that she's having fun with the ones she found. L would join her, but she has important things to do. Like making a nice little ring for D so she can, finally, make things between her and D absolutely official. It's a human custom. L doesn't quite remember why it's familiar or where she's heard of it before...

No matter.

L bends down to rip off one of the dead Worker Drone's arm, slicing it in half, vertically, making the strip of metal thinner. L repeats the process until she's left with a long, wire-like strip of metal. L wraps it around her ring finger, measuring it, before cutting the wire off at the perfect length, swapping her right hand out for a fire torch, welding the two ends together with sheer precision and neatness. Pridefully, L examines the silver ring, before tilting her head. It needs a little something extra. Can't just have blandness for her girl if she's gonna propose.

L turns back to face the girl she finished off, ripping a blue wire from her exposed head. L wraps it around the ring carefully, fraying the end of the wire to make it look like a blooming flower, golden innards of the blue wire's casing sprouting out. Success! Now, she just needs to find---

"[I'm back. Ah, you've been busy. Nice.]" Nevermind.

D's sudden appearance nearly causes L to drop the ring, but she saves her fumble and catches it just in time, hiding it behind her back. "O-oh, hey, Gorgeous! How'd you go with your group?" L asks, trying to stall for time so she can get her metaphorical nerves back in order. D, perceptive as ever, glances at L's hidden hand and raises her golden digi-brow at her. The fresh oil blotches on her Ushanka and coat should easily give it away.

"[Good. So, what's that you got there? Mind if I take a look?]" D asks, holding out her hand, tail flicking in a lax manner. She's anticipating a snowball to the face, honestly, but that anticipation quickly dies down as L blushes heavily, staring at D with her pretty, golden optics.

"I-in a bit, I just gotta... Say something." L mutters, tail swaying anxiously. D crosses her arms, ever patient as she motions for L to go on. This is it. She's got D's complete attention; now, she just needs to play her cards right.

L takes a deep breath, before walking up to D and holding her hand in her free hand. D blinks in slight confusion, but allows for L to do whatever this is. L gives D a rare, genuinely loving smile, no hints of smug superiority or sadism visible. "I love you. I really do, D. You've been there for me since we got sent to this dump, and you've defended me time and time again back at JCJenson Headquarters. It feels like I've... I've known you for longer, somehow, but... For what it's worth, I want you to know just how much I love you, girl." L confesses, running her thumb over the top of D's hand. D trembles in anticipation and slight nervousness, but can't help the bashful, shy smile blooming across her face.

L shudders and hesitates, weighing her options and such, before revealing the hand-crafted ring to D, who gasps and slams her hands against her mouth in absolute shock and surprise, blushing heavily to the point where L has to squint in order to see her girlfriend's optics. "[L, y-you...---]"

"Shhh... What I wanna ask you, Gorgeous, is... Will you marry me? I w-wanna make this official and, uh, I-- OOMPH!" L grunts, firmly placing her 'feet' in the snow as she feels D ram into her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. L is taken aback for a second, before releasing just how positive of a reaction this is and swiftly returns the hug.

"[Yes! Of course, I'll marry you, L! Oh, gosh, you're actually doing this, eheheh...]" D shakily laughs, allowing L to slide the ring on D's finger with elation and relief. Giving D her signature cocky grin, L ignores her beading, golden tears and intertwines their tails, leaning closer to D, keeping her composure as best she can.

"Hah, I'm so freaking glad ya said yes, girl, really. I love you, hun, and I don't ever want to not be yours, just like you're mine. So, y-yeah... I love you." L finishes, giggling softly as D affectionately nuzzles her cheek, purring softly in reaction to her overwhelming joy. L snickers and grabs D's cheeks, crashing her lips against D's, relishing in the perfect taste of her girl with delight.

D shakily sighs as they pull away from the kiss, lovingly smiling at L. Amongst the death and corpses surrounding them, an ironic display of sheer gentleness and affection for the other is shown with pure pride. Murder and oil everywhere they go, D and L couldn't be happier with what they have with each other.

"[I love you too, Sweetness. Thank you for doing this, you can't comprehend how much this means to me.]"

Chapter Text

"Aww, thanks, just put the presents over there!" Lizzy exclaims, pointing towards a present-filled table that probably couldn't fit more than two without having to stack. Lizzy knows this is probably a massive birthday party just because of her popularity, but it's a nice sentiment that everyone's pitching in, anyways.

Yet, Lizzy's only really interested in what Thad, Doll and Rebecca's gotten her, since those three are her only true friends that she cares about. Lizzy grins as she unwraps her presents the three got her; a makeup set from Rebecca (the only brand Lizzy even likes), a decorated picture frame of the three from Thad and a heart locket from Doll, matching with her.

Those are, honestly, the only gifts she cares about receiving on this day. The rest are cool and all, some of them, but they're usually just used as toys that Doll can either blow up or use as targets sometimes. All in all, Lizzy adores birthdays because she literally just gets free stuff and an ego raise, too, so it's pretty epic to be the main centrepiece when the day rolls around eventually. Lizzy does the same for Thad and Rebecca, but... Doll's a different case.

Last year, once Lizzy finally realised that she literally never celebrated Doll's birthday at all since the very first day she met her, she freaked out and asked when Doll's birthday even is, to which Doll responded that it was March 16th and already passed.

That got Lizzy fuming.

Lizzy absolutely let Doll have it once she realised what Doll was doing; trying to ignore her very own birthday. It was a sight to behold and the very first time Lizzy actually yelled at Doll out of genuine anger and guilt. Doll just kept her head down, softly apologising after each pissed off sentence. Lizzy's pretty sure Rebecca still has that recording, too.

Nonetheless, Lizzy isn't gonna let Doll get away with it, this year, no, she's got a plan. Doll is gonna love it, no matter what happens.

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Ugh, her birthday. Doll glares at the shattered clock in her apartment, which resides next to the calender that hasn't been flipped since her father last touched it. Doll still knows exactly what day it is, her visor waking her up with a little confetti animation and a digital cake. She really needs to get that disabled or something.

She doesn't wanna deal with her birthday.

It's not a day of fun or whatever it is Lizzy enjoys about it; it's a reminder. A reminder that she's never celebrating her birthday with her parents again, her parents will never be able to see her turning 17 today, nor will they see her 18th. It makes Doll feel sick and angry, but she opts to ignore it, planning on keeping it to herself and praying Lizzy doesn't remember. Not like it'd even matter anyway; no-one would likely care if she just... Dropped off the face of the planet. Lizzy would probably bash her head in if she could hear her thoughts right now.

It's no use dwelling.

Doll teleports out of her room and into the hallway of the Bunker, remembering the date that Lizzy had planned for today. Lizzy was adamant on it being today, making Doll nervous, but Lizzy never mentioned anything about her birthday, so there's hope---

"Hey, girly~! Change of plans. You mind?" Doll is taken by surprise as she hears her girlfriend's voice way sooner than suspected. She quickly turns to face her and gapes, crimson optics hollowing at the sight.

Thad, Rebecca, Uzi and Lizzy all stand beside each other, holding a single box each. Thad joyfully walks up to a highly confused Doll and throws his arm around her shoulders, Rebecca doing the same, as a playful and friendly manner. "We kinda did this last minute, but we hope you like what we got you." Thad explains, him and Rebecca both gently placing their gifts into Doll's arms. Doll, still severely confused and conflicted, is unable to answer Thad as she just squints, struggling to comprehend what's happening.

Uzi scoffs and steps towards Doll, Rebecca and Thad moving backwards to give them both space, as Uzi bashfully blushes and shoves her own gift into Doll's arms. Uzi then gives Doll a small smirk, even as a sweat droplet projects on the left side of her screen. "Here, it's all yours. Look, dude, I know what it's like to totally hate literally everything about birthdays, but, uh... I got my own help with seeing that it's not that bad. We're gonna help ya see that, so open up the stuff we got ya!" Uzi exclaims, gently slugging Doll in the arm. The Russian girl seems taken aback by her uncharacteristic insistence and softer tone.

Doll slowly nods, muttering a small "[Okay...]" before using her Absolute Solver to teleport the wrapping off in a split second. Doll's crimson optics flicker, then hollow at the sight of the gift Rebecca had gotten her, choosing her present to open first, since she looks like she's about to explode if Doll doesn't do it quick.

A matching four-way pendant for their little group of four from Rebecca, obviously handcrafted with a lot of love and dedication on her part. Doll instantly teleports it on her neck, alongside the matching locket she has with Lizzy. Thad, Lizzy and Rebecca snickering as they suddenly find theirs on their own necks.

Doll gently runs her hand along the fluffy, brand new Ushanka Thad had gotten her, loving the way it feels on her plastic fingers. She examines the well-made material, the brown base of the hat complimenting the cream fur inside. Doll places it on her head, replacing her red hardhat she got by default.

Doll blinks in surprise as she covers her mouth, revealing Uzi's gift to be a personalised painting of her and Doll, looking awesome with the Solvers at the ready and guns in their hands, matched with a cool expression to boot. Uzi angrily glares at Lizzy as she snorts at the painting, only to blush in irritated fluster as Rebecca and Thad marvel at her work. Uzi appreciates the fact that they're being nice to her, even if it's weird.

Doll gently hugs Rebecca and Thad close first, appreciating her best friends now more than ever, to which they return the contact with overwhelming love and affection. Doll quietly thanks them repetitively, the two giggling softly before stepping back as Uzi steps forward, hesitantly spreading her arms for Doll. She wouldn't normally ever do this, but she knows that Doll needs it. Besides, she's... kinda warming up to her. Doll's really sweet when Lizzy's not around to influence her into being a jerk.

Doll slams herself into Uzi's arms, extremely grateful for Uzi's completely unexpectedly thoughtful gift. As battle-ready and sturdy as Uzi is, the shorter Drone smirks and barely budges an inch, patting Doll's back. "Happy birthday, dude." Uzi whispers, to which Doll just holds Uzi tighter, thankful for her friend. Uzi then raises her head at Lizzy, nodding and letting Doll go, gently turning her to face Lizzy.

Lizzy clears her throat, approaching Doll slowly with a gentle dusting of a primrose blush on her visor.

Doll blushes heavily at the absolutely serious, yet tender, expression on her visor. Lizzy grips Doll's shoulder with the hand that doesn't have a present in it, tugging Doll roughly towards her and slamming her lips against Doll's, keeping them there before they pull away, ignoring Rebecca's camera shutter and Uzi's mocking gag.

"You're an idiot, you know that? Don't keep things from me or your friends, jerk! We care about you and we don't want you doing this alone. We love you, Doll, and we'd love it if you just freakin' saw that. Soooo... Here. Open it." Lizzy orders, dropping her present into Doll's hands. Doll stares at Lizzy blankly, before blipping off the wrapping and gazing at the gift with hollowed, crimson optics.

A plushy of her and Lizzy, both holding a heart that joins their 'hands' together. Emily must've made this, since it's high quality and Emily's the only one who has the skills to do this sorta stuff. Doll chuckles softly, optics flickering. "[Y-You're all gonna make me cry, h-heheh...]" Doll whispers, the four in front of her giving eachother smug little glances of victory.

Thad, Uzi, Rebecca and Lizzy all tug Doll into their embrace, showing Doll exactly how much they truly care about her. This moment is when Doll realises that she's genuinely cared about. These three would care if she died, if she went missing... They'd care. She knows that, now.

Burying her face into her friends, hugging them close, Doll allows a digital tear to run down her visor. "[T-Thank you, all of you... I can't express it enough...]"

Chapter Text

That little jerk.

That absolute little rat.

Lizzy can barely manage a word as she gazes at her makeup station, or whatever's left of it. Makeup is absolutely everywhere, scattered all over her desk or just not even there at all. It's a disorganised mess, something out of Lizzy's freaking nightmares. The thing that makes Lizzy aware of the head she's about to hunt? The message on her mirror, written in lipstick.

'Got bored, you're fun to mess with. Sorry, bestie! ♡-- Rebsy!'

Rebecca.

Ohhh, she doesn't know how much she just dug her own grave. Sure, it may seem like a really dumb thing to get this pissed over, but when it takes you years to build your own makeup collection (mostly for aesthetic and decoration), you'd be highly possessive over it and furious if they were ever ruined by a blue-haired bitch like freaking Rebecca. Lizzy grits her teeth in irritation, before turning on her heel and brainstorming a plan as she storms out to go find a certain Russian dork.

It's well-known that Lizzy likes pranks. They're always harmless when she uses them for bullying purposes, only getting a minor crack on their visor from tripping at the very worst. It's either that, or they cry to their parents about how mean and rude Lizzy is, but they literally can't do anything about it at all because Lizzy'd probably bully them, too. It's happened before and it can happen again. That being said, Lizzy's love for pranks can be deadly if fueled by the right motivation.

This happens to be the trigger.

Banging on Doll's door, she glares at her girlfriend as Doll tiredly blinks up at Lizzy. The sleepy sight of Doll manages to calm Lizzy down a bit, but not by much. Lizzy raises her digi-brow at Doll, who curiously tilts her head. "Were you takin' a nap, hun?" Lizzy asks blandly, noticing how dreary Doll seems.

Doll responds with a nod, waking up a little bit more as she hugs Lizzy, wrapping her arms around her waist affectionately, always a little more affectionate when she's tired. Lizzy sighs and gently runs her hand through Doll's purple hair, before pushing Doll away (softly), remembering her expert plan™. "Alright, that's enough for now. Look, I need your help with a little prank on Rebs, and trust me, this one's gonna trump all the others, but I'll need your Solver thingy coming in handy." Lizzy explains, looking at Doll seriously.

Doll lids her optics at Lizzy, immediately shaking her head, completely aware of all the consequences the Solver can cause. Even a little jolt of her hand can send Rebecca flying through the wall if she's not careful, it's too much of a risk. "[No. This is gonna end in failure. We're not pranking Rebecca with the Solver, it's dangerous.]" Doll counters, her hands resting on her hips.

Lizzy scoffs and rolls her eyes, not wanting Doll to be complicated about this now, of all times. Lizzy flicks Doll's forehead, narrowing her optics in irritation and slight desperation. "C'mon, seriously, it's only gonna be used for less than a minute! It'll be funny AAAND my best ever prank, c'mon! Pleeeaaase??" Lizzy begs, holding Doll's hands.

Doll can't ignore that face. Damn it...

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Rebecca sighs as she scrolls through her social media, frowning as her phone unexpectedly lowers it's brightness. Rebecca checks the battery, yet still has 87% left. She rolls her cerulean optics, tapping her phone in annoyance. "Don't tell me you're busted..." She mutters, watching as the screen flickers. It flashes a weird... Symbol thingy, before finally going black. Rebecca tries to turn it on, but scoffs as it's officially screwed. "Perfect."

Rebecca turns to her right, in order to place her phone on her nightstand, only to flinch as it's no longer there. She looks behind herself and blinks rapidly, her nightstand on the opposite side than it was previously. "Wait, wasn't this thing on my right or am I missing something? I could've sworn..." Rebecca rubs her visor over her optics, before turning to her left to place her phone down, only to see that it's gone.

Kinda getting freaked out now, Rebecca looks to her right. There it is, again! Sitting up, she places her phone on the bed next to her, trembling in slight paranoia as she feels a light gust of wind blow against her face, bristling her hair. When the hell did she leave her door open!?

Rebecca goes to stand up, only to find that she can't even move; she's restricted by something she can't even feel! "What the hell is this!? Lemme go, I-I don't wanna friggin' die tonight, damn it!" She shouts, struggling against the invisible grip. Rebecca then freezes as she stares at a red symbol thingy staring right back at her from the corner of her room. "D-Doll...?"

The figure doesn't move, the shape merely rotating a little, indicating a tilt of her head. Breathing heavily, Rebecca's eyes widen as the figure stalks closer. "What're you doing!? Get the hell away!"

Suddenly, the figure pounces on the bed, earning a screech of absolute fear, the symbol right in front of her, up close and personal. Rebecca can feel her Core pulse faster than ever before, shaking as it moves closer towards her, sharp teeth barely luminated by the symbol. "P-Please... Don't..."

"[Relax.]"

The lights flicker on.

Doll's index finger boops against where Rebecca's nose would've been if she had one. In the doorway, Rebecca can barely register Lizzy holding her phone and cackling at her wildly, holding her stomach desperately. Rebecca's eyes flicker, the stress overworking her systems into sending her into a shutdown. The last thing she hears before she fades out?

"[Think we went too hard on her?]"
"Mmh, nah. She should've known what's coming for her when she messed with my stuff."
"[Eh, fair.]"

Chapter Text

"Moroznyy! Put that down!" Lizzy shouts from across the room at her kid, ready to go ahead and teleport over to him and knock the literal KNIFE out of his own Solver Program. She knew doing this sorta thing at Doll's house was a bad idea, but getting her house all muddled up is a no-go, so this is the next best thing. Moroznyy simply rolls his magenta optics, pouting as he sends the knife flying towards the kitchen where he found it.

Surprisingly already adept at the Solver, Moroznyy has Lizzy and Doll working themselves down to their wiring in order to keep him (and theirselves) safe from his antics. A two year old kid should really not be able to even get this sort of thing at all, Doll having been freaking out and panicking when she saw he did, but that's just the way this thing happened. It's a struggle, but a worthy one.

Doll pokes her head out of the kitchen, glaring at Moroznyy as she rips the knife out from her arm and heals it up before placing the sharp object away. "[Moroznyy. You know better than that. Stop.]" The stern warning from his Scary Mum™ trumps Lizzy's usual reprimands, as Doll rarely shows any anger or whatever towards Moroznyy unless the situation called for it. Moroznyy lowers his head, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, Mama..." He mutters, blinking as Doll suddenly teleports over and picks him up. Doll looks at Lizzy, who understands the wordless request, and opens the door to the basketball-court-turned-training-center for the three. Doll enters the room with her girlfriend and son, kissing Lizzy's cheek as a quick thanks.

"[Good. Don't play with knives, child, or you'll eventually stab someone. Again.]" Doll scoffs in reprimand, before placing her son down and summoning her own Solver, Lizzy following suit. Doll cheekily winks at Moroznyy, before picking Lizzy up, effortlessly, with the Program. Lizzy shouts in surprise, barking orders at Doll to put her the hell down, Moroznyy cackling in delight.

"[As you know, the Solver is a dangerous tool, not to be used recklessly by any means. We need to be careful. Really careful. Sooo, Lizzy, do you mind?]" Doll questions, glancing at her girlfriend as she places her down. Lizzy shoots Doll a quick glare, brushing herself off before nodding and picking up multiple soft balls with her pink hologram.

"You got it! So, hun, we're gonna show you what force does aaaand how to use it!" Lizzy reveals, snickering at Moroznyy's amazed and excited expression. Lizzy gently throws one of the balls with her Solver, gently, at Moroznyy, who catches it with his own. "That's a soft throw. You do that kinda thing by slightly moving your hand, it's really easy." Moroznyy nods, mentally taking multiple notes.

Lizzy then raises another ball, this time throwing it against the wall with the maximum amount of force she can manipulate the Solver to use. The ball slams against the wall with a resounding thud, leaving a small rise of smoke and a light burn mark in its wake. "That's a hard throw. Pretty sure that one speaks for itself." Lizzy grumbles, glancing at Doll's arm in remembrance. "How about you give it a go?"

"Yeah, sure! Watch this!" Moroznyy nods, stepping forward and lightly grabbing a ball with his magenta Solver, before accidentally thrusting it into Doll's visor. Doll barely even flinches, but her right optic twitches a little. Lizzy snorts in amusement, covering her mouth.

"[... Try again. And aim for the damn wall, please.]" Doll grunts, Moroznyy giving his mother an apologetic grin.

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After a few hours of rough training, Doll and Lizzy decide that his progress has improved. They both realise the time and how late it's gotten during the session, soon after, putting Moroznyy to bed to rest up for another go tomorrow.

Doll sighs as she flops onto the bed, Lizzy flopping on top of her, earning a light grunt. Lizzy drags the blankets over them both, relaxing against Doll's chest as she lovingly kisses at her face. "Gosh, that was a struggle. He's really improving, y'know." Lizzy comments, smirking at her girlfriend's flustered expression.

Doll nods, wrapping her arms around Lizzy's waist and returning a few of the delivered kisses with eager affection. "[Yeah. It's like we never catch a break with that one.]" She muses, grinning as Lizzy mischievously runs her fingers across Doll's side and back up again.

"Pfft, I know, right? Love the little idiot, though." Lizzy whispers, before tugging Doll's face towards her own. Lizzy presses her lips against Doll's, her optics carrying a dark, smug glint in them both. "But now, we're finally alone. You know exactly what that means, gorgeous~!" Lizzy whisper-shouts, sharp teeth bared as her smile widens.

Doll nods in agreement, pulling out a packet from the bedside drawer. She and Lizzy both take a handful of the contents, humming in delight as if they haven't eaten them in forever. Technically, they haven't. "[Mhm. We can eat anything we want without losing half the packet.]" Doll scoffs playfully, Lizzy sticking her tongue out at Doll lightly. Doll doesn't just mean Moroznyy, she means Lizzy, too. They're both like freaking falcons; coming up out of nowhere and stealing her food before she can register what happened.

Lizzy just shrugs nonchalantly, pressing herself against Doll as she loads up a movie on her projector. Lizzy knows that Doll's been trying out new hiding spots for her snacks, too. It's a shame Doll doesn't realise that she has a few roaches telling her exactly where they are.

Chapter Text

"H-Hey! Piss off! Put me down, damn it!"
"Pffft, no way, shorty! Let's show this one a little lesson, boys!"

Doll and Lizzy just barely catch the voices of Chad, Alex and Cody all laughing at, undoubtedly, Uzi. They seem to be doing something new, too, given by the loud, panicked shouting of Uzi and the struggling grunts of Chad. Lizzy and Doll glance at each other, knowing that whatever those three jerks do to Uzi is far more severe than whatever they do.

They tend to use more... Physical contact with Uzi, rather than just teasing words to piss Uzi off, or occasionally tripping her over on her face. Lizzy and Doll never actually hurt hurt Uzi, unlike the other trio that seem to really have it out for her, just for being unpopular and unlucky enough to cross paths with them. Doll and Lizzy are, admittedly, uncomfortable with the way they mess with Uzi and that's exactly why they've decided to follow them, now.

Lizzy presses her finger to her lips, silently telling Doll to keep quiet, before they round the corner of the hallway they heard the idiot trio drag Uzi down into. Doll narrows her eyes as she watches Chad tease Uzi about being a loner her dad couldn't even stand, hating how Uzi's optics dim a little at the harsh words, yet tries to disguise the hurt with aggression.

Is this how Uzi feels whenever she and Lizzy bully her?

Actually feeling a little bad for someone who, prior to this, Doll could give less of a damn about, Doll glances towards Lizzy whose expression reveals that she feels the same.

"Aww, she's struggling! Look at her, she's like a weird... Like... Uh..." Alex trails off, unable to find proper wording in order to hit Uzi with a remark. Cody slugs him in the arm, rolling his bright green eyes, before nudging Chad a little, about to speak before Uzi cuts him off.

"You three suck! Lemme go, or I'm getting N to blast your heads off!" Uzi warns, absolutely seriousness reflecting in her violet optics, only for her to gasp as she's suddenly plopped into the puddle they've hovered her over for a while. Sopping wet, Uzi sits there like a wet cat, glaring at Chad in particular. She growls and swings her arm back, before splashing him directly in the face with the disgusting water, Chad gagging as it actually enters his mouth.

"Eugh! Ugh, that's freaking foul!" Chad exclaims in repugnance, frantically wiping at his tongue in order to get the droplets off. Hidden behind the corner, Doll and Lizzy giggle under their breaths. The humour of the situation is cut short as Chad instantly shoves Uzi's head into the puddle, her chest following suit, every inch of her now dripping wet with murky water. "Take that, you freak! Don't mess with us!"

Uzi coughs weakly, trembling as she tries to get up. Alex glares, Cody holding her still as Alex grabs Uzi's beanie, managing to catch a few strands of her hair, and yanks it off of her head, a few violet strands attached. Uzi screeches in pain as she feels multiple stands get torn off, clutching her head, curling into the puddle. "O-ow, give... Give that b-back! My Mum gave that to me, morons...!" Uzi exclaims weakly, groaning as she recovers from the pain.

That's it. Doll and Lizzy's had enough. They'd do a lot of jerky things to Uzi, but taking something her dead mother gave her is beyond a low blow, Doll knowing exactly how she'd feel if it happened to her. Immediately, Doll teleports in front of Uzi protectively, growling lowly as the idiotic jocks flinch in surprise before relaxing. "Oh, Doll! Wanna join us? Y'know, take care of this lil creep with u-- EAUGHK!!" Chad is immediately sent offline with a swift right hook from Doll. Doll grabs Uzi's beanie and chucks it towards Lizzy, who catches it with ease.

She turns to Alex and Cody.

Lizzy crouches beside Uzi, gently dragging her out of the puddle and sitting the sopping Drone against the wall, placing her beanie back on her head. Uzi glares at Lizzy, extremely suspicious. "And what's this about? You gonna switch up the nice act and start shoving my face into puddles, too?" She spits with vehemence, Lizzy scoffing and holding her tongue so she doesn't immediately quip at the troubled girl.

"Shush, we're helping you out! Look, me and Dolly aren't your friends, but even we know when those jerks take things too far. Sit here for a sec." Lizzy instructs, lightly patting Uzi's shoulder before rising from her crouched position, wincing at the sight before her.

Doll has ripped out Cody and Alex's hair right from their robotic scalps. The duo are crumpled to the ground beside Chad, groaning in pain. Lizzy brushes herself against Doll purposefully, with deliberate affection to calm her down, before stepping on Cody's back, earning a pained squeal. "So, what have we learned here, idiots?" Lizzy hisses, crossing her arms.

"You're both buddies with the freak--"

Lizzy twists her heel on his back, Doll yanking his neck forward with the Solver.

"W-We're sorry, what we did was wrong and we'll never do it again pleeASESTOP---"

Lizzy and Doll nod, before Doll launches all three against the end of the hallway, to which they grab up Chad and skitter off, wounded and humiliated. Uzi stares at her (former?) bullies with amazement, not saying a word as Doll gently helps her up. Lizzy and Doll stare at her for a bit, looking guilty, before Lizzy ruffles Uzi's hair and Doll pats Uzi's shoulder. "Sorry 'bout them, fre-- Uh. Uzi. Sorry, Uzi. We, uh... Kinda feel like real friggin' jerks about what we've been doing to ya, so..." Lizzy grits out, being this sappy extremely hard, especially with that smug grin on Uzi's face.

"[We'll leave you alone. No more bullying, we're genuinely sorry about this. If anyone else tries anything, tell us.]" Doll informs, before grabbing Lizzy's hand and teleporting off.

Uzi just stares for a bit, before sighing and smiling, shaking her head. "Damn... Never thought those two would give me a break... I might just take them up on that, actually..."

Chapter Text

Doll worriedly glances at Lizzy, who sniffles softly as she tries her best to use her non-dominant arm to try and put her visor polish on, her arm jostling occasionally and smearing it earlier than it should've been. Doll sighs, feeling extremely guilty about her situation, knowing that it's exactly her fault why Lizzy's like this, despite the fact that Lizzy doesn't blame her for it.

She should've been quicker, more careful, more alert. Training with Lizzy was a mistake. She should never have agreed, knowing the exact extent of power she wields. The overwhelming guilt is all she feels when she looks at her girlfriend, so upset and depressed at the loss of her right arm, believing that people would think of her as a freak like Uzi and want nothing more to do with her.

Doll feels completely horrible about it, especially yesterday, at school. Lizzy's usually neat handwriting mocked her, as her non-dominant hand scrawled near unintelligible letters on her paper, causing Lizzy to simply give up on it. Doll did it for her, anyways. She'd also protected Lizzy from any and all questions about how she lost her arm or what she's gonna do now, glaring at anyone who dares ask again with a flash of the Solver on her visor. The only ones allowed to come close were Rebecca and Thad. All in all, it was a horrible day.

Doll gently nuzzles Lizzy's cheek affectionately, trying to get a word out of her, but Lizzy says absolutely nothing. She places her visor polish down to wordlessly stroke her left hand through Doll's hair, but Doll can sense the lack of interest of Lizzy's motions. Apologetically, Doll kisses Lizzy's cheek with hesitance, wanting to respect Lizzy's limits, yet breach them all the same. "[I'm so sorry, Lizzy... I didn't ever mean to do this to you...]" That's probably the 60th apology tonight.

"Not your fault, chill..." Lizzy mutters, her words infused with an exhausted sigh. Doll whimpers shakily, paranoid about Lizzy's lack of Lizzy-ness. It's worrying. Doll hates it, hates the fact that she knows Lizzy's secretly mad at her for accidentally lopping her arm off despite how much she tries to hide it from her. Doll sighs softly, before giving Lizzy one, last kiss and teleporting off. Lizzy just blinks slowly, remaining hand twitching.

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"[I need a favour.]"

Uzi, N and V all look at each other in surprise and confusion, before Uzi steps up towards Doll, narrowing her eyes at her in suspicion, despite how genuine Doll's voice seems. Something's up and Uzi feels as though she best find out what it is, exactly.

"Favour? 'bout what?" Uzi asks, crossing her arms and raising her digi-brow in impatience. Doll sighs and gently runs her hand along her hair, before speaking softly.

"[I made a mistake. M-Me and Lizzy were training and I wasn't... I didn't focus and I took it too far. I was an idiot. I chopped her arm clean off her s-shouder...]" Just the admittance of it made Doll feel sick to her Core.

V instantly sits up, giving Doll a worried and disturbed glare, N gasping and covering his mouth in sympathy, whispering a little 'Oh, no...' before he can stop himself. Uzi's optics hollow, shock lining underneath them. "You what?!" Uzi exclaims in exasperation and bewilderment, splaying her arms out for emphasis. Doll lowers her head, shaking.

"[I didn't mean to! I thought she could dodge, I thought I could've stopped it right before the knife tore through her! Now, she's not speaking to me much, or doing much of anything. I don't think she wants to see me, s-so... Please, can any of you just try helping her??]" Doll desperately pleads, looking at each Drone before her.

N glances at Uzi and V, both looking hesitant and concerned. It could be a trap to kill V, but with Doll's uncharacteristic desperation... V sighs. It's best to take a chance. "Fine. Stay here, we'll sort out Miss Priss. Uzi, N, let's go." V orders, before launching into the sky, towards the Bunker. Uzi gently glances at Doll sympathetically, clapping her on the shoulder, before following V out, N picking her up and flying off with her.

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Roughly landing before the Bunker doors, V and N wait as Uzi opens it with her keycard, before the three set off to Lizzy's apartment. V, knowing on instinct where Lizzy's located, halts in front of her door and punches in the code, barging her way inside and ignoring N's chastising voice reprimanding her about privacy.

V rolls her eyes, flicking her tail to swat N's head lightly, before searching for the troubled cheerleader. She didn't need to look that far, since she's right there, crying as she sits on her bed, one hand pressed against her visor.

The other arm nowhere to be seen.

Uzi and N both flinch at the sight, V gazing at her friend with utmost sympathy. She slowly makes her way over to Lizzy, the cheerleader not caring about the fact that V saw her cry. V carefully wraps her arms around Lizzy, earning a slight tug of resistance, before she ultimately gives in and begins sobbing into V's chest quietly. N sits on Lizzy's opposite side, gently rubbing her back to soothe her. Uzi just watches, but can't help herself but feel sympathetic over the loss. She's surely go insane if she lost her arm, that's for sure.

"She's really worried about you, Lizzy. Doll was so upset when she asked us for help..." N comments, his voice soft and sweet to Lizzy's audio receptors. She lifts her gaze, feeling a little bit better now that she got that out of her systems. Lizzy simply stares at N, wiping her tear away.

"Yup. Freakbag really felt like total shit, begged us to do something because she felt like you hated her. Do you, though, Lizzy?" V asks, staring right into Lizzy's optics with her lemon-yellow eyelights, looking serious and a little bit stern. Lizzy shakes her head softly, frowning. V's digi-brows furrow in annoyance.

"You didn't really help clear that up, y'know." V informs, gripping Lizzy's shoulder and ignoring N's scoffing voice that reprimands her vulgar language. Lizzy glares at the ground, knowing that she didn't exactly help. But what could she have said that wouldn't be a lie? She doesn't really feel like talking to Doll about it, because she's literally the reason she's in this mess, but she does forgive her. Kinda. It's just hard to face someone who chopped her arm off and can't do anything about it besides apologise. Lizzy knows she's being unreasonable, but she just can't help herself.

"I... I didn't know what to feel when she was here. I was angry and numb, duh, but... I dunno. I'm just tired. I want my freakin' arm back." Lizzy complains, attempting to cross her arms, but falters when she only lays her remaining one on her stomach. Lizzy rolls her eyelights slightly.

"Whatever it is, maybe it's best if you, I dunno, make sure she knows that you don't hate her for it?" V suggests, sarcastically sneering at Lizzy, who pokes her tongue out at the Disassembly Drone. N giggles at the light-hearted interaction, Uzi tilting her head, optics lidded.

"Eh, I built a railgun, I can build an arm." Uzi idly mentions, causing Lizzy to perk up and rush towards Uzi, gripping her forearm tightly with her hand, looking desperate and hopeful.

"Are you freaking serious?! Why didn't you just say that when you got here!?" Lizzy shouts the question, irritation and desperation almost palpable. Uzi stammers, before rolling her eyes and nodding lightly, shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, don't come at me! I wanted to see how this'd play out!" Uzi defends herself, glaring at Lizzy, who just sneers at her.

Lizzy sighs softly, before glancing around the room. She supposes it's time to go see her girl, let her know what's going on and all that. "Hey, where's Doll? I gotta clear things up."

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Doll grumbles in her sleep as she feels something shaking her, trying to wake her up. Doll lightly slaps the object, huffing, only to yelp as she's slapped awake instead. Growling, Doll wakes up and instantly falters as she sees Lizzy standing before her, smiling brightly and looking noticeably more happy. "[L-Lizzy! I... Are you doing okay? Did they help?]" Doll timidly asks, restraining herself from hugging Lizzy.

It doesn't matter anyway, Lizzy hugging her girlfriend tightly with her single arm, burying her face into Doll's neck in an apologetic manner. "Yeah, girl... Uzi's gonna try make me an arm or whatever nerdy stuff she went on about, but, look... I'm sorry for ignoring you. It wasn't your fault, I get that. I was just... Upset, is all." Lizzy admits, looking away from her girlfriend, a little guilty. Doll just kisses her forehead sweetly.

"[I understand. I don't blame you. I'll help you through this, just like you've always helped me. We'll get through this together, right?]" Doll asks, smiling with adoration as Lizzy giggles and nods, playfully nudging her shoulder.

"Right. Together."

Chapter Text

"Doll! Stop being stubborn! We! Gotta! GO! Get in there, damn it!"

It's been thirty minutes.

Doll's name has been called thirty minutes ago and she's refusing to even enter the room, Lizzy trying to best to push her in, barely even able to. Doll has a death grip on either side of the doorway, the doctor watching the adamant refusal with boredom.

Lizzy, from nearly the very beginning of their friendship, had quickly learned that Doll does not like needles. She says she hates the feeling of it entering her arm, the metal apparently feeling weird afterwards. Lizzy has told Doll that that's a normal side effect, but Doll just wasn't having it at all.

Doll grunts as Lizzy has now taken to slamming her body weight against Doll's back, trying to ram her into the room, much to Doll's panic and dismay. Finally, with one hard shove, Doll barrels into the room, Lizzy falling on her face as she sighs in relief. The doctor hums in a slight impressed manner, before raising his digi-brow at the duo who, now, stand before him, Lizzy rubbing her aching head. "So, are we finally ready to start this off?" He asks, gathering his equipment.

Lizzy nods, Doll rapidly shaking her head, looking terrified. Lizzy scoffs and rolls her eyes, nudging Doll's shoulder firmly. Who would've thought that a stoic serial killer, such as Doll, would be this scared of a freaking needle?? "Ugh, stop being such a pill baby and get your shot! Do you want to get malware or your oil tubes clogged up!?" Lizzy shouts, glaring at her girlfriend. Doll scoffs and mutters a small '[No...]', crossing her arms.

"Then get up on the damn desk, Doll." Lizzy bluntly demands, pointing at the desk in front of the doctor. Sighing, Doll steels her resolve and hops up on the desk, waiting for the doctor to pull out the needle in anticipation. Doll relaxes when he just places a cold patch of antibiotics on her arm, cleaning the spot he's gonna pierce. Smiling at Lizzy softly, her cheerleader returns the smile with a cocky grin and a thumbs up.

Then it all goes downhill.

The doctor pulls out the needle, which has to be, at the very least, 5cms long.

Doll freaks out.

"DollDollDoll--- It's fine, chill out!" Lizzy frantically shouts, desperately trying to calm her girlfriend down as she, like a hyper cat, runs off the walls and scratches at the door, before running along the walls again. Doll pauses to deliver a multitude of cat-like 'slaps' to the doctors' head, before continuing to bounce off the walls. The doctor and Lizzy stand in the middle of the clutter of Doll's claws skittering everywhere, Lizzy rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"Sorry about this. Doll, uh... Really doesn't like needles." Lizzy states, as if it wasn't obvious. The doctor hums, before squinting at the wall, quickly reaching his arm out at the perfect time to grab a Doll's arm. Instantly, he sticks her with the needle (which he infused with a slight sedative; he knew this one was gonna be trouble) and Doll immediately slumps over.

Lizzy snickers softly at the sight, Doll looking completely dreary and sluggish now, before she picks her Russian idiot up and begins to walk out the door. "Pfft, thanks, doc. I'll come back later on this month for another dosage for her." Lizzy warns, to which the doctor sighs in resignation.

"Please don't."

Chapter Text

"But I wanna take cool flight selfies with you and fly together with you, Dolly, so why won't you just teach me!?" Lizzy whines, crossing her arms as she flicks her fluffy tail in irritation. Doll groans, having explained this to Lizzy, time and time again. There's a lot if risk in flying, which is why Doll limits herself when she does it, the snow able to prove a challenge for Lizzy's sight in the air.

"[You know why. You're reckless, don't have much spacial awareness, don't listen to me thoroughly, do things 'your own way', way too eager, probably unable to even --]" As Doll lists off all of the reasons why she thinks it's a bad idea, Lizzy frowns with each word that pisses her off, offending her each time Doll adds to the list.

"OKAY, I get it, jeez! Look... All I wanna do it fly with you. I think it'll be really epic to fly with my favourite girl, not to mention that it's really pretty up there, y'know? Please, Doll? I'll listen to you, I promise." Lizzy begs, giving Doll her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, fluttering her pink optics. Doll blushes slightly, glancing away from Lizzy and back again, before sighing. She can't resist that face.

Damn it.

"[Fine. But we're gonna need a little more help.]"

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Doll, N, Uzi, Lizzy and V (for some reason; Doll didn't invite V at all. Of course, she just had to show up and ruin things) stand in a loose circle together, on a building that Doll had flown Lizzy up to; the perfect launching pad. Doll clearing her throat to clarify why they're here, since she only briefly explained it to N and Uzi.

"[Okay, N, Uzi, you're both here to help me teach Liz, here, how to fly (since she won't stop frickin' asking). It shouldn't be too hard, since everyone here has wings and experience.]" Doll announces, glancing at the Worker/Disassembly Drone Duo. Both Drones nod, eager to actually be the teachers for once, instead of being taught or reprimanded. V splays her arms out at Doll, in utter offense of not even being so much as mentioned.

"And me??"

Doll glances at V blankly, looking her up and down, her tail doing the same, before Doll turns back to face Lizzy, but speaks towards V. "[You can sit and watch.]" She bluntly replies, before walking over to Lizzy to spread her feathered wings, examining the wingspan. Decent length, perfect for basic launches.

V scoffs, growling lowly as she lashes her tail at being ignored. Stupid-ass Workers, always so sassy and downright rude.

"[Alright! N, you and me are gonna take the lower ground to make sure Lizzy doesn't plummet.]" Doll begins, earning a thumbs up from N. "[Uzi and V, I guess, you both can teach Lizzy the basics. Nothing wild, got it?]" Doll warns threateningly, earning an eye roll from V and a scoff from Uzi. Meanwhile, Lizzy just finds it hot, blushing heavily. Taking that as a yes, Doll salutes them, before spreading her wings and gliding to the ground with N.

V grins at Lizzy, before yanking her towards herself to stand at the ledge of the building. Uzi carries on Doll's work of examining Lizzy's wings, muttering to herself about how complicated and annoying feathers are. V sighs, clearing her throat. "Alright! Now then, the first thing you wanna do if you wanna learn how to fly, is to gently spread your wings and bend your knees. Thennn, ya gotta do THIS!" In one quick stroke, V launches upwards, whooping as sbe soars through the air. Lizzy watches on, jealous as all hell.

"Okay... Spread wings, bend knees, wings down against the ground as you jump, got it..." Lizzy mutters, before doing exactly that, her faded pink feathers rustling in the wind, accidentally whacking Uzi in the face. Lizzy manages to get good lift, before slowly falling back down. V quickly shoots towards Lizzy and launches her up high, both Drones cackling.

Meanwhile, N is frantically trying to comfort Doll as she hyperventilates, grasping her Core. "[I'm actually gonna pass out, she's being too reckless with Lizzy!]" Doll complains, N wincing softly.

"U-uhm, I think they've got it under control! Look, Lizzy's flying like a champ!" N points out, looking up at the sky, watching as Uzi slowly rises to fly with them. Lizzy trembles and loses her leverage occasionally, quickly fixed by either Uzi or V, before they land back on the roof.

V claps Lizzy on the shoulder, grinning with pride towards her friend. "Nice work! Hey, did ya know that there's a really cool way to learn how to fly?" V casually mentions, Uzi whipping her gaze towards V in warning, giving her a stern glare. Lizzy gasps and eagerly faces V, curious.

"Yeah? Well, don't keep me waiting--- HOLY-- VVVVEEEEE!!!!!" Lizzy screams, as V picks her up and throws her off of the building. Doll is heard screaming from below by V, V snickering at the panicked Russian. Uzi slaps V on the head. "Go freaking get her, idiot." She demands, only for V to shrug.

"Nah, she's got it."

Lizzy rapidly tumbles in the air, screeching as she spreads her wings, the feathers catching good wind and allowing her to catcj herself, calming down as she soars towards Doll. Lizzy rams herself into Doll out of both excitement and loss of control. Shakily, Doll hugs Lizzy tight, terrified. "[Good job, proud of you. No more lessons for a month, though.]" She shakily declares.

Lizzy just huffs, only to be interrupted by N picking her up and spinning her, praising the cheerleader as she indignantly hisses at N to knock it off, tail slapping at his head.

Doll shakily stands up, before shooting V an absolutely deadly glare. V grunts at the look, placing her hands on her hips. "What? She's safe. My flying lessons never failed anyone, chill." V quips, only to flinch as Doll charges up her Absolute Solver.

"[I see. How about we do our own little flying lesson, V? Let's see how high I can get your head to fly off your shoulders.]"

V's optics hollow.

Chapter Text

"[That feel nice?]" Doll gently asks, the brush gliding through Lizzy's golden-pink, ribbon-free hair with ease. Lizzy just hums in acknowledgement, eyes closed as she relaxes against Doll calmly. Doll gingerly presses her lips against Lizzy's, who gives her a light bit of pressure in return, too relaxed and content to really react to it.

The brush, mixed with Doll's sweet words of affection and honeyed love, is exactly what Lizzy feels as though Nirvana is. She's completely calm and relaxed, nothing able to bother her at all as long as she's right here with Doll. Lizzy purrs softly, the rumble in her chest reverberating against Doll's own body, the Russian girl fully feeling the appreciation Lizzy's exerting.

Doll sighs softly, nuzzling Lizzy, before gently pushing her on her stomach, so her back is facing upwards, wings loosely spread on the bed lazily. Doll combs the brush through Lizzy's primrose feathers, plucking a few loose or molting ones that don't need to be there. The Russian Worker Drone slowly begins humming a tune, melting Lizzy even more into a sappy sack of feathers and bolts. As Doll's voice carries throughout the air, the brush gliding through her wings, causing them to twitch, Lizzy's tail slowly begins to wag, the fan-like plumage lining the tip flaring and constricting.

Doll places the brush down, after thorough examination of Lizzy's wings, deeming them as appropriate to let rest. Doll crawls up next to Lizzy, who wordlessly tugs her girlfriend close to her, burying her face into her neck. Doll can't help but purr at the affection, her deeper-toned purrs mixing with Lizzy's own.

Both Drones, extremely content with how the end of their night turned out, relaxes into each others arms and finally drift off to sleep, keeping the other warm for the night, just like they always do.

Chapter Text

Where is she!?

No, seriously, where did Lizzy just run off to!?

This is bad... One minute, Doll and Lizzy were simply cooking up a meal for the two of them for dinner tonight, and then Lizzy had begun acting weird. She kept saying that the heat of the stove was making her head hurt, so Doll offered to keep up the cooking while Lizzy sat in front of the Aircon, but when Doll haf turned around, Lizzy was literally nowhere to be found.

Shutting off the stove, Doll places her cooking cutlery down and begins walking around the room, teleporting to other rooms, calling Lizzy's name repetitively, yet receiving no reply at all.

This had better be one of Lizzy's messed up pranks...

Then, Doll heard it. A little scratching noise that stemmed from the bathroom, not that they'd ever need to go in there for reasons other than dramatic mental breakdowns or impromptu singing streaks. Not that Doll ever does that anyway.

Doll slowly, cautiously, rounds the corner and gasps as she sees her girlfriend on all fours, curiously scratching at the base of the bathroom door. Her feathered wings remain fixed to her sides, her tail flopping around on the ground, fan-like feathers splaying and closing. Doll's gasp seems to have alerted Lizzy, however, and the infected cheerleader instantly whips her gaze towards Doll, Solver symbol present on her visor.

None say a word to one another.

Then, Lizzy faces Doll, raising her hips and lowering her head in position to pounce, tail and waist wriggling like a cat would've. Doll shudders, taking a step backwards, only for Lizzy's clawed hand to slam on the ground, dragging herself closer to Doll. "[Lizzy, calm down, l-let me fix this. Just keep still, okay?]" Doll whispers, pleading her girlfriend not to just let her fix things and not scratch her in the face for once.

It seems that that's not part of Lizzy's plan, as she instantly launches herself at Doll, barreling her to the ground. Doll yelps in alarm, squinting her crimson optics closed in anticipation of the incoming scratch she'll need to heal up.

But it never came.

Instead, Doll feels a weight on her chest, Lizzy's head occupying the width of her chest, torso resting on Doll's lower body. Lizzy croons, snuggling into Doll's chest, enjoying the increased warmth of Doll's Core. Lizzy then blinks, noticing how it's pulsing faster than usual. Doll is scared, or surprised. Or a bit of both, really. As Doll watches Lizzy with a bewildered expression, Lizzy butts her head against Doll's, presses a kiss to her lips, then focuses on Doll's Core.

Lizzy plants a gentle kiss there, running her smooth tongue along its surface and relishes in the gasp and shiver she received from her girlfriend out of surprise for the action. Doll, still confused and completely flustered due to the intimate contact, hesitantly wraps her arms around Lizzy, who yawns, before promptly dropping her head and dozing off.

Doll sighs softly. This was unexpected and really freaking weird, but... Nice. Maybe she's getting through her Solver form, less inclined to hurt her and moreso lean towards affection.

Closing her eyes, Doll accepts the fact that she's gonna be laying on the floor with Lizzy for a while, and drifts off into Sleep Mode alongside her, easy to sleep so suddenly when Lizzy's warm body is giving her a comforting pressure to relax with.

Chapter Text

The cold, sterilised air causes Lizzy to squint, as the door to the main holding bay shoots open, her human, Doctor Wright, gesturing for her to follow. This bay, in particular, was especially dangerous to enter, as it only ever houses one, current Drone. They call it 'Doll' or '048', always speaking of her with fear or anger for her to be deactivated permanently, saying she's a beast and way too sadistic and full of hate for her size.

Doll has killed people, Lizzy's heard. She's asked Dr.W, multiple times, why she was even created in the first place if she's so much trouble and has a literal body count, but the elderly (and slightly insane, Lizzy suspects) man just keeps saying that same, dumb phrase with that same, dumb smile; ', She's a marvellous sight to behold.'

Like that even matters when lives are on the line when people just attempt to simply feed her! Lizzy has heard audio logs of conversations with Doll, Doll always speaking with some kind of obvious hatred and anger towards humans in particular. It's no secret that she hates them; she's stated as such in the logs as Lizzy's heard. Doll recounts the amount of stuff humans dared to put her through, such as injecting her with viruses, shooting her to see what part hurts most, dunking her in acid to immobilize (or even wither) her, and so on.

Lizzy isn't a fan of those experiments, but she's not a fan of Doll's sadism and dangerous nature either. Yet, she and Dr.W were assigned to look after or monitor Doll, make sure she's well fed and kept calm from causing another breach of her containment cell. Lizzy's nervous, but also kind of excited to meet whoever's striked up such a sick reputation with the humans around here.

Lizzy follows Dr.W into the viewing area; a small room protected by a glass window which reveals a much larger room that surely holds Doll. However, Lizzy can't even see her when she looks further into the cell from the window. "You... Sure she didn't bust outta there? Wouldn't we see her by now?" Lizzy questions, looking up at Dr.W. The elderly man just pats Lizzy's head, grinning as he doesn't lift his gaze from the window.

"Patience, my dear. She's in there, you'll see her." He assures, Lizzy humming in uncertainty. However, her pink optics hollow as she spots two optics staring back at her. Dr.W marvels at the sight of her main eyes. "There we are. How are we feeling today, lovely!?" He shouts, treating Doll like a simple hospital patient.

Doll's crimson optics narrow, before six more smaller eyes appear on her visor, all narrowing in tandem with her main eyelights. Lizzy cringes at the sight, Dr.W absolutely loving it. A singular light flickers on in the cell, Doll hissing at it. Her torso is shrouded by the darkness, but her upper body looks relatively normal, exactly like a Worker's. Lizzy wonders exactly why Doll's called a 'brutish insect' by the rest of the scientists in the laboratory.

Doll steps forward, a series of hissed clicking noises audible from under her breath, now completely revealed.

Nevermind.

Below her waist, Doll's lower body is purely just... Arachnid. Spider. Doll's a spider hybrid. Her abdomen is round and large, the top of it lined with three sharp ridges and followed by triangular imprints, glowing crimson red. Her spinnerets twitch with each heavy step towards her and Dr.W, a glare written on her face. Two fangs peek out from under her lips, Lizzy only able to guess how many times she'd used them to drain humans dry.

Her armoured back, consisting of a wide cephalothorax that looks more like a ridged shield than anything, jostles as she finally is up close and personal to Lizzy rather than Dr.W. Doll's seen (and eaten) her fair share of humans. Another Drone is rare to see... Huh. She looks... Interested? Shocked? Frozen? Doll isn't surprised. That's a common reaction. However, what isn't a common reaction, is the wide, giddy smile that spreads on Lizzy's face as she touches her hand on the glass beside her face.

".... Girl, you look awesome. Freaky as hell, but totally awesome." Lizzy compliments, completely enamored with this arachnoid Drone. Doll's purple hair sways with shock as she rears her head back, main optics hollowing with surprise and confusion. Her first compliment, or this girl simply flattering her in order to save herself? Doll isn't quite sure. Curiously, she tilts her head and leans her head closer to Lizzy's, or as close as it could get with the thick glass in the way. Lizzy doesn't budge or flinch back in disgust or fear. She just continues to grin and stare.

Doll warbles softly, before she immediately remembers where she is, what situation she's in and why these two must be here. All eight of Doll's optics narrow in a deadly glare, her teeth baring in aggression, startling Lizzy. Did she do something wrong...?

"There it is. Doll's just wary of us, is all, Lizzy. She's dealt with many experiments by rather rough handlers, so it's fair that she doesn't trust us. Shame. She truly is a beautiful specimen." Dr.W explains, glancing down at his assistant. Lizzy deflates softly, disappointed but able to understand why Doll's cautious. Lizzy bristles with concern as Dr.W suddenly begins walking towards the reinforced door that leads into Doll's cell.

"Hey, what're you doing!? You have a damn death wish if you go in there, I ain't gonna save ya!" Lizzy warns, staring at the man with paranoia. Dr.W just waves Lizzy off, muttering to himself as he runs his hand along the door.

"Hhmph. Lizzy, I want you to do me a favour and stay here, please. I'm going to get a cup of tea so I can relax a little while monitoring with you." Dr.W explains, before leaving Lizzy alone with this literal murderer who's staring right at her. Doll seems a little more at ease, now that the man has left.

"Uh, hey... Do you understand me?" Lizzy softly asks, tilting her head at Doll in curiosity. Doll simply warbles gingerly, raising her foreleg and stepping closer to the window. Lizzy follows suit, probably going to regret this later. "Is that a no?" She continues, Doll simply taken to staring at her. Lizzy supposes not, then. Bummer.

Huh... Up close like this, Lizzy can tell that Doll's actually a tiny bit shorter than her. Pfft. Cute. Kinda! In a totally not weird way, shut the hell up!

"[Mmnghh... Lizzy. Is that your name?]" A deep, feminine voice emits from Doll's mouth, accent thick and language completely different form hers, yet Lizzy can understand her perfectly through the translator. Her pink optics hollow as she covers her mouth, jumping up and down in absolute glee.

"Holy hell, you can talk!? Waitwaitwait, back up! You can literally talk?? You understand me!?" Lizzy exclaims, her excitement startling Doll a small bit, before the Russian arachnid Drone nods curtly. She finds Lizzy's enthusiasm amusing; she's never seen someone so excited to see something like herself. It's a completely new reaction she's never experienced before in her life. It's positive.

Lizzy chuckles breathily, running her hand through her blonde-pink hair to ease her Core's rapid pulsing. So. This girl's actually sentient. She can talk, think, communicate and this is the hand she's been dealt by her creators? Locked in a cage to experiment on endlessly? No wonder she snapped and killed people... N-Not that Lizzy's condoning it or anything! She's sympathising, there's a difference!

"How long have you been in there, girl?" Lizzy gently asks, placing her hand on her window beside her face. Doll winces at the sudden display of sympathy and care, not at all surprised that it's not a human who's shown it first. Doll shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly.

"[Can't recall. Long time, though... Think you could let me out? I don't think you deserve to be working for some human scum who can't even see their own kind as equal.]" Doll suggests, pointing a foreleg towards the steel door to the left of Lizzy. Lizzy glances at it, before frowning sadly, sighing as she shakes her head.

"Sorry, uh... I don't think that's a good idea. Not that I don't trust you not to kill me or whatever, I just don't wanna see a human bloodbath, thanks." Lizzy remarks, earning a nod of understanding from Doll. Doll folds her legs underneath her, laying down as she rests her head against the glass, eight optics fixated on Lizzy as Lizzy sits down alongside her.

"[Fair. I hate it here... Why're you even here, anyway? What do you want with me?]" Doll hisses, glaring at Lizzy lightly. Lizzy scoffs at the aggressiveness and knocks the glass in front of Doll's head, rolling her primrose eyes.

"Chill, you weird little dork. We're just monitoring you. You're fine, we ain't gonna hurt ya." Lizzy assures, Doll blinking at Lizzy in surprise. Doll lowers her guard a little, before bringing her hand to mirror Lizzy's, the glass the only thing in the way of contact.

"[You won't? Promise?]" Doll whispers, looking at Lizzy pleadingly. That's the voice of a girl who just wants the pain to stop, for the humans to leave her alone and let her live, let her be happy for once. Lizzy smiles and nods, a few blush lines visible on her visor.

"Promise."

Doll squints at Lizzy's lips, before raising her own to try and mimic Lizzy's smile. It kinda works; her teeth moreso being bared, like an animal, rather than her lips giving a smile. Lizzy internally marks the sight as a 'Doll Smile'. She's not so bad, honestly.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It's been six months, and progress has been made. Serious progress. Doll is actually allowed to have one person in her cell at any time either Drone wants, that person mainly being Lizzy and occasionally Dr.W, as Lizzy explicitly told Doll not to straight up kill him. Doll relented, but is not nearly as careful with him as she is with Doll.

Lizzy's opinion of Doll grew, too. She's been extremely eager to go see Doll every day, running towards the door where Doll grabs Lizzy up with all of her legs, trapping her in a protective embrace rather than binding her as prey. Both Drones have grown attached to one another, blushing every time they greet each other and being overly clingy with the other. Lizzy's already admitted to herself that she has a massive crush on Doll, the literal arachnid Drone she's meant to be monitoring, not kissing. Still, it's a hard thought to resist. Lizzy's sure Doll's lips would fit perfectly against her own...

Speaking of, Doll has also admitted her own crush on Lizzy to herself. She's been much more protective of her and reactive to her than she was before, always engaging in conversations with Lizzy actively, and snarling at Dr.W when he calls Lizzy to return. Doll wants Lizzy to stay, she doesn't want to be separated from her, but it's just the way things are, she supposes. Still, she's comfortable with how things are, now.

Like currently, as Lizzy leans against Doll's abdomen, playing with Doll's hair and legs, giggling in amusement as Doll playfully growls and knocks her over gently. Lizzy blushes as Doll tugs Lizzy closer with her leg, pressing the slightly taller Drone against Doll's warm body. Lizzy looks next to her, gazing at Doll's pretty face.

Doll looks at Lizzy as well, tilting her head and giving her one of her signature Doll Smiles; all teeth, barely any smile. Lizzy snickers, before raising her hand to caress Doll's cheek, watching as Doll's many eyes focus directly on her. Lizzy steels herself as she takes a deep breath. "Hey, Doll, uhh... I've been thinking, and... Y-You're, like, hella cute and stuff and I'm glad you're my bestie, so, I was just wondering if you... W-Wanna go out? L-Like, as in, date me? As my girlfriend?" Lizzy repetitively elaborates, her visor exploding in a large, pink blush, as does Doll's.

The arachnoid Drone bites her lip with those long fangs, glancing away from Lizzy, before kissing her passionately, right on the lips. Lizzy squeals in surprise, her head spinning as her eyes hollow with bewilderment. Her screen is just about washed out with pink, the blush on her face almost concerning.

Doll snickers softly, hugging Lizzy close as she nuzzles her cheek affectionately, forelegs rising to place themselves on her shoulders. "[Pfft, y-yeah, I'd... I'd really like that. You're the only one who's treated me like an actual person, how could I not be attracted to you? I... I love you, Lizzy...]" Doll mutters, all eight optics fixed on Lizzy's, as Lizzy giggles and pulls Doll in for another kiss.

Meanwhile, Dr.W records the moment both on notepad and security camera, grinning at the amazing and remarkable development of these two. There's no doubt in his mind that these two complete each other; they're happy together and Lizzy's helped the science team with a breakthrough regarding Doll's aggressive behaviour, having been only one death this month, instead of the usual 20.

"Hmph. About time you given us some progress, Doll... This data log will be kept private from the others in the lab. I am very proud of this development."

Chapter Text

"And then I totally got him suspended for, like, ten weeks in a row! You should've been there, it was hilarious!" Lizzy cackles, slapping V on the back as she tries to regain her composure. Strangely enough, V gives Lizzy a distant nod and fake chuckle, tail swaying lightly behind her.

That instantly gets Lizzy to shut up, as she gazes at her bestie with concern and anxiety. Having someone as unexpressive as Doll with her 24/7 makes V's stoic thinking expression look like Lizzy's reading an open children's book at this point. She knows something's up with her. "V? You doing good over there?"

"Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah, it's just... It's been, what, three years? Me and Doll are both way more mature than we were before, so I was kinda wondering if, y'know, it was possible she'd let me try make it up to her, for, uh... You know." V gestures randomly, yet Lizzy understands what V means perfectly. Lizzy gasps in excitement, clutching V's shoulders with glee as she FINALLY hears the words she's been wanting to hear from the start o this mess.

"You wanna be friends with Dolly!??" Lizzy squeals, V wincing in embarrassment and surprise, blushing a little as she nods reluctantly. V would try her best to make that happen, but she really doesn't even know how to go about striking up a causal conversation with someone whose parents she murdered. Not an ideal situation.

"Something like that, yeah. How would I even do that, though?? The freakbag really has it out for me, and even if she's not trying to kill me everytime she sees me anymore, she's still cold around me." V rants, Lizzy nodding as she understands the dilemma at hand. Doll's a very vengeful person, to the point where some might even call her petty, but Lizzy really needs her to chill out with the past now. So, Lizzy just nudges V encouragingly.

"Leave it to me! I'll sort her out. Meet me at my house in half an hour."

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"[No. Absolutely not.]" Doll firmly growls, her annoyance palpable as Lizzy glares at her in refusal to let Doll deny her anymore.

"It'd do you both a lot of good! You two actually have a lot in common and you'd know that if you put the past behind you." Lizzy explains, the cheerleader gently sighing as Doll tiredly looks away from her.

"[... You know it's hard for me to do that...]" Doll whispers, Lizzy nodding in complete understanding and agreement as she holds Doll's hands in her own.

"Just try. V really isn't that bad, I'm promising ya, girly. It's just one hangout session while I see Rebecca." Lizzy gingerly states, Doll groaning softly as she nods in agreement to hang out with V. Her nod earns a little kiss, before Lizzy allows V to enter the room. Lizzy's footsteps disappear down the hall, leaving Doll and V alone together.

V glances at the hallway, knowing Lizzy's secretly watching in order to monitor the situation should it ever get out of hand. Doll shuffles uncomfortably, about to just call this whole thing off, before V speaks up. "I'm sorry."

Doll instantly looks up at her.

"You heard me. I'm sorry. I killed your parents, traumatized you and I feel like shit about it. I can't take that back, Doll, but... I can try help you take your mind off it when it bothers you and Liz isn't available." V rants on, Doll listening intently with every word V says. Doll tilts her head, before lidding her eyes and teleporting in front of V, giving her a slight glare.

"[You're right. You can't fix it. You practically drove me insane, V, and... It's not fun. But I've changed. I hated you for years until I was too tired to keep up the act. You annoy me, yes, but.... If you mean what you're saying, I'll take you up on that offer. We can.... We can be friends. I want to try.]" Doll mumbles, holding her hand out to V in mutual acceptance of their newly developed friendship. V's lemon-yellow optics hollow with joyful surprise, before she grips Doll's hand and roughly uses it to yank her over into a sudden hug.

It may be a little too soon to be this close, but V can't help it. The guilt and eagerness has driven her to do what her old self would tear her head off for. Doll flinches, just about ready to grab a knife and spear it through V's Core. It'd be easy. The chance is right here, it's all she's wanted for so long.

But Doll has changed.

The Russian girl simply sighs, before returning the hug she never has foreseen coming. V gently rubs Doll's back, a soothing technique she learnt from N when she was only just getting used to being genuinely nice and sometimes affectionate. V snickers softly into Doll's purple hair. "This is so weird..."

Doll grins a little, shrugging dismissively as she pulls away from the hug. "[Tell me about it.]"

From afar, Lizzy tries not to ruin the moment with an excited squeal, instead choosing to clamp her teeth onto her hand to shut herself up before she reveals herself. Lizzy watches on as V and Doll begin to talk civilly, simply getting used to each other and asking basic questions. With a quick snap of her camera, Lizzy grins, having achieved what she wanted for so long.

"Score."

Chapter Text

It's a new beginning. A newfound hope has spread itself throughout the Bunker, which has since been renovated and expanded due to Lizzy and Doll's hard, endless work of taking down and eliminating every last Disassembly Drone who isn't willing to listen to reason and change like N and V had.

They no longer live in fear. Worker Drones, previously cowardice and unwilling to lift a finger to help, rather more likely to shove their friends out to take up a dangerous challenge in selfish desperation to allow themselves to live another day. Back then, it was seen as fair. No-one wants to die, so they all hang their heads and point to one another as sacrifice.

Now? It's frowned upon. Anyone even showing a slight tinge of hesitance will immediately be elected as leader of the group that'll go out and alert Lizzy and Doll of any irregular occurrences or new stuff to mine/expand as punishment. Stress is a great motivator for cowards to get their heads screwed on straight, it seems.

That's exactly what Lizzy had done a while ago today; yelled at a new girl who was begging on her knees not to go, that she doesn't wanna die. Lizzy had subsequently told her to shut the hell up and get out there, or she's gonna have to live off of rations. The girl's popularity and reputation in the Bunker jas already sunken with her displayed cowardice, as her teammates had playfully quipped at her that this isn't the old days and she doesn't have to tuck her tail between her legs at the first sight of a dead body.

So, Lizzy and Doll are now waiting for the team to get back, wanting first word of what's happening out there and where they can expand. At least, that's what they've told the group. Just a simple expedition in order to see where they've headed and when they can clear it out to build. The true reason is much more terrifying, but fear is a disease that will lead them to extinction if they're told of the truth.

There have been missing cases. It started off small; one or two Drones having been suspected of unable to take the pressure and had a Core meltdown, stress killing them like the cowards they are. It wasn't a concern, if that was the case, since natural selection is taking out the sheep of the colony.

But, one day, Lizzy had received a message.

"Hey, that little space near that massive shopping centre, people aren't coming back from that. Like, they've been out there for days, all five groups, and they won't even respond. They're... They're all dead..." A quivering voice had alerted Lizzy from her phone that the main squad organiser had stated. It's true. They've not heard word of the other group and the fact that Thad's in group 3...

Lizzy had to come up with a plan with Doll. Quick.

That's why they've selected random Drones to go on a secret suicide mission in that area. They were all laughing that they got the easy work, while the coward was smart enough to have her suspicions in the right place. Not like it'd matter. If she quite, she's as good as dead to the rest of the colony, seen as a disappointment and liability; dead weight.

In reality, she is probably the smartest one there if she chose to run.

They were sent out nearly six hours ago. No communication able to reach them, no response, no nothing. It's safe to assume they're dead, but Lizzy doesn't wanna believe a word Doll says. That's out there, he can't just be dead! He's not dumb enough to let himself die! Doll had remained quiet after that, but simply rubbed Lizzy's back in comfort.

"That's it." Lizzy stands up, grabbing her professionally-made sword Thad helped out with, being smart with tools and such, causing Doll to jolt and look up at her. Lizzy frowns at Doll as she slams her fist on the button that opens the steel exit door. "Doll, c'mon, we gotta what the hell's got them held up." Doll notes how Lizzy actively refrains from saying 'killed'.

"[.... Okay. I'll teleport us there, brace yourself.]" Doll warns, Lizzy's nod giving her the okay to go ahead and blip them there. Doll grabs Lizzy's hand and charges up her Absolute Solver, changing the scenery into the snowy wasteland, a few metres away from the shopping centre. Lizzy shakes her head, a little bit dazed, before nudging Doll a little.

"I'm not getting used to that, like, ever, dork." Lizzy quips, Doll playfully rolling her eyes. Lizzy then trudges through the snow, narrowing her eyes as she tries to see into the cracked, dark entrance of the building. Nothing. With a grunt, Lizzy continues to walk with Doll, their weapons drawn and ready to take down any Disassembly Drones that could launch at them.

Doll, unable to see anything out of the ordinary, focuses on her surroundings, using her hearing as her main aid, closing her optics to emphasise it. Nothing more than a strange hum emitting from the building. Doll scoffs, before using her Absolute Solver Program to take a knife out of her skirt pocket, duplicating them and sending each of them into the building. A slight squeal is heard, but nothing more.

Doll then flinches as she hears a slight crackle before her, the Russian girl freezing in place when a trembling hand places itself on Doll's forearm. Doll whips her gaze towards Lizzy, who's not staring at her in the slightest, traumatised expression aimed dead ahead of herself.

"O-oh, god..." Lizzy whispers, staring at the horrific scene before her. Doll tilts her head at Lizzy, before gazing ahead, her Core nearly stopping once she sees it.

A head poking out from the exit. A massive head. The exit is, now, completely wrecked and busted open just to fit it.

A... Disassembly Drone....? No. No, something like that couldn't ever equate to an actual Disassembly Drone, no, nonono... Doll's head hurts as it's optics flicker on, gazing directly at Doll. Lizzy can't help but whimper in fear.

Thad's decapitated head drops from its mouth, causing Lizzy to slap her hands to her mouth in sheer terror and devastation. Thad. One of her absolute best friends since freaking primary school, dead because of this THING...

Doll and Lizzy can only watch, as it begins to move, standing up and causing the building in was hiding in to collapse under the sudden movements. Rubble blasts from all around the creature, who looks exactly like a regular Disassembly Drone, aside from the fleshy, exposed torso that shows its thousands of thin ribs, arms and heads pierced on the tips or hanging on the 'bone'.

That thing is, easily, 25 (or so) metres tall.

Doll nudges Lizzy out of her stupor, the cheerleader gasping as she's snapped back to reality. Lizzy and Doll nod at each other, forced to fight and take care of this thing, even through the trauma they've just experienced. The creature releases an ear-piercing screech, shattering all nearby windows of the ruined buildings next to it. With a grin that displays animalism rather than sentience, the creature, no, titan, reaches for the duo.

Doll and Lizzy seperate, jumping away from the massive hand, Lizz running along the hand and up the arm, footsteps pounding against the metal of the hellspawn that took her friend. Despite how terrified she is to be up here, Lizzy angrily wields her sword and drags it along the arm, sliding easily through the metal and steering its attention away from Doll.

The Titan Drone growls, before using its other hand to slam down on the arm Lizzy's on. Lizzy launches herself up, jumping onto the shoulder and latching on, as the force from the slap causes the Titan Drone to tilt a little. Lizzy can see Doll on its head, rapidly piercing its skull with an edited, elongated knife, which doesn't seem to be doing anything other than annoying it. Lizzy, now balanced on its shoulder, shivers as the air seems a lot more frigid than before. Lizzy grunts, rearing her arm back, before slicing at its thick neck, drawing an entire flood of oil which loosens Lizzy's footing a little.

As the Titan screeches in pain, shaking its head rapidly and scratching at its neck, Lizzy has no choice but to fall off. Luckily, she stabs the creature in the side, dragging herself down and severely harming it alongside the drop. Oil spews from the wound, the Titan grunting in pain and glaring at Lizzy, who stares at Thad's head next to her.

"[LIZZY, FOCUS!]" Doll's panicked scream snaps Lizzy out of yet another stupor, her pink optics hollowing as she can't avoid the large gust of wind and debris launched her way, as the Titan slams its tail on the ground and rapidly slides it towards Lizzy. Lizzy's slammed into a tree, the cheerleader coughing up oil and losing grip of her sword, her systems trying to desperately recover themselves.

Doll gasps in horror, panicking as her hand trembles. Doll then grits her teeth and slams her fist against the Titan's visor from her position on its cheek, able to remain there as her knives act as stabilisers. Her fist, though tiny in comparison to the large, golden optic, manages to bust a relatively large hole through its screen, disabling one optic. The Titan screeches in pain and anger, halting its tail's movements in order to reach its arm up to lick it and place the nanite-saliva on its visor so it can heal. Doll, not allowing this to happen at all, jumps down and slices its tongue down the middle, earning an absolutely toe-curling screech of agony.

Out of spite, its tongue now hanging out and unable to slide back into its toothy mouth, the Titan Drone raises its tail above Lizzy, who's still out of it, alarming Doll. "[NO!]" Doll snaps, gritting her teeth as she, without a second thought, uses her Solver to max capacity and forces the prehensile appendage to a complete stop. Confused, the Titan keeps trying to bullet through the odd pressure, Doll struggling to keep it up. Knowing she's about to pass out from overexertion, Doll plants her feet into the snowy ground to steel herself, before shoving the Titan back a few feet, causing it to stumble backwards.

Doll shudders, trying to fight against it, but instantly collapses onto her face, vulnerable.

Lizzy, through tired, lidded optics, sees exactly what happened to Doll and, with a sudden burst of energy, lifts herself up, picks up her sword, and runs away from Doll and to the side of the Titan. "HEY, YOU FREAK! LOOK, I'M RIGHT HERE!" Lizzy screams, desperately trying to get its attention, which she successfully obtains. The hulking beast turns its head towards Lizzy, sneering, before raising its fist and slamming it down. Lizzy, anticipating this, jumps onto the lowered fist, which slowly rises, the Titan opening its jaws to devour Lizzy exactly like it did to Thad.

Thad...

Lizzy's brought closer to the demon.

He's dead, all because he volunteered like the helpful dork he is...

The Titan's hand is nearly above its waist. Lizzy braces herself.

Thad didn't do anything. But he's dead because fate screwed him over with the wrong cards.

The hand is right next to its chest and Lizzy springs up, screeching as she raises her sword and plunges it into the large Core, the yellow light flickering as the Titan Drone falters. Lizzy grits her teeth as wind brushes through her hair, herself falling with the Titan. At the last second, Lizzy jumps from the Titan, the massive thing thudding against the ground and cracking the earth with a resounding slam.

The cheerleader drops her sword, rushing towards Doll, who gently sits up. Lizzy holds Doll tightly, speaking into her phone to the communication hub, calling for backup and a medical team. Lizzy places Doll's head in her lap, who curiously looks at the fallen Drone. "[Well, I'll be damned, Liz... You actually managed to take it down...]" She whispers, attempting to raise herself to Lizzy's lips. Lizzy gently places her hand on Doll's chest to push her down humbly, but Lizzy's pride is more or less obvious.

"I know, right? I'd take a selfie, but... I got more important things to do. You alright, girl?" Lizzy asks, bending down to kiss Doll's lips gently. Doll purrs, holding it for a little more, before pulling away slightly, speaking against Lizzy's lips.

"[Mmh, tired... But proud of you.]" Doll admits, Lizzy snickering softly. Doll follows suit, unable to resist, as her emotions are completely scrambled all over the place. The duo begin cackling together, digital tears streaming down their faces as they hold each other tight and close, faintly able to hear the medical team and the others arriving.

It's gonna be really hard to explain the disappearances, even moreso to tell Rebecca that their good friend is dead, but... They'll recover. Just like all the losses prior to this, the Worker Drone colony will continue to thrive and become better as long as they have hope for the future.

Chapter Text

"[Lizzy. You should probably get washed up.]" Doll calmly suggests, gesturing towards Lizzy's oil-stained skirt and hands-- An indicator of her most recent kill Lizzy had Doll help her out with. Like a good girlfriend who totally isn't threatened, Doll had accepted the offer, but flinched each time Lizzy slammed the unsuspecting Worker Drone into the knife she had lodged into the wall.

Doll wondered where it all went wrong. Not that she needed to; she knows exactly what happened for Lizzy to get to this point. The recent break-in the Disassembly Drones screwed them over with had Lizzy's parents listed in the multitude of casualties committed. Lizzy wasn't the same after that. Doll's sassy cheerleader girlfriend was shrouded by insanity, her usual quips now littered with subtle death threats or morbid jokes about dead bodies.

It makes Doll uncomfortable. She hates murder and everything about it, but she can't let Lizzy go, she doesn't even want to. She knows it's not Lizzy's fault she's like this; not her fault that her parents are sitting in the lounge room, both heads ripped off. Not that Lizzy even cares or understands. Doll tries to keep Lizzy out of her apartment, always dragging her to her own room, her parents increasingly suspicious of Lizzy's creepily rude self.

Still, though, Lizzy is Doll's girlfriend. She has been even before the incident, and Doll wilk always stick by her, no matter what.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It goes great with my skirt, dontcha think?" Lizzy asks, pulling her skirt out a little to show Doll the oil blotches. Lizzy grins lazily at the sight, apathetic to the life she took. Doll recoils at the sight of it, shaking her head.

"[... Not really the best fashion statement.]" Doll replies, earning a groan as Lizzy pulls Doll into the bathroom with her so she can help wash herself off. Doll turns the tap, running the Drone-Friendly water™ that's been modified so they won't freaking die straight away. No-one knows how, but it's convenient, so no-one questions it.

"Whatever. Be a darl and grab me a cloth, will ya, Dolly?" Lizzy asks, gesturing towards the linen cabinet opposite them. Lizzy sighs and wets the blotches with her hand, scrubbing it off as best she can, thanking Doll with an oily kiss once she hands her the cloth. Doll just smiles and wipes the oil off once Lizzy's not looking.

The two girls exit the bathroom, Doll grinning as she sees her small group of friends; Emily, Sam and Uzi. They're outcasts, just like her (and Lizzy too, kinda, since her reputation fell with her sanity; people just 'respect' her because she's scary now). Uzi snickers as Doll grabs the small, circular battery she usually brings to school for her, the Russian Worker Drone scarfing it down. "Damn, eat a little quicker, you might not choke next time."

Doll rolls her eyes at Uzi playfully, before turning to face Sam, who's got a magnet pressed against his visor as per usual. Emily must've seen Doll's disappointed expression, wanting the dopey Drone to go sober for one day, at the very least, and shakes her head with a gentle smile. "We tried to take it away, but he just kinda... Got it back. We don't know how; Uzi put it in her bag in the secret compartment." Emily explains, earning a scoff from Doll.

"[I'm gonna force him to watch as I burn them all, I swear...]" Doll mutters, crossing her arms. Lizzy just watches the interaction with boredom, before tugging at her girlfriend's arm. Doll smiles back at Lizzy, blushing softly.

"C'mon, Doll, we're going to your house now, right? Let's hurry it up!" She hisses, the cheerleader way more impatient than she used to be before. Doll chuckles nervously, about to speak up, before Uzi cuts her off before she gets the chance.

"She can talk to her friends for however long she likes! Deal with it, for robo-god's sake!" Uzi snaps, violet optics glaring into Lizzy's dark pink eyelights. Lizzy grits her teeth at Uzi's defensiveness over Doll, getting pissed, before Doll immediately tugs Lizzy back before she can do any real damage, despite how ready Uzi appears to be.

"[W-We gotta go, I'll talk to you later! Bye!]" Doll briefly explains, before pulling Lizzy down the hallway and away from her friends. Lizzy glares at the back of Doll's head, pissed and irritated by Uzi's angsty antics.

Lizzy pauses just before the door to Doll's apartment, hugging her close and lovingly purring, nuzzling her cheek with adoration, even though there's a hint of annoyance present. "Ugh... She's such a jerk, y'know? I dunno how you're friends with her. I should just get r--"

"[No, no! You don't gotta do that, Liz, just... Uzi's cool. Don't worry about it, she's just like that. Let's just head in, yeah?]" Doll soothes, Lizzy nodding as she relaxes into a swift kiss from Doll. The duo open the door, entering as Doll's parents greet them happily. Lizzy gives them a toothy grin, before heading into Doll's room. Doll begins to follow her, only for her father to stop her.

"[Doll, we... Heard what she was saying outside the doors. Are you sure she's not a murderer?]" Kameran bluntly asks, optics boring into Doll's. Doll winces at the stare, stepping out of his touch. She understands the hesitation and suspicion, but she can't have her parents finding out what Lizzy does or what she is. They'll ban them both from meeting up and that'll make Lizzy angry and... And she'll... Doll can't let that happen.

"[She's not, I promise, Papa. She was just messing around; her and Uzi say stuff like that as a joke!]" Doll scrambles for an excuse, grinning nervously as her mother raises her scarlet digi-brow at her daughter. Something's not right, but if Doll's happy with her, she'll let it go. For now.

"[Alright. But do tell her that oil doesn't look nice on such a pretty red fabric.]" Yeva cryptically replies, causing Doll's eyes to hollow. Doll stammers, before her father sighs and hugs her tightly, Yeva rubbing her head.

"[Just be safe. We're worried about you. Dinner is in an hour.]" Kameran informs, Doll nodding softly. The Russian girl appreciating the concern, but it does get a little bit worrying how close they are to figuring her out, if they haven't already. Doll glances at her parents quickly, before entering her room so she and Lizzy can finally spend some time together without any stress.

Chapter Text

Uzi, Lizzy and Doll lay in a poorly formed circle, lazily playing a game of Uno, having taken the pack from Khan's desk in his office. Despite Uzi's reassurances that he wouldn't care if they went missing for a few hours, Lizzy and Doll had their suspicions, especially since Uzi's visor dripped with digital sweat when she said it. Nevertheless, the Solver Trio continue to place down cards, snickering when Uzi keeps having to draw cards from the deck.

Doll's not far behind Uzi, having twelve cards in her hand. Lizzy is trumping them both, only three cards in her hand, apparently having a knack for the game. Uzi had grumbled that Lizzy's probably cheating, but Lizzy shot back at her, remarking that she had experience when she played with Thad and Rebecca.

"Uno!" Lizzy shouts, slamming her card on the floor. Uzi rolls her eyes and throws her abundance of cards on the floor carelessly, Doll using her Solver to neatly pack the cards away. She snickers at Uzi, who's glaring at Lizzy's repetitive teasing. "Aww, someone's all cranky~! You wanna go take a nap?"

"Shut up, you cheated!" Uzi accuses, pointing at Lizzy furiously. Lizzy just pokes her tongue out at Uzi, flinging the card pack at Uzi's head with her own Solver. Uzi bares her teeth, ready to take all the cards out and shove them down Lizzy's throat, but she and Lizzy are both interrupted as they receive a notification that they both are due for a sip of oil. Uzi raises her digi-brow at Doll. "Yo, me and the priss need a fill up. Can we get something to eat, or what?"

"[Mhm. I have a fresh pack of oil I acquired, but it's in my father's room. I need to find the key, wait here.]" Doll instructs, pointing at the floor, before teleporting off. Uzi frowns, Lizzy sighing in annoyance as she leans her head back. She faces Uzi and scoffs at her, flicking her forehead.

"You're getting the leftovers from what I give you, m'kay?" Lizzy casually states, checking her nails idly. Meanwhile, Uzi looks at Lizzy in absolute shock and defiance, before nudging her harshly, glaring. There's no way she's slurping up the leftovers from this freaking drama queen!

"What the hell!? No way!" Uzi rebuts, Lizzy looking the gothic teen up and down before smirking and shaking her head in mocking amusement. It's so funny and easy to get on Uzi's nerves.

"Sore losers get leftovers by default."

That's it.

Uzi suddenly pounces on Lizzy, bowling the cheerleader over, the gothic girl hitting her with multiple cat-like 'slaps' in a row, Lizzy hissing as she becomes irritated by each rapid slap. Lizzy kicks Uzi off of her, both Drones arching their backs as they eye each other up, glaring at the other.

As Uzi slowly approaches Lizzy, she raises her hand a little, Lizzy leaning back and raising her hand as well, slowly pawing at the air in contemplation of the timing. Lizzy then takes initiative and whacks Uzi with multiple baps on the head. Uzi hisses, before nipping at Lizzy's finger, earning an indignant screech and slash to the face, which quickly heals due to the Solver's aid.

Right as Lizzy raises her hand again, Doll walks in and chucks two oil packets at their visors because 1: It calmed them down via shock and 2: It's funny to her.

Lizzy and Uzi both thank Doll, draining the packet dry, before Lizzy lays down on the carpeted floor, yawning as she tosses the empty packet aside. Uzi leans against Lizzy, earning a slight grumble, before she just puts up with it as Uzi rests her head in-between Lizzy's shoulder blades.

Doll snickers at the sight, snapping a quick picture for later blackmail, before joining them, nestling her way in the middle of the two forcefully. Uzi scoffs and repositions herself, loosely throwing an arm over Doll's back. Lizzy purrs at the contact of her girlfriend and nuzzles her cheek into Doll's, all three slowly falling asleep.

Chapter Text

The Russian Worker Drone sighs as she sits on the bonnet of a run-down car, rust littering every inch of its surface aside from a few spots that were lucky enough not to be subjected to the weathering and ruin. Doll suspects that it's a historical sight, given by the plate on it that described it as a car from wayyy back in 1950, along with other random information about it.

Hand resting on her chin, a stray piece of scrap metal illuminated with a crimson light, projected by Doll's Absolute Burden, the infected Worker Drone lifting it up and tilting it one way and another, flaring her fingers to stretch it in a way that should be impossible, looking like elastic rather than sturdy metal. She's been out here for, what, five hours? Something like that. It's something Doll likes to do when remaining in the Bunker for so long gets tiring.

Practising this affliction was a casual task when Doll has oil beside her or if she's full, it was easy and reassuring. Having a weapon built in automatically was a great defence against any Disassembly Drones that try anything with her. Speaking of, one Disassembly Drone, in particular, should be counting her damn days. V. She caught its 'name' when it left after taking her parents out. That, and she has a photo of it which shows the band around her arm.

Whatever. It'll get what's coming to it---

*SLAM!*

Doll, now extremely alert, shoots her gaze towards an office building (Doll thinks so, anyway) that has a caved-in roof and a small plume of smoke rising from it. That's... Odd. Giving a determined glare, Doll drops the scrap and teleports off of the car, accidentally using her Solver recklessly. Chastising herself under her breath, Doll just walks the short distance towards the crash site, prepared for whatever's in there.

Doll presses her palm against the door in order to open it, staring at it, blankly, as the door just slams on the ground, broken. Rolling her crimson optics, Doll continues into the building, the cubicles and office chairs strewn about confirming her suspicions that this was an actual office building.

Doll rounds a corner, gasping at the sudden sight she sees before her, bracing herself with the Solver.

A Disassembly Drone. Blonde hair, tipped with pink; diverse from the usual silver she's used to, a yellow bow shaped like cat ears tying her ponytail into place. Her jacket is nearly the same as V's, aside from a frill at the bottom of it aside from the usual fur. Huh. So it chooses fashion rather than actual clothes to help fight against the harsh climate. Strange.

It's laying atop a broken cubicle, the desk and walls caved in. Somehow, this one has actually managed to get the legs of a table stuck in her left arm and right foot, keeping her pinned down. She probably could get up, Doll supposes, but she looks weak. Pitiful, really.

...

No matter. A Murderer is a Murderer. It might be on the verge of death, anyway.

"Ughhnnn... Wh... What the hell are you lookin' at...?" The Disassembly Drone groans in weak irritation, yellow eyelights piercing into Doll's own crimson pair. In an instant, Doll rips the keys off of a nearby keyboard and edits them into little knives, sending them to surround the Disassembly Drone's head. One wrong move...

The injured Drone's optics hollow in fear, gritting her teeth in alarm as she spreads her fingers in order to soothe this surprisingly battle-ready Worker Drone. "Hey, waitwaitwait, don't! I'm not gonna hurt ya, I don't like getting oil on my clothes!" She shouts, suddenly finding her voice. She deflates as the Worker Drone before her scoffs in disbelief, not trusting a word she says.

"[Likely story. It must feel pathetic, no? About to die to a Worker Drone?]" Doll muses, glaring at the enemy, who simply sighs and flicks one of the spear key things away with ease. Doll narrows her eyes at the motion, but doesn't react out of her usual stoic demeanor and just kill her, despite wanting to do desperately. Why isn't she?

"It's not a friggin' lie, dork. Do you know how pissed I'd be if this got ruined? Ugh, just... My name's Lizzy. Originally L, but I don't want a literal letter as my name, so I changed it." Lizzy rants on, Doll just staring at her with little to no emotion. Lizzy seems like a chatterbox, Doll notes. She wouldn't blame her squad if they threw her into the building out of annoyance, but it seems to not be the case, as Lizzy drones on about how much she appreciates her teammates.

"[Stop. I don't care. State your purpose. Why are you here?]" Doll hisses, to which Lizzy blinks up at her. Doll raises her digi-brow in impatience, resting her hands on her hips. This Drone is really getting on her nerves and she hasn't even tried to kill her yet. Doll is really questioning herself on why she isn't.

"Does it look like I was here willingly?" Lizzy scoffs in sarcasm, dragging her finger in the dust, in a circular motion, becoming increasingly more bored as the seconds pass.

"[Not. The point.]" Doll grits out, right eye twitching as her hands clench. Lizzy rears her head back, incredulous at the surprisingly angry Worker, having never seen one as defiant as this one she's met just now. Huh. It's kinda hot, Lizzy can't deny that, even if she'd get skewered by J if she could read her thoughts.

"Okay, fine, settle! I'll tell you!" Lizzy barks, yelling at Doll as if that'll get her to calm down. Doll just glares and waits for Lizzy to continue.

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Lizzy jumps out of the ruined landing pod, stretching her limbs as she helps V out, snickering as V brushes off debris from her silver hair. N tumbles out of the pod with a yelp as J kicks him out, forcefully, the male Disassembly Drone landing right on his face. J steps on him as she walks towards the snowy clearing they've crash-landed in. "Hm. Nice going, N, you've crashed us literal miles from any shade around here. Alright, since daybreak is in... Four hours, we gotta get building the corpse spire. Nice plan, V. Now, get to it." J firmly instructs, bending down and dragging N up with her, thoroughly describing the plan to him, since she knows he'll screw it up if she isn't there to guide him.

Lizzy winces at the plan, not liking the idea of ruthless murder just to eliminate a race because the humans didn't like it. It's gross, messy, not abiding to her mental laws of mortality and just plain wrong. She doesn't wanna do the very thing she was built for, having only ever told V. V understood the situation and had suggested that she talk to J about it, who V said would allow her to hang back because J surely wouldn't kill her own squadmate, right? Maybe rough them up and chew them out, but not kill.

With an encouraging nod from V, Lizzy steps forward. "Yo, uh, J?" She calls out, J turning around to face Lizzy out of curiosity. She places her hands on her hips, giving her a slight hum of recognition. J doesn't like the hesitant expression on her face... "Soo, I've been thinking and, uhm, you mind if I hang back and not, y'know, murder Drones like crazy?" J's glare intensifies, N shaking his head and straightening his hand, brushing it back and forth in front of his neck in silent panic for Lizzy not to continue. "I-it's just, like, I really don't wanna--"

"So, you're deviating from your job." J bluntly states, her voice scarily stern and professional. Lizzy winces, V stepping forward to intercept, but just remains quiet as J firmly gives her The Hand™, stopping her. "L, you aren't here for a holiday visit. You're here to kill and honestly, you've disappointed me. Even N was willing to knock off a few heads, but you're rebelling. That is punishable by death and you know it." J firmly spits, claws at the ready. Lizzy squeaks and shoots off, J barking orders at N and V to find her. They oblige, following her.

V sends N off-course, lying to him that Lizzy went the opposite direction V knows she went. Once N leaves, V sighs and turns the corner, finding Lizzy hiding behind rubble. "Get outta here, idiot. She won't see you if you leave southbound." V instructs, shoving Lizzy off, but not before giving her a firm hug. Lizzy squeezes her best friend tight, before soaring off.

After a few hours, she finally finds a building to reside in for a bit. She enters, only to groan as sh watches the roof slowly cave, before falling. "You've gotta be kidding m--"

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"Aaand that's why I'm here. Happy?" Lizzy concludes with a hint of sorrow in her voice, staring at Doll, who's now sitting down in front of her, resting her head on her hand as she listens to every word and nods intently. Doll sighs, staring at the Drone before her, who has literally gotten herself on her leader's hitlist because she didn't wanna do her job and kill other Drones. Hmph. Tapping her fingers on the floor, Doll thinks about the situation.

On one hand, Doll could kill Lizzy and be done with all this drama. She'll die, anyway, since she's being hunted and she's a Disassembly Drone, so she'll want to kill people eventually. That, or Doll could show a tiny bit of mercy and leave her. It'll be up to fate whether or not she gets to live, not any of Doll's problems at all. But... That hesitation comes back, right as she's about to simply teleport away for good. An idea wriggles its way into her mind, causing Doll to look at Lizzy curiously.

She could use her to get to V.

Going off of Lizzy's story, her and V are good friends. It'd be so easy; gain Lizzy's trust, hang out and whatever, and then, she'll get Lizzy to introduce her to V. From there, she'll kill them, both, with a swift ambush, nailing two Disassembly Drones down in the grave in one hit.

That settles it.

Sighing, Doll uses her Solver to lift the rubble and table legs off and out of her. "[Tragic, truly. Fine. Stick with me for a while.]"

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Four months. It has been four entire months. Doll has grown an attachment to Lizzy, to a literal Disassembly Drone. The thought used to sicken her when she first thought about it, but recently, Doll has grown quite accustomed to her. Lizzy's been nothing but a sassy, friendly girl to the others within the colony. She's racked up quite a popular reputation amongst the others, especially Rebecca and Thad, who might just be in it for the novelty. Lizzy doesn't seem to mind either way.

But Doll has, just like Lizzy, deviated from her plan. She doesn't want to kill Lizzy. V's head is still on the menu, but she can put it off for a while. Doll just wants to keep Lizzy around, which Lizzy seems completely happy with doing. Doll's glad for her presence, Lizzy's her first actual best friend. Sure, Doll has friends, but never a BEST friend. No-one has ever lived up to Doll's standards aside from Lizzy.

Doll blushes as Lizzy wraps her tail around Doll's waist, pulling her close as she scrolls through the phone Doll had obtained for her through undisclosed means. Lizzy snickers as she feels Doll struggle out of her tail's grip, mindful of the nanite canister. "Chill, girl, I don't plan on letting you go nowhere." She teases, taking note of Doll's blush. It's no secret, to Lizzy, that Doll has a massive crush on her. It's adorable, it's funny, it's hot and most of all, it's mutual. What better time, than now, to show it?

Doll mumbles incoherently, rolling her crimson optics, Lizzy placing her phone beside her on the bed and gently runs her hand along Doll's face, before turning Doll's head to face her. Lizzy smirks at the Russian girl's baffled expression, blushing at the utterly adorable sight. "Girly, I can literally tell you have a totally crippling crush on me. It's obvious, dude."

And just like that, Doll's mind nearly caves in on itself.

"[H-Hey, wait, It's not like that! I d-don't have a crush on anyo--- MMPHH!?!]" Doll's frantic defences are muffled by Lizzy's lips, the Disassembly Drone furrowing her digi-brows as she grasps Doll's cheeks, pulling her in closer. She nips Doll's lower lip and licks up the tiny bead of oil, before pulling away with a cocky smirk.

"You were saying?" She teasingly asks, running her index finger along Doll's chest, just above her Core. Lizzy's tail flicks with anticipation, mentally screaming at herself for being so bold with Doll. Meanwhile, Doll's scarlet optics display spinning spirals, her blush nearly overheating her entire body.

"[Uh.]" Is all Doll can manage.

Lizzy lightly cackles, before hugging her new girlfriend to herself, tail winding around Doll's waist affectionately. Doll regains herself and leans her head towards Lizzy's, Lizzy following suit with a smug smirk, yet again. Doll frowns softly, but can't stop smiling, despite her efforts. "[Wipe that smile off your face, Liz.]" Doll demands, flicking her forehead.

Lizzy grins maniacally, left hand switching to her claws, running them down Doll's cheek, the Russian girl remaining still and calm, completely undeterred. "Make me."

With a swift tug on Lizzy's coat collar, Doll does exactly that.

Chapter Text

N happily wags his tail as he places the board game in front of the circled group, each member having been dragged here by N because 'family bonding time is important!' It's sweet and all that N thinks of them as family, but really, this is completely out of the blue.

"Sooo, I bet you're all wondering why I brought you here," N begins, setting up the board game, laying the dice next to the spread. Thad, Uzi, V, Lizzy and Doll just remain silent, not giving N a word. "Well, you're in luck! I found this game thingy in the Bunker yesterday! It sounds cool, so I thought you'd like it, Uzi!" N exclaims, pointing at his girlfriend with hopeful excitement. Uzi blushes, shrugging dismissively as she looks away from her puppy-like boyfriend.

"It's whatever." She mumbles, but keeps glancing at the badass artwork of a dragon on the cover.

N giggles, before reading from the small piece of paper that comes with the box. "Okay, listen up! I'm the Game Master, this is the, uh... Intro!" N begins, Lizzy rolling her eyes as she flops into Doll's lap. V takes to poking Thad in the head, who just lets it happen, knowing that, if he tried stopping her, he wouldn't have an arm anymore. Uzi and Doll are the only ones looking at N, who continues to read from the piece of paper. "A fantasy... Uh... Worrrldd...?? It's a fantasy world and we're going on an adventure, guys!" N quickly throws the paper away, V snickering at N's inability to read the tiny lettering.

N dumps out all the dice from the box, gaping as he sees all the dice that tumble out, not expecting that many. Lizzy glares at N as one accidentally hits her in the head mid-bounce. N trembles. "Wh-why're there so many!? Uh... You!" N points at the biggest, roundest dice there and picks it up. "We're gonna use this one!" N exclaims, before holding it in his hand for safekeeping. "Alright, everyone, pick your character!"

Each Drone reads the sheet in front of them, which lists the characters available. Uzi rapidly declares that she's gonna be a wizard, Doll going with rogue, V choosing fighter, Thad still reading the paper, and Lizzy choosing the druid. N nods, happy with everyone's choices.

"Uh... I think it says we get to do whatever we want, so... We all live in a nice cottage together and... There's a man at the door!" N begins, setting the scene for everyone there. Uzi reads over the sheet, before shrugging nonchalantly and deciding what she's gonna do about it.

"I light him on fire!" Uzi cackles, rolling the dice. She doesn't even know what it does, other than 'effectiveness of the action' or whatever. It lands on twenty, and the cabin is officially on fire. N gapes at Uzi, before grasping his hair in his hands in panic.

"Uzi!" He exclaims in horror. Uzi just cackles evilly, V wheezing at N's frantic stammering. Thad awkwardly moves away from Uzi, uncomfortable with her arsonistic tendencies. Meanwhile, Lizzy picks spare lint off of Doll's cheerleader uniform, cooing to her gently with a blush on both of their faces.

N groans, before pointing to V, smiling shakily as he can already feel the game coming apart with his patience. "V, your turn! What're you gonna do here?" He asks, wringing his tail in his hands. V just shrugs, eating the dice. N sputters, trying and failing to knock them out of her hands. "V! Don't eat those, you'll get sick!"

V just growls at him, tail lashing. Lizzy huffs, picking up the dice and chucking it, carelessly, on the board. "I stick with Doll and kiss her, because she's the only one here that doesn't suck." A perfect 20. Weird that two in a row happened; that's rare. Doll chuckles and blushes, Uzi gagging as Thad continues to read the sheet. He picks his head up and grins, finally making a decision.

"I--"

"Okay then, a little romance is fine! It'd be great if we could put out the fire, though, haha! We don't have a house!" N joyfully reminds, but it's clear to everyone in the room that he's stressing because nothing is going like he planned for it to go. Doll, sensing that it's her turn, rolls the dice, Lizzy still in her lap and happily hugging her girlfriend, nearly obstructing her view.

"[I leave.]" Doll simply states, which causes N to throw his arms out in exasperation. Doll shrugs and stares at N blankly, only raising a singular digi-brow at him.

"You can't just do that! That's not how this goes!" N argues, his voice quivering with stress and desperation to save the night, wanting this to just go normally for once. N frowns at V, who is still eating the dice, halfway through her third one. Uzi snickers and rolls the dice, the only one N isn't certain about letting continue on.

"I set the VILLAGE on fire! Take that, peasants!" Uzi sadistically shouts, rolling a 15. N's optics hollow as he tries to wrap his head around what Uzi just did, before frantically shaking his head, Uzi smugly staring at her bewildered boyfriend.

"Uzi!" N chastises, but is unable to even do anything about it, as he's just the narrator here. Maybe there's something he hasn't read up on yet, but that's not the point. It's too late to save, now, unless someone actually gets their head on straight and stop messing around! Thad, watching the chaos with concern, looks at his sheet.

"I grab a bucket of water and--"

The dice clatters against the board as Lizzy rolls it, shrugging dismissively as she blushes in preparation for her next move in the game. "I leave with Doll for a totally epic kiss sesh." She giggles, Doll looking at Lizzy with a dark, flirtatious expression, caressing her cheek.

"[You trying to tell me something, Liz?]" She smokily asks, interest and temptation dancing in her crimson optics. Lizzy leans up to reach Doll's face, lips brushing against her girlfriend's sneakily.

"I dunno, am I~?" The cheerleader whispers, before kissing Doll intensely, the Russian girl repositioning Lizzy so the blonde-haired Drone is straddling her s little, Doll's back pressed up against the wall. N winces softly at the sight, covering his eyes from the view.

"Guys, c'mon! C-can't we just *sniffle* please play the game properly?" N whimpers, digital tears beading at the corners of his golden-yellow optics. V wheezes at the sight, humoured, dice fragments spat out with the noise as she watches N have a breakdown. N begins wailing as Uzi keeps setting things on fire. It's a disaster.

Thad is barely even there to them, V is laughing hysterically, Uzi is lost in power-hungry mania, Lizzy and Doll making out in the corner and N bawling in grief and frustration of his failed attempt at a game night. He is never doing this again. Ever. He's learned his lesson.

Chapter Text

Lizzy's called for another party for the entire colony to indulge in, to go wild with and have fun, Lizzy making sure she's got all the good stuff ready. She's got a mega huge stereo thingy to blast whatever music's on her playlist, the entire gym room for the party's space, and the best part of it all; Alcohol. Or, well, the Drone-Friendly version of it, which would be pure gasoline, heightened ethanol dosage. Lizzy got it from Doll's parents' secret cupboard full of the stuff, promising to replace it later on.

Doll, knowing that this would be the worst idea of the entire decade, has decided to join the party and supervise Lizzy because she knows how much of a lightweight she is when it comes to alcohol, despite Lizzy saying she's not. Plus, sipping on her own bottle of gasoline would help her take the stressful edge off.

"This is gonna be epic." Lizzy excitedly claims, ignoring Doll's mutter of disagreement, shoving open the gymnasium doors, to which every Drone present cheers at the sight of the popular girl who arranged this whole thing. Lizzy winks and waves at everyone, moving through the crowd to where Rebecca's hanging out with Thad, both Drones looking a little buzzed this early.

"Pfft, you both look like garbage." Lizzy points out, gesturing towards their dazed faces in amusement. Rebecca scoffs and rolls her cerulean optics, shoving a bottle into Lizzy and Doll's hands, nearly stumbling as she does so.

"And? We're here to get trashed, Liz. That's the point." Rebecca slurs, grinning as she watches Lizzy shrug and throw the entire bottle back. Doll winces in alarm, but Lizzy's hand whacks her own back down when Doll tries to stop her. Lizzy sighs as she pulls away from the bottle, which is now half empty.

"D-Damn... This stuff's good. Well, I think it's about time to really crank things up." Lizzy mischievously snickers, Doll facepalming when she grabs two more bottles. Doll sips from her own, before walking away from her girlfriend, who's about to challenge both Rebecca and Thad to a drink-off. She's not gonna want to be there for that.

Doll makes her way over to the only other tolerable Drone in the room, Uzi and, surprisingly, N. Yet, Doll's hopes are washed down the drain as she sees that her friends are both way beyond smashed. Uzi's currently trying to climb the basketball hoop, N encouraging Uzi loudly, a yellow blush visible on his visor --- An indicator of his intoxication. He's not even facing Uzi. "Yeaaaahhh, Uzi! You climb that thing! I dunno whuhdz goin' on or why I can't seeyooo, but yeah! Go, Uuuuziiiii!" Pitiful.

Doll turns on her heel, guzzling another gulp down.

Sighing, having dealt with watching over drunk masses of Drones who're getting themselves into all sorts of deadly and idiot stuff, Doll meanders her way back over to Lizzy, stumbling a little as she's kinda buzzed from the hardcore gasoline, and ohhhh, boy....

"Laaaast Friday night! We were skipping 'n the paarrk, somethin', uh... D-Dark! Then we had a, uh... Laaaast Friday niiight!" Lizzy's currently standing atop the table, dancing as she sings with the grace of a gutted hyena. Doll nearly just leaves then and there, but teleporting in her state isn't safe, even if it's just a buzz. The Russian girl simply rolls her eyes and approaches Lizzy, who jumps into Doll's arms, sending them both clattering to the ground. "Dollyyyy!"

This is gonna be a long night.

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"Ughhhhhh...... Why in the hell did you let me drink that much....?" Lizzy whines, feeling like absolute trash as she's buried under the covers and remaining stock still so she doesn't vomit. Again. Doll, sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly rubs her girlfriend's back through the sheets, speaking as softly as she can.

"[You had that bottle in a death grip. I tried.]" Doll offers, Lizzy just giving another groan, too tired and in pain to give an actual response to her girlfriend. Doll sighs and turns the Aircon on to air out the room, before slowly sliding under the covers as to not jolt Lizzy and irritate her or her headache. Doll wraps her arms around Lizzy from behind, purring softly, since she knows that vibrations help Lizzy out, oddly enough.

Lizzy hums softly, appreciation the effort, but not willing to move an inch in order to show it. Doll doesn't mind. She simply keeps watch over Lizzy, allowing her to rest, Doll not following her into Sleep Mode as she wants to soothe her the best she can.

She knows that Lizzy's likely gonna throw another party like this again, but next time, Doll's swapping any potential alcohol out with pure coolant so they don't have a repeat of this. It's for the best.

Chapter Text

Halloween. A time where many Drones either ignore or indulge, and Doll and Lizzy both have different opinions of the holiday. Lizzy has held a keen interest over the holidays, since she can whatever goods Drones have to offer for FREE, and adding to the whole scaring part, it's an awesome idea.

Doll, however, is not entirely big on the idea, having little to no interest in something she can just do normally. Plus, it's not even just Halloween. Christmas, new years, everything--- It's not that important to her. If she wanted to take snacks from people, she would. And she has! Yet, Lizzy is insistent and that's something Doll knows that she can't exactly escape from, so... Ugh.

So, that's why they're both in Lizzy's room, Lizzy chucking a (glittery) white bedsheet over Doll's head, two holes cut for her eyes. Somehow, Doll actually manages to make it look creepy; her two, crimson optics glowing amidst the shadows of the holes. Lizzy grins. "Perfect. Now, I just gotta get mine and we're all set!"

Doll tilts her head a little, not able to remember Lizzy even having a Halloween costume, since she threw her last one out because it was taking up space in her wardrobe. "[Where's your---]"

With a smug smirk, Lizzy's tail and wings slowly slither out of the back of her chassis, the feathers flaring with pride. Doll's visor displays a light blush, before she rapidly shakes her head. "[No, absolutely not! That's far too risky!]" Doll denies, paranoid that the colony would detest or get rid of them both for being what they are, right out in the open. She heard a WDF member going on about it.

"Ugh, chill, hun. Do you really think the idiots around here would even care, or try banishing us or whatever? Besides, thanks to Uzi's little breakdown at camp (thanks for totally not coming even though you said you would), basically everyone knows and she's still here." Lizzy rants, countering every point she predicts Doll to make after that, putting an end to the discussion. Doll scoffs, before just sighing and heading out the door.

"[If you get us banished, you're hunting for your own share.]"

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"That's so cool!"
"They're fluffy! Emily, feel them!"
"Woah, feathers are new!"
"I wish I had wings!"

The exclamations of envy causes Lizzy to give an absolutely smug grin at her girlfriend, who just glares at her from behind the glittery sheet.

Lizzy happily allows the crowd to do whatever they want, Lizzy picking the best snacks from their bags of goods they got from their hard work of getting ignored or failing to get anything all that good. No-one seems to care, all too preoccupied with Lizzy's feathers. "I know, right? I'm totally bringing out these out more often!" Lizzy snickers.

Doll just sighs softly, Lizzy now completely full of herself, ego raised to the roof. She should've known this would happen. Yet, as Lizzy keeps soaking up the attention and occasionally flicking some goods into Doll's bag, Doll can't help but smile a little, from behind the sheet.

If Lizzy's happy, she's happy.

Chapter Text

"What are you even talking about?! You kiss like a hyperactive dog with the amount of times you freakin' bite me!"

"[Mmh, I doubt you could feel it through your own. It's like your trying to shove me back rather than actually kiss me. Fight yourself before being a hypocrite.]"

These two have been arguing for around, like, thirty minutes. Doll has been rather calm when she rebuts with a harsh jab, and Lizzy has been furious and defensive, always quick to throw shade at Doll in retaliation. It's such an unexpected thing for them to argue about, too, no-one would expect it, but both Drones are defensive over themselves, so an argument about who's the better pencil holder would be easy to spark.

Doll looks irritatingly calm, Lizzy not appreciating just how confident and blunt her responses are. That little nark, thinking she's gonna win the argument because she's just sooo cool and collected, well, she's got another thing coming! Lizzy grits her teeth, before huffing and flicking Doll on the forehead. "Since you're so good at everything, Doll, how 'bout you give me a demonstration of how it's done." Lizzy suggests, not thinking Doll'd actually take up the request, as it's merely a tease.

However, Doll shrugs nonchalantly and grabs Lizzy's forearms, before slamming her lips against Lizzy's, startling the cheerleader. The blonde girl simply sits there for a second, feeling Doll's teeth sink into her lip, tongue licking up oil as it drips down her chin. Lizzy then glares and presses back into the kiss, pushing Doll's head back with force.

Doll raises her digi-brow in amusement, Lizzy realising she just proved her point. Hypocritical of Doll, since she's biting her lip like she's about to cannibalise her. Lizzy just rolls her eyelights, before snaking her tongue into Doll's mouth, the Russian Drone allowing it and expecting it, really.

Lizzy recoils at the taste of her own oil on Doll's tongue, the flavour really intense, but simply keeps going, glaring at Doll with the same dark glare she's giving her. It's not much of an affectionate thing than it is a point to prove, but with the way these two are kissing so intensely, one would think otherwise.

Finally, both Drones break away, unable to properly breathe until they do so. Lizzy winces at the amount of oil dripping down Doll's chin, knowing her lip either looks like a chew toy, or Doll healed it. Lizzy thinks the latter, since she can't feel any dents or anything in the soft silicone. "So, hah, you... Y-you ready to admit that I'm, like, hah, totally better?" Lizzy asks, panting softly, Doll frowning in denial.

"[No. Your ego needs some serious work.]" Doll retaliates, much less afflicted with exhaustion than Lizzy is. Lizzy just grins darkly, hands clenched at her sides.

"Bring it, then."

Chapter Text

Where...

Where was she...?

Her head hurts, and so does her... Her...? What? She feels different... Groaning, Doll sharply recoils at the sound of her own voice, which emits from, not her voice box, but something else entirely that she can't put her finger on.

What is going on? What happened?

Doll tries to get up, only to fall to the ground, experiencing way more legs than she was used to having. Panicking, Doll shakes her head and gazes down at herself, breath hitching at what she sees. It's odd, terrifying, strange, unusual, and even slightly painful.

Doll is not herself.

Body elongated with a black torso lined with tiny, yellow, glowing pinpricks, centipede-like legs lining underneath each dot, made of hardened oil and other eldritch substances Doll would rather not get into, she is a monster. Her lower half consists of a frilled tail, the spiky constructs shuddering in disturbance of itself, the texture relatively slimy. Doll's upper half is the same as her torso, yet, the legs shorten into rib-like spines lining the sides of her long (really friggin' long) neck. Two, large hands, that look more animalistic and savage than a regular Worker Drone's hand, sprout near where her shoulder blades would be if it wasn't a jumbled up mess, arms lined with small spines. Underneath that are long mantis-y arms, fit for balance and stabbing.

Cameras sprout out of her back, the red light illuminating the room and assisting the Russian beast into seeing a little better. She aims a camera towards her face, almost not even wanting to.

Doll's head is relatively the same, albeit larger and missing a lower jaw, the upper rimmed with spears for teeth; sharp and deadly. Doll's visor is completely blank, unable to project anything despite her desperate attempts to do so. Thankfully, her hair is exactly the same. As if that's even something to celebrate...

Doll shivers, raising her body up to stand properly, gazing down at the ground, which is so much farther away from her. Doll's closer to the roof than she is the ground. What the hell even happened??

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"[I should've ended you the SECOND I had the chance back at prom!]" Doll shouts, clanging with V, who's trying to defend herself with her blades as Doll rapidly slams her cleaver against them. V grits her teeth, one eye closed as she swings Doll back against the wall, Lizzy spectating with horror, unable to do anything to help other than shout at them to stop.

"Calm the hell down! It's just a finger, I didn't mean to bite her that hard!" V counteracts, wiping oil from her mouth. Whether it's Lizzy's or her own, V doesn't know anymore.

Doll tsks, charging up another attack to launch at V, who's quickly becoming increasingly more impatient and pissed off. "[It doesn't matter what you meant. You still bit it off, like a careless idiot. She can't get that back!]" Doll shouts, but is more pissed at the fact that Lizzy was hurt at all rather than the actual finger itself.

Before Doll can strike V down, V quickly jumps behind Doll and lops her head clean off her shoulders, just wanting Doll to stop and think rationally for a second.

"V!? WHAT THE HELL!?"

"... Whoops."

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Ah. That's right.

V killed her.

That doesn't explain why she's like this, though. Probably something Cyn did to her like she did to J, Doll wouldn't put it past her.

Sighing, Doll winces softly at the thought of her girlfriend. Lizzy's probably mortified about her death, or cooped up in her room, depressed. As much as Doll wants to go visit Lizzy, though, she won't. Not while she's like this; so unstable, so hungry, so terrifying and dangerous. She can't risk hurting Lizzy at all. So, she's not going to. Maybe there's somewhere else she can---

"Woah."

She can't get a goddamn break if she begged for one.

Doll instantly whips her gaze (and, by default, her body) towards Lizzy, who's standing there and staring at Doll with horror and disbelief, mixed with hope as she registers the head of the beast. The cheerleader tilts her head, reaching out towards her hesitantly. "Doll...?"

Doll instantly flees, not willing to interact with Lizzy for fear she might do something wrong and hurt her, kill her for oil simply because her hunger's heightened. Ignoring Lizzy's defiant shout, Doll crawls away from her and into the upper rafters of the Bunker.

That's how it went for months. Lizzy had been so excited to finally see Doll back again, albeit terrifying, but everytime she tried to call out to her and find her, knowing all the hiding spots Doll may gravitate towards, Doll scampers off. Lizzy has been patient with her, but this ends now. With all the grief and drama she felt when she saw Doll's head fall to the floor, Lizzy feels entitled to see her girlfriend.

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Curled up into a ball, mantis legs covering her face, head resting on her hands, Doll sleeps in her original spot she hasn't been in since Lizzy found her there first. Doll's breaths are heavy and creaky, but undetectable to any Drone who might listen in carefully. Yet, as perceptive as Doll is, she doesn't even realise how close Lizzy is to her. She's crouched before her large head, hand gently touching her blackened visor.

"Doll. Get up, hun." Lizzy firmly instructs, stubborn as ever as she watches Doll's cameras rise and blink at Lizzy. Tired, Doll stretches, each leg slowly shooting out, before standing to her feet, to exhausted to run this time. Doll's mantis legs firmly plant on either side of Lizzy, Doll slithering her long neck in order to reach her head down towards Lizzy. "Have fun running off and not talking to me for months?" Lizzy asks, salty as she glares.

Doll's internals growl unintentionally, servos clicking and organic growths releasing a shaky hiss. Doll rears her head back to distance herself from Lizzy, before whining softly. "[I'm dangerous. Hungry. You'd be scared.]" Doll replies, voice gravelly and poorly put together due to the lack of use and hatred for how it sounds.

Lizzy glowers at Doll's reply, rolling her pink optics as she reaches up to tap Doll's visor harshly, Doll recoiling in confusion. "But you're here and that's what matters. Look, you don't know how upset I was when I saw you literally drop dead in front of me, dude, and I think it's pretty obvious that I don't care what you look like. At all. You could be anything and I'd still love you. Maybe you should learn to actually get that." Lizzy quips, gesturing towards Doll sassily. Doll warbles gingerly, raising her mantis leg to nudge Lizzy.

"[I could hurt--]"

"Shut it; let me drill it in your thick head, then! I. Don't. CARE. Ain't nothin' gonna hurt me more than losing you, idiot!" Lizzy harshly barks, gripping Doll's cheeks and kissing her forehead sweetly as reassurance of her claim.

Doll falters, before shivering and laying down, curling her large body around Lizzy, cameras directed towards her, each one blinking slowly. "[... Sorry.]" She murmurs. Lizzy just sighs and whispers words of reassurance, petting Doll's head to comfort her.

Getting used to doll, in this form, will be a challenge for them both, but Lizzy's ready to take it, screw the consequences.

Chapter Text

Three weeks. Three weeks of pure bliss and healing, so much so that Doll is kind of suspicious of the reality of the situation. There's no way life is this kind to her, but... It has been. Doll has hope that it'll all go well from now.

Doll yawns and stretches, lumbering out of bed as she enters the clean kitchen, where her mother is humming happily, zipping up Doll's bag after placing a container inside. Yeva gasps as she sees her daughter, who trudges over towards her mother and hugs her tightly, just like every morning. "[Morning, Mama...]" She whispers, Yeva running her hand through Doll's hair.

"[Good morning, little one. Did you sleep well?]" She asks, placing Doll's bag on her shoulders. Doll fixes up the strap, nodding as she walks out the door, her mother seeing her off as she stands in the doorway.

"[Yes. It's a nice change.]" Doll mentions, smiling at Yeva. Yeva grins, waving Doll off as she shouts down the hall about how much she loves her and is gonna miss her while she's at school. Embarassed, Doll speed-walks around the corner to the school section of the Bunker. She sighs and calms down, placing her books from her locker into her bag, only for her blush to reappear as she feels arms wrap around her from behind.

Lizzy.

The sassy cheerleader instantly spins Doll around to face her, Doll latching onto Lizzy's shoulders for stability. She deadpans at Lizzy, who giggles and greets her with a small kiss. "Hey, girly! How ya been?" Lizzy asks, walking with Doll to their classroom together. Doll smiles with pride, raising her head high as she sits down beside Lizzy.

"[Good. Really good. Me and Mama made wires and bolts last night, her style!]" Doll informs, Lizzy gaping in jealousy, before proudly nudging her girlfriend in the shoulder.

"You better give me some." She playfully orders, to which Doll pokes her tongue out at Lizzy.

The bell rings and everyone splits off to head to their first lesson, Doll taking history while Lizzy's stuck with Research Project. Doll perks up as she watches Emily bashfully apologise to everyone for both being late and existing in general, before excitedly sitting beside Doll and immediately shows off her finished crocheted cat plush, barely the size of her hand.

"Look, I finished it last night! I-It was a work in progress, granted, b-but I took some tutorials and now look at it!" Emily beams with pride, a completely different person around Doll, who's actually managed to successfully become official friends with her rather than just an acquaintance. Her previously menacing self had taken a drop, now much more approachable and friendly towards people.

Emily had been excited to see Doll's progress, attached to her as soon as she knew that Doll was less Doll-ish than she had been before. Lizzy described it as her 'old self', who Emily wasn't there to know, but she nodded in agreement anyway. Doll's a much better person now, and Emily's happy to have her as a friend.

Doll picks up the soft art piece, examining it and gently pressing at the ears. "[You've gotten better at the ears.]" Doll compliments, Emily squealing in joy as she drinks in the positive reaction with enthusiasm.

"T-That's exactly what I was trying to work on!" Emily excitedly exclaims, Doll chuckling at her friend's energy.

Two hours later, the lunch bell rings and Emily follows Doll out to head to their usual spot, Lizzy already sitting on the bench and scrolling through her phone. She brightens up when she sees the other two, patting the spot beside her. "Hey, girlies, c'mere!" Lizzy beckons, Emily shyly shuffling over, Doll sitting next to Lizzy.

As Lizzy holds Doll's hand, she turns to her left to chat with Emily, who Lizzy's taken a genuine liking to. She's not rude or a brat, just a soft-spoken ball of anxiety and kindness. Lizzy likes the change of pace, toning down her sass so Emily can feel comfortable. She's not bullied anymore, either; Lizzy and Doll made sure of that a while ago.

Doll, with her free hand, opens up her lunchbox to reveal her absolute favourite--- A neatly presented container of microchips and two entire motherboards drizzled in a small helping of WD-40. Both Lizzy and Emily jealousy compliment the hell out of the meal, Doll just grinning at it; it's the exact meal her mother used to make for her. She missed this. Slapping Lizzy's hand away from the food, Doll scarfs it down with an unflattering amount of greed, Emily giggling at the humourous antics.

Last lesson, after lunch, all three Drones are relieved to see that they're all together for the last lesson; English. Entering the classroom, which was on the other side of the school, much to Lizzy's dismay, the trio sit on the rounded couch as per usual, Lizzy beginning to drone on about how much work she did, Doll sparking up a playful argument.

"[Did you manage to type twenty words instead of fifteen, Liz?]"

"No?? I did an entire page! Don't question me!"

"[Nice. I finished up my assignments in the first lesson, soooo...]"

"No-one asked you to show off, moron!"

"[I'm simply stating a mere fact.]"

"You're gloating!"

"[You're mistaken.]"

"Ugh, whatevs, showoff. Hey, Em, you get anything done?" Lizzy turns the focus from the back-and-forth to Emily, who's been snickering softly at the hilarious antics of the duo that pretty much happen daily. Emily pulls out her book and shows off her sketches, Doll and Lizzy listening intently.

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At the end of the day, Emily, Lizzy and Doll all walk along the corridor, exiting the school section and standing in the forked section of the hallway, where their seperate apartments are located. They see each other off, Lizzy ruffling Emily's hair and giving Doll a kiss on the cheek, before they all split, Lizzy and Emily continuing to walk together as Doll's apartment is closest.

The Russian girl enters the code and shuts the door behind herself, dumping her bag on the floor beside it. Doll glances around the house, unable to resist her gleeful grin as she sees no bodies, no oil, just a clean and tidy house. Her mother walks towards her from the couch, hugging her gently.

"[I see you've made a new friend, Doll. I am proud of you, I really am. You're so much better now, love, and I'm so glad.]" Yeva softly whispers, Doll burying her face into her mother's chest, returning the hug and reinforcing it with heartfelt emotion that Doll is choking up with.

As bedtime rolls around, Yeva tucks Doll in, just like she used to, before leaving her with a gentle '[Good night.]' to part with.

Lying in bed with the comforting hum of the Bunker's inner workings, Doll sighs. She's lucky. Her life has miraculously reconstructed itself, she's doing what she never thought possible and is healing. In all honesty, kept secret from everyone else, Doll was not planning on staying here long if the heartwrenchingly agonising loneliness has persisted. But it didn't. Doll cannot stress enough how glad she is to still be here, comfortable with her life, which is slowly changing for the betterm

Chapter Text

"Lizzy, dear, come downstairs, please!"

The kind voice of Lizzy's mistress, a rather young, wealthy lady named Josie Harding, rings out from downstairs, instantly alerting Lizzy. Lizzy, an assistant for her mistress (or, as Josie likes to call her, her 'friend', quite possibly even daughter), who has a condition that requires her constant assistance to help with her fainting spells, rushes downstairs out of both a distant worry and excitement.

She happily walks up to her human, smoothing out the red and gold skirt she received for her birthday so she looks presentable. Josie smiles at her friend, petting her on her blonde-haired head with affection. "I'm feeling a little... off, today. Nothing major. So, I'm going to need you to take a few pictures of the local pond by the main street. I need a reference, you understand. Can you do that for me, Lizzy?" Josie asks kindly, taking Lizzy's hands in her own with a tight grip.

Lizzy grins and nods at the surprisingly strong woman, grabbing the professional camera from her artistic friend and places it in its holder, wrapping her strap around her shoulder. Lizzy takes the set of spare keys from the counter and winks at Josie, who giggles at Lizzy's antics. "Yup, sure! Still working on that mural, huh? Where's Mark?" Lizzy inquires, gesturing towards Josie's hands, which are covered with hardened paint.

The woman nods, looking at the protected canvas in her art room, a prideful grin stretched on her face. "Ah, yes. It's going to sell for quite a lot, Lizzy. That's the pros of being a best-selling artist, I suppose!" She exclaims, Lizzy nodding in agreement. "And Mark's gone to get my paintbrushes from down south."

It was the truth, too. Josie's worked hard for the money she's earned, painting large murals and commissions for rich people until she, herself, was among the rich as their equal. She does it out of leisure, mostly, as she's basically set for life and is eternally grateful for all of Mark and Lizzy's help. Josie knew that getting Lizzy was a good idea, especially since their adaptive AI and sentience was remarkable to her. Lizzy was like her best friend, her family member, even.

Same goes for Mark, who is Josie's devoted husband and the one who suggested the idea of buying Lizzy. He's always up for playing and hanging out with Lizzy, as well as teaching her new things about the world and everything else she didn't already know automatically. Both humans care a lot for their mechanical teen.

Lizzy feels the exact same.

"True. And hey, you, Mark and me should totally go on a little shopping spree when your medicine arrives. How's that sound, bestie?" Lizzy offers, her mischievous grin matching Josie's. Josie cackles, throwing her head back and nodding, opening the front door for Lizzy. The Drone steps outside, snickering as she adjusts the camera bag.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. I'll be sure to keep that in mind!" Josie promises, waving as Lizzy meanders her way down the street to fulfil Josie's request.

The sun beating down on her reinforced chassis feels rather nice at a time like this--- A serendipitous summer, as Josie would call it. Oooh, that's a good title for her painting, she'd love it! Lizzy's gonna hold onto that one. Humming a soft, ubeat melody, Lizzy continues to the pond.

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Humans are so irritating. They're greedy, prideful and stuck-up creatures that D hates obeying with everything she has. Which is herself, as D has nothing in her possession other than the privilege of living under the same roof as a human and not on the street. Honestly, D would much rather play by her own rules than live with the humans she does, but she can't exactly do anything or run off, as her Masters have her location at all times.

They're both so strict, too. They don't let her know their names because they think the 'lower class' should only register them both as Master. Neither one of them allows D to speak Russian, which is the default language she was unintentionally set up with. It's, apparently, an 'uncouth and messy' language that doesn't adhere to their aesthetic. That being said, D has to learn English straight from the beginning, having achieved a lot of it, but not enough to keep up a full string of sentences before reverting back to Russian on accident.

It's annoying, but the humans have never hit her, so there's that, she supposes. They wouldn't like to try it, D is not as friendly a Drone as she tries to be.

They suck, to put it bluntly. She hasn't been given a proper name, due to the fact that she is property and a mere assistant to her Masters, of which she assists them with tasks such as going out and receiving deliveries, consisting of expensive and exotic jewelry. D has no idea why the two humans that she lives with are obsessed with jewelry much more than they are with each other, despite being married. D chalks it up to typical human greed.

As she waits in front of the jewelry shop for the owner to bring out the specialised package, D gazes across from her at the large pond that she likes. It's the only good part around here. D likes watching the ducks; she likes their feathers.

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Lizzy rounds the corner of the main street to the pond, grinning as no-one's there, not like humans appreciate nature all that much. At least, not in this snobby town. About to pull the camera out, Lizzy then pauses as she spots... Another Drone!? That's rare as hell, since the rich are mainly the only ones even able to afford them! Lizzy literally doesn't have any other Drone friends, only able to speak with very few on video call from Josie's friends who own some.

But that fashion sense needs some serious work. No hair, a black hoodie, and those boots are just eugh! Why did she stick with default?! Is she new? Did her humans only just get them in? Lizzy's gotta say, though, those red eyes are cool. She's never heard of a Drone with them.

"Hey! You!" Lizzy calls out to the Drone, who immediately snaps out of her daydream and glares towards the direction of the voice, before tilting her head at the strange, dressed up Drone who's quickly running over to her. Defensive, D steps back with a frown.

That's odd. Why's this one looking so aggressive for? Saving those questions for later, Lizzy just gives the Drone a polite smile. "I'm Lizzy! I don't really see any other Drones out here, or at all! Gotta say, though, is that outfit a stylistic choice orrr...?"

The blonde Drone hammers D with an enthusiastic, excited greeting, the red-eyed girl unsure of how to interact kindly, unlike her usual curt and passive-aggressive self when it comes to humans. "[Hello, uh, I'm... Oh, wait.] I am Serial Designation D, work for humans. I like your... [name?] naaame." D struggles, switch between Russian and English, the choppy sentence causing Lizzy to giggle.

"Wwwow. That a quirk or somethin'? That's boss. But, like, you're totally struggling and whatever with English, so just stick with Russian. And what's with the name? Your humans choose it?" Lizzy asks, tapping D on the chest lightly. D shrugs, blankly staring at Lizzy with those crimson optics of hers. She's confused as to why Lizzy's not irritated by her usage of Russian; the humans had never liked it. She supposes Drones are just better by default.

"[I was never given one.]" D admits, not seeing it as much of a surprise, due to basic human nature of 'not human= lesser'. "[Those meat sacks don't like Drones that have names.]" She scoffs, rolling her eyes at the classic sentence her Masters throw around. Meanwhile, Lizzy gapes in horror, now fully understanding that D has those types of humans as owners.

"Are you for real?? Ugh, that freaking sucks! I hate those types of richies. Also, 'meat sacks'?" Lizzy repeats, chuckling a little at the seemingly derogatory name D conjured up for humans.

"[Yeah. They're nothing more than sacks of meat, if I'm just a sack of bolts.]" Doll replies with a nonchalant shrug, Lizzy cackling at the answer with amusement, claiming that it's fair. D smiles at the positive reaction. D and Lizzy both jolt as the door to the shop opens, the shop owner kindly handing D the package before heading back inside. "[Ah, I gotta go give this package to them. It was nice talking to you, Lizzy.]"

Lizzy, ignoring the way her Core pulses at the way D says her name, deflates in disappointment, before coming up with an idea. "Say, you wanna meet up again sometime soon?" She asks, tilting her head at D. D pauses, staring at Lizzy for a bit, before slowly nodding.

"[... Yes, of course. In the afternoons, on weekdays only, I'm here to receive packages, so we can continue to meet up.]"

And that's what kickstarted the multiple meet ups.

Lizzy had excitedly told Josie and Mark about her new friend and her sucky situation, her humans enthusiastically congratulating Lizzy for finding another, before sighing at the common behaviour humans show Drones. Josie had allowed Lizzy to meet up with D whenever she could, giving her a purple wig to give to D as a gift.

Surprisingly, D was actually allowed to keep it, explaining that her humans found it suiting and not 'too wild', to which D had shot a sly remark at them. That caused both humans to send D out for a few hours, giving her extra time with Lizzy, so it was more of a bonus. Lizzy had also suggested that she and D come up with a name for her, one of her own that isn't just a literal letter.

D had chosen 'Doll' as her name, one that she'd only use around Lizzy. She liked the way actual dolls looked, so she took inspiration from that. By which, she bluntly named herself after it. Lizzy had found it adorable and their meetings have sparked a great bond between the two, both Drones enjoying each other's company thoroughly, attached at the hip whenever they're together. Lizzy and Doll are both really content with this arrangement, happy to see each other nearly every day.

Chapter Text

Four hours into a sleepover that Lizzy and Doll arranged for today, in particular, both Drones have wound themselves down for the night, now softly speaking to one another as Lizzy sits behind Doll and guides her brush through the neat, violet strands. It's a nice night, and both Drones are completely relaxed.

"I love you a whole bunch, y'know that, right?" Lizzy whispers, smiling at the back of Doll's head. Not visible to Lizzy, but meaningful all the same, Doll cracks a small grin. "Like, sorry to be a sap and all, but yeah. I do. Through school stuff, murder and all, you make it a little bit easier."

Doll hums in acknowledgement, soothed by the repetitive strokes through her hair, before opening a singular optic. "[Same. I'm glad, Lizzy. I love you too.]" She shortly replies, but Lizzy appreciates the heap of meaning packed into the sentence. The cheerleader smirks a little.

"At least we don't go on about it in class, though. Rebecca and Darren can't say the same." She snickers, Doll nodding her head in amusement, apologising briefly when Lizzy whacks her on the head with the brush and tells her to keep still.

"[Mhm, it's almost concerning how much they're attached. They argued with the teacher when he told them to sit in seperate seats.]" Doll reminds, Lizzy snorting at the memory.

"Oh, my god, I remember that! They're still not allowed to sit next to each other." Lizzy reminds, Doll snickering, the cheerleader segmenting Doll's hair to brush one side into the other. "Makes me wonder, though, where I'd be if we were separated. Not like Rebs, but, like, if we never met or where we'd be without each other. I think I'd probably go insane, but I don't even know, haha!" Lizzy jokes, Doll blankly fiddling with her fingers, staring at her hands.

She's thought about that question before, always having known the answer to it. "[Mmh. I'd likely be sitting between my parents with a knife in my Core! *Snnrrk!*]" Doll snorts, her poor attempt at a joke relating to the conversation stopping Lizzy from brushing her. That was... Oddly specific and not an image she wants in her mind, like, ever. Lizzy winces, placing the brush down, a little put-off from the conversation stuff now. She's kinda tired.

"You good, Doll?" Lizzy gently asks, clicking off all the lights and snuggling up to her girlfriend, who nods and grins apologetically, knowing how out of pocket that answer was in reality. Lizzy sighs softly, tiredly yawning. "We should probably get some sleep, I hate being tired at school." Lizzy suggests, closing her eyes.

Doll nods, staring at the ceiling, while Lizzy drifts off, for a bit. She contemplates the situation and how their sleepover went and, aside from being accidentally creep and cryptic, Doll believes it went well, as it always does when she's with Lizzy.

Chapter Text

"You sure you wanna do this? I don't think waltzing into a random Lab that the creepy ghost thing originates is all that safe, y'know? Plus, the purple freak's gonna drive you insane." Lizzy argues, but continues to work around Doll, packing her bag with things like her phone, pictures of Lizzy, batteries, knives and whatnot to help her on the mission. Doll adds her own stuff to her bag, sitting on the kitchen counter as she watches Lizzy fret over her.

"[Mhm, I need to. It's the key we need to figure out what it is we're dealing with and has good stuff to me and Uzi can use to perform experiments with. It's beneficial.]" Doll explains, Lizzy pouting at the, admittedly, good point Doll makes. Doll hops down from the counter, grabs Lizzy's waist and kisses her sweetly, Lizzy rolling her eyes and leaning into the kiss. They seperate with heavy blushes, Doll picking up her bag. "[I'll be back. It's only twenty days, maybe even less. I'll call you every night." Doll promises, heading towards the door.

"You frickin' better, moron. I'm gonna miss the hell outta you, girl. Love ya." Lizzy huffs, tears beading at her pink optics, but she quickly wipes them away before Doll can see them. The Russian girl simply gives Lizzy a gentle grin, before teleporting off to go meet Uzi at the Lab's entrance like they planned.

"[Love you too, Liz.]"

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"PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE DON'T GO!"

"N --ngh-- Let me go, damn it!" Uzi shouts, forcefully dragging herself towards the exit of the landing pod, N having a firm grip on her left leg with both of his hands, unwilling to let Uzi go, even though she's told him, repetitively, that she'll be going on this mission in advance.

With a final tug, Uzi rips her leg out of N's grip, who immediately stands up and gives her his last resort; puppy dog eyes. N has nailed it down perfectly, but it doesn't even get a blush out of Uzi this time, too caught up in her determination to find answers about the Solver. "Nuh uh, don't try that with me! I'm gonna go ahead with the plan and you're gonna deal with it! It ain't like I'm not coming back, N, jeez! You'll be fine!" Uzi snaps, glaring at her boyfriend.

"I'll be lonely! V's not here because she has that exploring thing she was doing! I know we talked about it, and I wanna respect it, but I don't want you to leave..." N softly argues, wringing his pilot hat in his hands with anxiety. Uzi takes one look at his pitiful face, before rolling her violet optics and hugging him tightly. N immediately returns it, feeling a little more calm about the whole thing.

"I'll be fine. I'll text you about updates and stuff, okay?" Uzi promises, heading out the door and into the snow. Gently, N nods and waves at his girlfriend, tail wagging out of affection and anxiety as Uzi trudges further into the snow.

"Okay! Bye, I'll miss youuuu!"

"I'll miss you too, o-or whatever. Shut up!"

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Uzi sighs, finally spotting Doll in the distance, who's leaning against the Lab's outside walls and has been since she left. Doll stands up straight as she sees her friend lazily wave at her, both Drones smiling softly. "Sorry I'm late, N didn't wanna let me go. Clingy little idiot..." Uzi explains, crossing her arms as Doll nods, relating.

"[I get it; Lizzy tried to talk me out of it. They'll be fine on their own.]" Doll assures, Uzi nodding and entering the building with Doll. The Lab is, surprisingly, well-kept and tidy, safe for the multitude of cobwebs, debris, ruin and dust making it look completely abandoned, which it is. It took a while for them both to find this place, but the find was an extremely serious and important discovery, Uzi and Doll absolutely needing to return to figure out more stuff about the Solver.

"He better be. Anyways, I got vials and stuff to put things in, so tell me if you see anything. Grab absolutely everything you think is important, like books and stuff--- Files, mostly. Anything." Uzi orders, looking at Doll with utmost seriousness and urgency. Doll nods, levitating a torch to her hand, walking around the room to examine everything inside.

Uzi packs stray files into her folder she brought with her, hesitantly whacking some miscellaneous items and substances into a container with a hazard sticker on top of it. These finds are absolutely important and grand, and they haven't even grazed the surface of the interior. This is gonna take a long, long time.

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"Ugh, god damn it, I'm coming, hold on!" A voice shouts from behind the steel door of the apartment N's certain Lizzy resides within. N nervously grins at the cheerleader, who totally wasn't moping in her room like a loser. Lizzy blinks up N in surprise, before cocking her hip and crossing her arms.

"... Why're you even here?" She bluntly asks, N blushing in slight embarrassment as he taps his two index fingers together shyly, giving Lizzy a shaky grin.

"I'm lonely... V's exploring and you know where Uzi and Doll are. I thought I could handle it, but I kinda just wanna talk to someone. Can I stay with you until Uzi gets back? It gets lonely in the pod, and I promise I won't be a bother!" N assures, giving Lizzy an N-like salute. Lizzy stares at N in contemplation, squinting at him with no shortage of hesitance. N could really be annoying sometimes, but... Company would be nice. She's spent most of her time complaining that Doll isn't here to Rebecca as soon as Doll left, Rebecca blocking Lizzy until Doll returns so Lizzy can't bug her endlessly.

"Ugh, fiiiine!" Lizzy relents, earning an excited squeal of victory. Lizzy pokes her finger in N's face as he follows her inside, a glare written on her expression. "But I got rules, so listen up! No using my makeup without permission!"

"Got it!"

"No whining to me about Uzi!"

"I won't, promise!"

"No annoying me!"

"I would never!"

"No drinking oil in front of me, it's creepy!"

"Fair."

"And you're sleeping on the couch!"

"Awesome!"

After the list of rules are established, Lizzy nods and gestures towards the fridge, plopping herself on the couch and scrolling through her phone. "Good. Help yourself to whatever, take a nap, draw, do whatever." Lizzy mumbles, N just choosing to sit on the opposite side of the couch, watching the TV in front of him, to which Lizzy rests her legs in his lap.

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Fifteen days later, Lizzy and N have been having fun together, both Drones growing accustomed to each other and Lizzy getting N into the local gossip in the Bunker. They both talked about their girlfriends with enthusiasm, sharing funny stories about them to cope with the fact that they're gone for now. Lizzy and N have been calling Uzi and Doll each night, before Lizzy had to join N whenever Uzi calls since Doll forgot her phone charger and Uzi's one doesn't match Doll's. Lizzy got pissed at Doll for that one; she was terrified when Doll didn't answer her calls.

There have been times where both Drones had failed to keep their composure, one having to comfort the other when they each had their respective breakdowns in panic and slight depression over not seeing their girlfriends physically, and worrying every day and night about them, losing sleep. They always got through it together, though, N being and expert in comforting and Lizzy excelling in being able to take N's mind off of things with either gossip, jokes or a calm movie/drawing night together.

Meanwhile, Uzi and Doll have made a lot of progress. They've found all they needed to find, scraping toxic substances off of tabletops, bashing sentient little creatures in the head before stuffing them in their bags, reading up on books and valuable information they'd read up on together, when they got back. Both Uzi and Doll had agreed that it was time to head back, not telling N or Lizzy, since they wanted to surprise them early.

Uzi had Doll teleport them both back to Uzi's room, greeting her father, who hugged Uzi in worry, earning gentle punches to the shoulder in embarrassment. Doll and Uzi had dumped all their findings in Nori's Kooky Insane room, where all Solver shenanigans hang out. They plan on getting together for a thorough review of their finds sometime, but, for now, they're eager to see N and Lizzy.

"Okay, you ready?" Uzi whispers, grinning at Doll as they stand in front of the door to Lizzy's apartment. Doll nods, keeping quiet as she returns the grin. Doll knocks on the door, Lizzy instantly heard shouting in annoyance, N scrambling to open the door for her.

"Hey, fellas, what's going o-- UZIIII!!" N screams, tackling his girlfriend to the floor and nuzzling her cheek with aggression affection, sobbing hysterically into her chest as his tail nearly launches off his body in excitement. "ImisssdyouImissedyouImissedyou--!"

"Oof, okay, I get it, ya big dork! Get offa me!" Uzi argues, despite smiling with utter elation and pulling N closer. Doll snickers at the sight, before smiling softly as Lizzy walks up to the door in irritation, wondering what N's shouting about. Lizzy instantly tosses herself at Doll, who picks her up, Lizzy wrapping her legs around Doll's waist and gleefully shouting in excitement.

"Dolly!! You're back, you never told me you were coming home early! Holy hell, I missed you so much!" She sobs, not even caring about how she's crying in front of two other people, just happy to finally see Doll after nearly an entire month. Doll just purrs calmly, but can't help herself but to grip Lizzy tight, pressing her face into Lizzy's chest.

As both touch-starved Drones cry into their girlfriend's arms, who, admittedly, shed a private digital tear of their own, Lizzy invites all of them into her apartment, each Drone gathering on the couch, comfortably squished against each other. Uzi and Doll describe their tales of the Lab to Lizzy and N, who curiously ask questions about it and gag when they're told about the fleshy masses they gathered up. They also explained about how they talked to each other about missing their other half, hating having to leave for this long.

Lizzy and N, in turn, had told them about their experiences with each other, about how they totally both cried, Lizzy revealing that N was talking about Uzi in his sleep, much to N's betrayal. Uzi cackled at the revelation, N frowning and flippantly admitting how Lizzy was moping to literally everyone on social media about how much she misses Doll, crying as she begs Rebecca to unblock her, Rebecca just sending Lizzy an eye roll emoji in response. Doll couldn't resist a few chuckles at that one, Lizzy screaming at N, in embarrassment, about how he promised to keep his trap shut.

The four Drones spend the next two days together, talking about their experiences and hardships, falling asleep on the couch together each night, no Drones willing to seperate just yet. It was a trial and a test of how they could spend time away from their partners, some unable to cope as well as others, but it was worth it; Uzi and Doll made great progress on the Solver, and N and Lizzy established a new bond with each other. To them, this trip was both a positive and a negative experience, but are glad to be reunited all the same.

Chapter Text

Odd.... Odd, unusual, strange, beautiful, painful, unexpected, revolting, horrifying--- It's all in one giant muddle of irreversible fact and fiction that it has been there, and yet, Doll remembers next to nothing about it. She doesn't understand where she is, or if she is. It's all black, but there's a glistening, bright illumination of colour and noise that is definitely real, surrounding her body and mind. It's odd. The cause is unknown, this event is unknown, Doll has no idea what's going on. She feels both heavy and as though she's about to show gravity contempt for its unforgiving hold on her.

She can see everything. The memories are becoming closer, less foggy the more she thinks about it, and suddenly, with a flash of yellow and white noise, Doll feels herself drop.

Her hands and knees slam against what seems to be a scintillating, crystalline surface of white, blue and other impossible colours that she can't quite wrap her head around. She's not meant for this. Not meant to go through some weird fantasy stuff, that's not what she wants or desires to be shoved into, but... This... It feels as though she's meant to be here. As if she has been called, or a clock has ticked down to its final number.

Is this death?

Is it comatose?

Is it something she can't comprehend?

Doll has no idea. The crystal platform is held up by empty space and surrounded by fragmented mirrors, floating in a fleeting white background which seems to beckon to her, death. It's enticing, her emotions are running wild and yet, she feels nothing all the same. She shouldn't be here. But she knows she has to. It's all so contradictory that she feels as though her CPU will collapse in on itself in the worst and best way possible.

Doll grits her teeth as she feels her head spin, before unwillingly loading up something she'd never done, yet had been through. Through confusion, fear and determination to pull through, Doll gives into the memory.

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"It's... A Droneling... Like, an actual Droneling." That bewildered, confused and almost giddy voice is familiar to Doll. Lizzy. She feels like she's watching the situation play out through a glass barrier. A spectator. "The hell's it even doing out here???" Lizzy questions, furrowing her brow, before droning on about her envy over the Droneling's hardened chassis. This was an unfortunate situation, one that Doll is hesitant to go along with. Does she not understand the risks of taking this child with them?

....

.... How does she know if Lizzy even offered that, yet?

"[I believe it's parents died, since no-one in the colony would abandon their own kid.] Her voice, ever the voice of reason, speaks to Lizzy with a soft tone of sorrow and disappointment, Lizzy slapping a hand to her mouth in horror. Feels like there's missing pieces littered everywhere, but everything Doll needs to know is right in front of her. What's the purpose of showing her this!?

"Dolly, if you think I'm just gonna ad-lib this whole thing like a loser, you're wrong. Like, dead wrong. We're doing this thing together. It's sudden, but... I really wanna do this. With you." Lizzy's calming voice acts as an aid to Doll's internal torture, both conflicted and terrified. The issue has been resolved. Doll and Lizzy have chosen this path, unexpected and a challenge of new beginnings, but together.

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"[Ugh!]" Doll yelps, shooting a hand out to catch herself before she falls to the ground. A convenient memo-- mirror floats towards her, saving her fall and giving her something to grab hold of. Doll swipes the glass away, shaking her head as she glares at the endless white of the 'sky', 'room', 'hell', 'dream' she's in. "[This must be a setup to a bad joke, no? There's somewhere I should be and it isn't here.]" Doll growls, glaring as she feels another headache wriggling towards her motherboard and sinking its fangs in. Still, Doll ignores it just for the moment, systems whining as they, too, cannot comprehend the situation. She feels heavy. Doll glances around the yawning chasm of ambiguous colours and steps to the ledge of the crystal disk, narrowing her eyes as fragments of glass float along the edge and rise up into the endless white in which it traverses in aimlessly. They depict something Doll cannot register, not yet. Pending secrets continues to swallow her sanity inch by inch, yet gives her reprieve and sanctity. The headache is becoming too much to bear. Through uncertainty, anger and repugnance, Doll gives into the memory.

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Sick, Doll gasps as she raises herself from the bed, clutching her head and covering her mouth, trembling. It's just a bad dream, a bad dream, there's nothing to be afraid of...

Still, pathetically, she shivers in the face of what her memories had brought up. Of what her memories had dared to resurface.

Sighing, she looks at herself in the mirror, expecting to see her usual self, but totally 10x worse than before; hair frazzled, optics dim and tired, her shirt all ruffled, but her scarlet eyelights widen as she stares back at a crystalline pedestal, surrounded by broken mirrors, white space and fragmented glass. She blinks, and it's gone, replaced with the sight she expected to see.

She must be really tired.

Groaning, Doll picks herself up from the bed and shuffles out into the hallway, where she knows Lizzy's apartment will be by Core. Just a little further...

"Uh, ew, no? We're not having a buddy-buddy sleepover, Doll. Go the hell back to your own room and sleep, girl, those nano-bags ain't doing you any favours, y'know?" Oh. That's a shame, and really blunt. It hurt, but only for a dull moment. Lizzy's indignant scoff and blush is lost to Doll, as she turns around to walk away with an apology.

"Wait!"

Ah. That's what she'd wanted.

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Coughing, Doll inwardly breathes in through her teeth, squinting as she struggles to her feet (when did she collapse?). Is this necessary? What is this? Why is she going through this? That memory... It's both hers and not hers, but it's thought of fondly. It feels like she should know more than what she's being given, yet she remains clueless. As if irritated with Doll's incapability to register this place, the memory shoots through her head faster than she expected it to. Through contemplation, irritation and resignation, Doll gives the memory a deeper look.

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"N, you bust open the door and V, you and me will try and grab that freak to keep her still so we can tie her up. Lizzy, go find some rope." Uzi orders, turning back to Doll and glancing at V, who nods. Doll growls at them both, Lizzy running off as soon as Uzi orders her to grab something beneficial. Is she usually like this? An animal? What's with those eyes, that manic look? It's as if the Solver drained her sanity...

What happened?

Like puddle ripples, the memory blurs as Doll witnesses her and Lizzy laying together in bed, Lizzy gently talking to Doll as if she and her are both exhausted. The gist of the situation is lost on Doll, but the memory is... Sweet. She supposes. If it even happened, but these furious memories are trying to prove it so. Doll's crimson optics lid as her and Lizzy both drift off to sleep. At least that is familiar to her; they always did this together, it was common.

This memory was... It wasn't pleasant, at first, but it seemed to resolve itself. Doll's servos offer a meek explanation for this that she doesn't quite catch, but she feels a little bit more enlightened about all of these.

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Doll, feeling a little bit stronger than she had been in this realm, assumes that understanding all of this is most likely a key to getting back, or waking up. Cliché, she's seen this trope in one of Uzi's movies, but if that's what it takes... Doll focuses as she tries to call upon another memory, but is hit with a sharp pain instead, almost as if reprimanding her. Doll sneers, before giving up, feeling a sense of shame (shame?) run through her systems. Don't force it, understand.

Doll sighs and sits down, legs dangling off the edge of the platform, mirror shards accidentally bumping her legs before moving on. They seem a little clearer now; a mix of colours that has something to be defined. Doll can barely catch a glimpse of yellow and red.

Grumbling, the Russian girl simply huffs and watches the white writhe before her. It doesn't surprise her when the pain presents itself again. Through exhaustion, willingness and a hint of eagerness, Doll gives into the memory.

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"[Lizzy, get behind me, now! The damn pest got in!]" Her voice. Lizzy shouts an exclamation of protest as Doll launches herself at V, who tries to avoid her before simply giving into her anger and pride, fighting back against Doll.

Doll bites down in V's shoulder, as if trying to tear off the weapons at their source, only for V to throw her off. Growling lowly, Doll uses her Solver to raise some sharp rebar to ready to pierce V's core, V charging up a gun, only for Lizzy to intervene with fury. "Just what in the hell are you two doing!? V, put Doll down! NOW!" With an unceremonious drop, Doll is on the ground with a scowl.

"Doll, are you insane!? No, wait, don't even answer that-- I know you are! Listen up good, Doll! We do NOT hurt my friends! I don't care if you're not friends with her, you won't be hurting anyone I care about! You got that!?" Lizzy's tangent is loud, but understandable. Doll grimaces and nods, looking away from her girlfriend. "And YOU!" With a flinch, it's V's turn.

Doll watches on, tilting her head. Guilt. She feels guilty. Maybe there's more to these memories than simply a recap on other timelines or fake simulations she should understand. Is this meant to be a lesson? She's an adult, Doll doesn't require lessons. At least, it feels like one... Is it?

Doll watches Lizzy force her and V to scuttle into her room. Both Drones lay beside her and V rolls her eyes as Doll sucks up to Lizzy as an apology, but catches her gaze. Doll narrows her eyes, but is it really worth it, if the past is long behind her?

Hesitant to be enemies, Doll nods. Truce.

"These universes are not your own, yet you're living in one of them. Best acknowledge the hand that feeds you." A taunting, familiar voice instantly pisses Doll off. As she whips herself around,

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She finds herself back at the chasm. Too late. Doll hates cryptic meanings that don't give her a damn explanation. She would rather understand immediately than have to find an answer, but... Whatever. She'll do it, because that last one, it... Felt light. Not heavy, she doesn't feel heavy or disgruntled as much as before. Doll feels as though these memories are far more than they are, much more than precious. They were... Given. Her Core pulses with alarm and warning as if she's going too far to breaking something she shouldn't, but it's all reaching a clarity to her.

Doll feels a cold, refreshing wave of dull realisation and something alike, or synonymous, to gratitude. It's lost on her as to why, but... Whatever's given her these phantom memories that she witnessed (if anything even did give these to her or she's just having a really weird and lucid as hell dream), then Doll supposes she owes a bit of gratitude.

If fate or some incomprehensible entity(s) has brought these timelines into existence, then, no matter that Doll can't understand, see or mention them directly by name (if they have one), she supposes she should really thank them. Even if it's completely begrudging and not exactly what she's really even known for...

Standing to her feet, now lighter than ever, Doll glances at the chasm, and the shattered glass fragments slowly breezing past her, the shards now completely understandable. And not.

Doll's pink triangle on her hand, Lizzy's crimson to match.

Doll and Lizzy shouting at each other, Lizzy storming off.

Doll looking akin to J; eldritch and broken down as Lizzy smiles.

Two Dronelings bickering, Lizzy reprimanding them both firmly.

Heartwrenchingly joyful cries as Doll hugs both Yeva and Lizzy.

A sinister cackle as Lizzy and Doll slash up a group of Drones.

N, Uzi, Lizzy and Doll all reminiscing as they tease eachother.

Killing a friend Doll once knew, Lizzy scrambling to comfort her.

Yanking Lizzy close, Doll's multiple legs wrapped around her.

Over a candlelit dinner, Lizzy and Doll both chew the same wire.

Utterly shamed, Doll huffs as Lizzy teases her jealousy about V.

All of these memories glide past Doll, Doll focusing on each and every one, optics trembling with poorly veiled emotion. Did all of this really happen? Pleasant and unfortunate, horrifying and complete, these timelines, universes or whatever, they're all real, all here. Wherever Doll is, she believes it's entirely significant. Not just a task to be completed, not just a reminder that there's something else out there, no. It's all important. All of them.

Standing up shakily, Doll prepares to speak, only for her OS to launch into overdrive. The room trembles, fragments dropping from their glide and the platform of crystal melting to water. Doll nearly loses her footing, teleporting backwards tk save herself from dropping, only to lose her footing anyway, as the platform behind her has completely liquified.

Doll only falls for a split second before waking up.

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Yelping softly, Doll sits up straight and grits her teeth as she feels the leftover headache from her sleep. What the hell did she do? Hit her head in her sleep? Doll is unable to remember anything about it, but there is an inaccessible file lurking around in her storage systems. Whatever. Probably just some weird repression stuff she'd rather avoid.

"Ugh, go the hell back to sleep or I'll knock you out myself, moron..." Lizzy mutters, frowning as she nudges Doll with bleary optics, obviously pissed that her beauty sleep got interrupted so suddenly. The hollow threat meant little to Doll, as she sheepishly winces before stretching and leaning against the headboard of the bed, hands intertwined in her lap as she sits idly.

Doll picks her left hand up, staring at the comforting sight of Lizzy's primrose pink instead of her crimson that takes its place on her other hand. CoreBonds, they're CoreBonds. 'Wives', or whatever humans call it back on earth, but... CoreBonds has a more meaningful description in the name. Rolls off the synthetic tongue better. Or, that could just be bias. Eh. Doll doesn't care.

The Russian girl continues to stare at the triangle, enraptured by the meaningful presence that revolves around such a small detail in her hand. She doesn't notice the rustle of the overly fluffy pink bedsheets as Lizzy drowsily sits up bedside Doll, ready to comfort her no matter how tired she is. That's just what partners do.

"Nightmare?" Lizzy guesses, rubbing her right optic back into focus as she leans against Doll. She learnt that Doll likes pressure therapy much more than talking therapy and honestly, Lizzy likes this way better, too.

Doll just hums in acknowledgement. "[Maybe.]" Lizzy, used to Doll's cryptic and creepy answers, just rolls her eyes and flicks her CoreBond in the forehead. Doll blinks, now giving Lizzy her full attention.

"Stop being weird, tell me what's up. You literally can talk to me whenever, girl, you know you can." Lizzy assures, draping an arm over Doll's shoulder as she checks the time on her phone. 3:17 am. Not that bad n comparison to other times. Doll nods slowly, feeling a little more drowsy now that the adrenaline has worn off, but there's a strange sense of sentimentality affecting her systems for whatever reason there may be. Not odd; Doll has affectionate surges, too. Sometimes.

"[I'm fine. Just... Woke up suddenly. Nothing bad, don't stress this early in the morning.]" Doll muses, earning a soft chuckle and an eye roll from Lizzy. The cheerleader shrugs in acceptance of the answer, before flopping on Doll's lap for the time being, grinning up at her. Doll snickers and pulls her closer, bodies threatening to meld into each other if they get any closer.

A few serene moments pass before Doll speaks up again. "[I love you, you understand that, yes?]" Doll mumbles, Lizzy looking up at her girl as she tilts her head, smirking. Doll isn't usually this outright affectionate, but Lizzy isn't complaining at all.

"...You're tryna butter me up so you can eat some of my snacks, aren't you?" Lizzy cheekily asks, as this hasn't exactly been the first time Doll has fooled and swayed her with sweet words to get her hands on Lizzy's stash.

Doll sputters, shaking her head at the blunt, yet understandable, accusation. "[What-- No! I'm trying to be nice, here. Are you not the one who wishes I did this more?" Doll deadpans, light-heartedly frowning at her cheerleader as she fiddles with her hand absentmindedly. "[Don't make me take this back.]"

Lizzy just grins and nudges Doll, winking as she soaks all of this unusual affection up, beckoning Doll to go on with a motion of her hand. Doll grits her teeth, blushing as she falls right into Lizzy's smug little trap, before sighing and continuing on, stroking Lizzy's let-down hair. "[I just, appreciate your company, as I have all these years. I don't know if it was fate, or something else, but I'm grateful you're here with me, Lizzy. You've endured a lot for me and I can't express how much that truly means to me.]" Doll concludes, voice soft as she gives Lizzy her all that she can possibly give for one night, romantic as it is.

Lizzy, meanwhile, is squealing softly as she gazes at Doll with sheer lovestruck affection and adoration. She sits up and flops onto her side, dragging Doll down with her as she traps the Russian girl in a death grip. "Oh, my freaking god, Dolly! That was, like, totally the most adorable thing I've ever heard you say!" She gushes, Doll blushing and relaxing in defeat. "You totally gotta do that more often!"

Doll grumbles bashfully, wrapping her arms around Lizzy and pressing a passionate kiss against Lizzy's lips, Lizzy eagerly leaning into it. Doll pulls away just enough to look at the other, purring faintly as she feels herself becoming increasingly more tired. "[Perhaps. But, I just wanted you to know that I do not take anything you do for me for granted. I love you, Lizzy.]" The words, like melted chocolate, play a sweet symphony in Lizzy's head that won't leave her for the next month.

"Pfft... I love you, too, you weird little dork. You're important to me, I know you know that for a damn fact, Dolly. I love you. Really. I love you, Doll." Multiple reaffirmations drip from Lizzy's mouth, the cheerleader catching onto Doll's drowsy state as if it were contagious. Doll buries her face into Lizzy's neck, where they'll remain for the rest of the night.

"[Thank you.]"

Chapter Text

Four months have passed since The Incident, and not a day has gone by where Doll has not apologised for her incompetence and mistake she had ruined Lizzy's right arm with. Lizzy's been adapting naturally, now much better with her left hand at simple tasks due to intense physiotherapy that Doll had assisted her with.

Still, that doesn't mean everything's all 100% perfect; Lizzy's still got many things to practise on if she's to live with this her whole life. She won't, if Doll has anything to say about it. But therapy's been helping, both physical and verbal, which is why Lizzy's sitting on a car hood outside the Bunker, in the brisk air of the toxic night. Ranting about everything that's been bothering her has been helpful to Lizzy and something V is more than willing to indulge in.

"And then, I broke my freaking cup that I didn't even know was right next to me! It literally sucks so bad, but if purple freak can do anything, I'm hoping it ain't gonna last." Lizzy huffs, glaring at the darkened, snowy plains that stretch out for miles. V nods, slurping up the last bit of oil in the can that she acquired a while ago.

"Eh, I feel ya. Sucks when my arm gets chopped off, but I guess I can just grow it back... Sucks to be you, then, Liz." V hums, trying her best to sympathise while simultaneously trying not to sound sappy or anything like that, because that's totally not cool or helpful. Her tail whips around for balance as Lizzy shoves her roughly, nearly sending her off the hood of the car.

"Ugh, not a time to flex, bestie." Lizzy grumbles, V wincing softly as she realises that maybe she shouldn't be literally gloating about the issue Lizzy has currently. V just shrugs nonchalantly, before poking her friend gently.

"Sooo, how's it going, like, overall?" V questions. Lizzy glances at her before blinking slowly.

"... Eh... Could be better. My parents aren't exactly keen on Doll being around me, even though I'm tryna tell 'em that it was an accident. But other than that, yeah, I'm getting there, girl." Lizzy explains, V nodding in understanding. V then perks up a little, tilting her head at Lizzy as she absentmindedly taps a claw on the rusted car's metal.

"Doll treating ya good? Like, not too freaked out and guilty 'bout it, the freaking bolt bucket?" V asks, Lizzy snorting at the quip before waving her hand dismissively.

"She was before, but she's better now. Not complaining about how much she didn't mean to do it as often, thank robo-god." Lizzy mutters, V snickering softly.

"Hey, where even is she, anyway? I literally never see her." V complains, despite knowing exactly why that is. Lizzy leans back on the car hood, staring up at the foggy sky.

"With any luck, fixin' up my new arm with the purple freak."

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Sparks fly everywhere as, yet again, the new arm malfunctions and the fingers of the hand nearly snap right off due to the high voltage. Doll narrows her optics at Uzi, who hisses in pain as she rapidly bats at a little ember on her sleeve that burned through to her arm. Doll crosses her arms and raises a digi-brow. "[I take it you are incapable of making a new arm, despite creating a literal lethal weapon the likes of which humanity could only dream to achieve.]" Doll quips.

"Ugh, freaking bite me! There's a difference between an obligation and a passion project!" Uzi snaps, glaring at the Russian girl who rolls her eyes and scoffs. "You're lucky that I'm even doing this, now shut it so I can make progress!"

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Lizzy yelps as she feels V nudge her a little, trying to get her to actually talk instead of mope on the car hood. She's not here to watch a relapse. Lizzy sits up and scoffs at V, who raises a digi-brow at her. "Yeah, wake up, you're welcome. Say, uh... Sudden, but how exactly did bug freak manage to lop off your arm? Thought she'd have, like, twelve safety nets when it comes to you." V mentions, Lizzy wincing softly as she doesn't like recalling, but... It's best to come to terms with it.

V frowns. "Wait, dumb question--"

"She did, but thought I could handle a bit of a harder training sesh. I'm really questioning her intuition, but, we both thought it was cool at the time. We were literally just outside..."

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With a leap, Lizzy cackles victoriously as she dodges a meat cleaver that was flying her way, Doll deeming it necessary that she practises with real weapons to get a feel for reality in combat. It's going well so far--- Not even a scratch on her at all! Hell, she actually managed to kick a cleaver back at Doll, who luckily caught it before it went right through her visor.

Doll grins as she multiplies the cleavers into six, and launches literally all of them at once. Lizzy gasps and immediately retracts back into herself, her self-preservation instincts taking reign over her as of current. Doll's crimson optics hollow as she realises that Lizzy's not dodging these ones, and the Russian girl instantly calls back all of her cleavers, but one had already been too quick to avoid any real injuries.

With a pained screech, the cleaver directly slices Lizzy's right arm off at the shoulder, a clean cut making it look like Lizzy never even had an arm there in the first place. Doll rushes over to Lizzy, who's crouching and covering her stump as it bleeds, squinting at the pain. Muttering endless paranoid apologies, Doll can only hope she can teleport them to the infirmary quick enough.

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"Aaand that's the whole story. I'm totally an epic storyteller, dang, I should be writing a book or something!" Lizzy exclaims, obviously using humour to poorly cover up the underlying trauma and grief V can practically smell on the Worker Drone. V winces and sympathetically wraps her arms around Lizzy stiffly, horror marring her expression.

"Dang, Liz, she really messed you up... Want me to spike her oil or something?" V shakily whispers, trying to lighten the mood, to which Lizzy shrugs with a slight smirk, sighing as she hugs her back with her single arm.

"Mmh... Nah. She'd hunt ya down for it. Besides, it's not her fault. I mean, well, it is, but--"

"You don't wanna blame her." V finishes for her friend, understanding the situation. Lizzy nods, and their conversation reaches a comfortingly quiet lull, both Drones relaxing against each other as they enjoy the cool air. However, both Drones flinch as Lizzy's phone buzzes, a notification alerting her that sunrise is fifteen minutes away.

"Damn, uh, sunrise, V. I got stuff planned with Doll and you gotta get inside so you don't freakin' melt. Weird creep..." Lizzy remarks playfully, V rolling her eyes and hopping off the car. They brush themselves off and begin heading opposite ways; V going back to the advanced and extended pod with N and Uzi, Lizzy heading back to the Bunker.

"Gotcha. Catch up tomorrow?" V asks, spreading her wings to prepare for a launch. With a nod, the duo grin and begin their trek back to their respective homes.

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"Hey, girl!" Lizzy calls out, Doll wrapping her arms around Lizzy as soon as she sees her. Lizzy melts into the embrace, both Drones simply standing at the entrance of the Bunker for a minute. Doll pulls away with a kiss to Lizzy's cheek, smiling softly.

"[We had a minor setback, but progress was made today. Faulty wiring has been removed.]" Doll informs, walking with her girlfriend towards Lizzy's room to fulfil their plans for the day. Lizzy nods in understanding, bumping Doll with her hip as she unlocks the door.

"Nice going, babe, you're doing epic. Purple freak give you any trouble?" She snidely asks, grabbing Doll's hand and pulling her into her room, locking the door behind themselves. Doll replies with a simple shake of her head, grabbing Lizzy and settling down next to her on the bed, clicking 'play' on the remote for the TV. Lizzy cuddles up into Doll, who idly traces the cheerleader's back with her hand.

"[I promise, Lizzy, you'll get your arm back. I will make sure of it.]" Doll promises, butting her head against Lizzy's gently. Lizzy presses herself against Doll firmly, kissing her with a tender pressure.

"I know you will, girl."

Chapter Text

It was a sullen day.

The silence was palpable, as was the sheer rage radiating off of a certain Drone who knows how to keep a lid on it. It wasn't easy, but... She couldn't. Not at a time like this, not on Lizzy's day. March 12th, Doll has ingrained the date into her databases and there, it will remain until she is nothing but a rusted pile of scrap or molten metal.

Everyone is here. Well, everyone who even remotely cares about Lizzy, such as her parents (Lizzy's mother is trembling, her expression full of sheer horror as Lizzy's father remains stoic, yet absolutely shattered), Thad (Thad is close to weeping and just running out, unable to look at the casket, his jock friends sniffling yet unwilling to show that they're crying), Rebecca (Rebecca is scream-crying), Emily (She can't look), Uzi (Uzi looks hesitant to stay, but is visibly shaken), and N and V.

N looks absolutely crushed, as he was only just getting Lizzy to come around and be his friend, bonding over hair brushing sessions and bracelet making. The friendship bracelet Lizzy made for him is being tightly gripped in his right hand, but not ruined by any means. He lost his friend... She was so stuck-up and mean, but that was just Lizzy! He knows when it's serious or if she's messing around. Lizzy was a good person, N knows.

V, though... She's probably the one who's taking it the second-hardest. Staring as Lizzy's friends and family share their words up ln the stage, V watches, hands clenched so hard that her plastic is cracking, teeth gritted and nearly impossible to pry apart, optics flickering between the X and regular, her emotions are overwhelming her. One of the first ever Worker Drones that V could tolerate and relate to, down the drain and lying in a soft casket. Lifeless. She didn't freaking deserve it.

V trembles as she stands beside N, Doll and Uzi, tail listless as it lies on the snowy ground below her. She barely notices N walking up to say his piece.

The male Disassembly Drone clears his throat unnecessarily, projecting his voice as the only microphone they had has been destroyed by the prom incident a few years ago. "Hey, u-uhm, I'm N and I know you all know that, eheheh, b-but... I just wanted to say that, y'know, uhm... Lizzy, she... She was really not the most approachable Drone, but she was still nice! To those, she, uh... WAS nice to... A-Anyway! I know what happened is all really hard on all of us, but we'll keep going! It'll get better!"

N's speech continues, Doll not paying attention to anything but the closed casket. No-one could stand seeing Lizzy in the state she's in. Doll is used to gore, but when it comes to this? She would rather disembowel herself than look. She can't.

"Hey." A hand on her shoulder. "I miss her, too. She was a brat, but... Really cool once you got to know her." Uzi softly compliments.

Doll just looks at Uzi, before pressing herself against the gothic Drone. Sure, she was upset, but even Doll knows she needs comfort. She's not one to reject what she needs. Uzi gently wraps her arms around Doll, both Drones lapping up the comfort they find in each other. They quickly tense as they see V storming up to them. V, unusually sympathetic and 'sappy', as she'd call it, rips Doll from Uzi's grasp and pulls her into a deep hug, clutching closely the last remnants she has of Lizzy. Her girlfriend. The closest link.

Doll, in the past if V tried this, would immediately become pissed and attempt to kill V and tear off her own metal from her innards in sheer disgust of the monster's contact, but now? Thanks to Lizzy, V and Doll have learnt to bond. Their past behind them, Doll returns the hug, gripping V's coat shakily, yet unwilling to speak.

"We're gonna hunt them down, that bastard who killed her. I don't care if we're not allowed in another squad's territory, we're gonna drag them down to hell." V whispers into Doll's smaller frame, her voice shaking with sheer rage and sorrow. Uzi grins in agreement, hand trembling as she pats Doll's back and place her hand on V's.

"Damn right. We'll show them what happens when ya mess with one of the only people we care about 'round here. Whaddya say, Doll? Wanna kick ass with us?" Uzi offers, the Russian girl turning to face Uzi.

The offer is tempting. Lizzy would be elated that Doll avenged her, and Doll would be able to take all her anger out on the demons her took her that she can't show here. Doll shakily nods, and whispers softly to Lizzy's grave from afar. "[Lizzy... You were the best thing that had ever happened to me. I love you, and miss you so much, but don't worry. I'll make sure this vengeance plan doesn't go wrong.]" Her words quiet, yet blooming with near-volcanic rage, Doll agrees to the revenge plan.

"Alright! Tomorrow, we're going all out. V, Doll, you best fire up the best weapons you got! I'm gonna rebuild my railgun. Let's go head-hunting." Uzi savagely grins, V and Doll giving a slight smirk as they internally power themselves up for the battle and incoming torture they'll inflict. It'll be a revolutionary night to remember.

Chapter Text

Aaand, another one drained. Another life down the drain, too. A necessary evil Doll must commit to, but it's just what she needs to do to survive and whenever the nurse's office runs out of oil transfusion bags she can steal, that's when Doll needs to take more... Drastic measures. Murder isn't a foreign concept to her, or to anyone, but cannibalism is a little more unfamiliar with other Drones. They've already got, like, a bunch of Disassembly Drones to cower from, so a crazed, vampiric Drone with extraterrestrial powers would probably cause them to burn her alive.

If that worked, anyways. She always revives from any death she's given, or gives herself, she knows that much. Killing her would be akin to a slap on the wrist, if they found out and tried it. But it's unlikely they'd ever rise up to try, anyways, but that's not the reason why Doll hides it from everyone. She's not afraid of being shunned like her parents were, but it's mainly about Lizzy.

Gossip is popular amongst Drones, they practically live for it, and if someone found out that she was infected with the Solver? Lizzy would likely be one of the very first Drones the gossip would reach, and then what? Would Lizzy scream and angrily reprimand her? Would she flinch in fear everytime Doll reveals her sharp teeth and fangs? Would she break up with her on the spot? All of these are likely possibilities and Doll wants none of them to be a reality.

Sighing, Doll's blackened mouth laps up the last pool of oil from the hollowed out chassis of the Drone she'd taken the life of. This is hard to hide, both the body and the fact that anything else fed to her makes her want to throw it up in disgust. It's a curious thing, however. What would a normal food item taste like? Would it---

"Doooollyyyy!!! Open uppp! I got us, like, a really good movie this time, it's nothing like last night, promise!" Lizzy's muffled voice startles Doll into nearly coughing up the oil, but she savours all of it, aside from a singular drop. Doll immediately wipes her mouth and crams the body into her closet and locks it tight, before teleporting over to the door. Unlocking it, Doll is attacked by a pair of eager arms and a firm kiss on her lips to match.

"Took ya long enough! Working on some lame project, hm?" Lizzy guesses, strolling over towards Doll's clean bedsheets and placing the DVD in the old DVD player Doll kept lying around. Doll instantly takes the opportunity presented to her and nods, walking up and casually leaning against Lizzy.

"[Yes. Trying to figure out how to infuse sentience into the roaches.]" Doll lies, gesturing towards one of the many robotic insects that usually come by Doll's house in order to clean up the oil stains, which is the sole reason Doll hasn't taken Lizzy up on her offer and gotten rid of them with Lizzy's bug spray stuff.

Lizzy just makes a disgusted sound as she kicks away the mentioned roach. "Feral. Anyways, I got us some snacks! Stole 'em from Thad, don't tell him." Lizzy tacks on, before ripping open the plastic container that holds the popular snack amongst the colony. Doll instantly disables her ability to produce digital sweat (through spooky undisclosed Solver abilities), nervous at the concept of eating that stuff.

"[Ah, no, I'm fine. I just ate a while ago.]" Doll denies, gently pushing away the hand that holds out a battery towards her. Lizzy frowns, skeptical. This has been the bajillionth time Doll has refused to eat in front of her. Lizzy knows, for a fact, that Doll does actually eat, or she'd be on the floor, starving and probably dead by now. It's just... Why never in front of her? Might as well find out.

"Pfft, what? It's not gonna kill you, just eat! I've never seen you eat in front of me, girl, and it's totally got me curious. C'mon, one bite!" Lizzy pleads, pushing the battery up against Doll's lips. Said Russian girl quickly screws her face up, disgusted at the smell and light taste she got of the food item.

"[I'd rather not.]" Doll mutters, slapping Lizzy's hand away from her mouth. Lizzy scoffs, before relenting and eating it herself, pulling Doll close to her on the bed.

"Fine. Friggin' loser."

That was the just a glimpse among many instances of nearly getting caught.

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Doll idly follows her girlfriend along as Lizzy tosses random bits of scrap metal and plastic that can be broken down into the bag. Scrap duty sucks, seriously, but Lizzy supposes that it's fine when Doll's with her. Doll is, surprisingly, good at hand-to-hand combat (sometimes; Doll oftentimes is reckless with her techniques) and is a boss with weaponry, which is why she's the one holding the metal pole she'll use to strike down any Disassembly Drone trying to get a late night snack.

"We've got, like, half the freaking bag full! Surely that's enough for Doorknob's dad to tinker with! Plus, I won't be any better at getting stuff when the sun's literally rising!" Lizzy complains, gesturing towards the small rays of light peaking from over the city's towers and smaller mountains over the horizon. Doll's gaze instantly whips to confirm what Lizzy said.

"[Sunrise?]" Doll whispers to herself, feeling panic creeping along her spine, to which Lizzy rolls her eyes.

"Duh? Look." She points out, and sure enough, there it is. Quickly, Doll tugs Lizzy's arm and begins to walk back to the Bunker, wasting no time. Lizzy is startled by the sudden change in plans and behaviour, as this is unusual of Doll. "Woah, hey! Slow it down, girl, what're you doing?! We gotta get more junk, y'know!"

Doll just ignores her girlfriend, aside from a quick '[I'm in a hurry. Got stuff to do.]' as and excuse. Lizzy furrows her digi-brows in confusion, tilting her head as she speed-walks alongside Doll. Didn't Doll say, at the start of this, that she finally finished everything she had planned out? That her dorky tech stuff was done? If that's true, then... Doll is lying. Lizzy just bites her tongue and goes along with it. She'd need to read into this more.

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'Okay, this is it...' Lizzy thinks to herself, crouching as she creeps around a secluded area in the Bunker that literally no-one goes to because of how unfinished it is. Though, Doll went creeping around here, so she's obviously doing really ominous and weird stuff that Lizzy wants to get to the bottom of.

Rounding a dusty corner, the sound of... Slurping? Getting louder, Lizzy squints at the darkened side of the room and, due to her eyes being literal lights, Lizzy is able to see Doll clearly.

Oil. Everywhere.

Doll sinks her elongated canines into the exposed oil tubes of a recently deceased Worker Drone, her long tongue lapping up the droplets she didn't collect. Lizzy genuinely cannot believe what she's looking at. Her girlfriend is a freaking Murderer.

"Doll!? What the hell are you doing!?" Lizzy screeches, revealing herself to her girlfriend and cringing at the string of saliva-infused oil that breaks from Doll's lips. Doll's crimson optics hollow as she immediately scrambles to her feet, kicking the body behind her.

"[Lizzy!? What are you-- Did you follow me?]" Doll worriedly asks, a guilty expression on her screen as Lizzy nods with confusion and alarm. Doll sighs shakily, running her hand through her hair in a sign of stress. "[Then, you saw. I... I'll explain it all to you, Lizzy, but please... Don't run away...]" Doll quietly pleads.

"You better." Lizzy scoffs, walking towards her girlfriend and pulling her away from the body. Lizzy sits Doll down and crouches in front of her, trying her best to comfort Doll, even though she's internally freaking out.

"[I am infected with a virus, of sorts. Absolute Solver. It causes me to be fatally sensitive to sunlight and disgusted by usual foods. This is my only option; oil. I wouldn't normally kill, but the nurse's office ran out of oil transfusion bags.]" Doll explains sullenly, Lizzy intently focusing on everything Doll says from start to finish. Lizzy furrows her digi-brows, before sighing and nodding lightly.

"Damn, girl. Guess that kinda explains a lot, actually... So, like. Vampire trope, like that outdated TV show?" Lizzy references, Doll snorting at her in humour, agreeing. Lizzy grins, before grabbing hold of the Russian girl's hands, despite the oil. "Hot. I'm cool with it if you wanna, like, take a bit of my oil whenever you're hungry or whatevs. Just to, y'know, stop the murders 'n all..." Lizzy offers.

Doll blinks at Lizzy owlishly. Would she truly be willing to do that? Lizzy is never often this generous or anything of the sort, she'd most likely rather scream and run off. It baffles Doll as to why Lizzy hasn't. "[Are you... Sure...?]" Doll whispers, hesitant.

"You bet. I don't mind doing a bit of charity work if it's for you, girl." Lizzy giggles, lightening the mood as she pulls her gross girlfriend up from the floor and walking with her down the hallway. "Now, let's head off and get you clean. Can't have you looking like that in public." Lizzy huffs.

Doll just quietly follows Lizzy along, squeezing her hand and blushing when she feels Lizzy squeeze back. This actually hadn't turned out to be the mess she thought it would. All that stressing for nothing... Well... At least Lizzy chose to stick around. That's all Doll ever wants.

"[... Right. Let's go.]"

Chapter Text

In the midst of the silent night, sitting alone in her vibrant pink room unique to fit her style, Lizzy holds her head in her hands as she sits at the edge of her bed. Conflicted. There's an issue with having a massive crush on two completely different Drones at once, one having a severe bloodlust for revenge on the other. It's at this time, now, that Lizzy really questions her taste in girls. There's a pattern, here.

It started off so simple. Of course, meeting Doll first meant having a crush on her for longer and having a strong bond that just made them both click immediately, and Lizzy doesn't ever wanna give that up for anything. If she can try a relationship with her, then she'll give it her best shot! But then, the hard part came along with Doll's assassination plan that made it all the more complicated.

V. Just like with Doll, after a few hangout sessions and getting to know one another, Lizzy had developed quite a liking for V and honestly, who the hell wouldn't?? That sleek body, her beautiful silver hair and that sass she uses to present herself?? Ugh, swooning! Lizzy oftentimes finds herself blushing whenever she texts V late at night and it's not something she can push back anymore, though she tried.

It was only last night that Lizzy confessed to Doll. Thanking every friggin' deity that could ever exist, Lizzy has an official relationship with Doll and it's fresh, but Lizzy's on a lovesick high over it. That's why she tried to push back the crush on V. It's not fair to Doll if she said she loves her, but then immediately says that she's also in love with V right after, but, again, this isn't something Lizzy can push back anymore.

Lizzy is really hesitant about confessing to V, and even moreso about confessing that she wants a potential polyamorous relationship with the two enemies. What would V think of her? What would Doll think of her? The best outcome? She gets them both and they all learn to compromise. The worst? They shun her. Doll cuts herself off from Lizzy and V finds her disgusting for having the gall to even suggest it. That's what Lizzy fears.

But they wouldn't, right? Not after everything they've done together, they couldn't just ditch her for her own feelings. They'd let her down easy. That's what Lizzy's been telling herself for the past hour while she stares at V's profile picture on the social media app she made her get.

Steeling herself, Lizzy swipes the app off and presses on the messenger app, beginning to text Doll. After a quick discussion that states Lizzy needing Doll for something important, Lizzy knows she has about three seconds until---

Blip. "[I'm here.]" She's here.

Sighing, trying her best not to reveal her absolute panic, Lizzy gestures for Doll to sit down next to her, which the Russian girl obediently complies. "Okay, girl, I gotta talk to you 'bout... Something you probs won't like, but..." Lizzy inhales, Doll looking a little worried, yet remaining silent. "I should've told you this from the start, but I was scared you wouldn't even consider dating me an all, y'know, but... I-I... God, uh... I love V, too, Doll." Lizzy spits out, clenching her optics closed as to desperately avoid looking at her new girlfriend.

The darkness in her vision giving her confidence, Lizzy presses onwards, ignoring the weight in her stomach. "I-I know you totally hate her and all, but I can't help how I feel! I should've said it before, I don't want you to feel like I trapped you into dating me before I did, but... Yeah, girl..." Lizzy concludes, opening one singular optic as the silence drones on for longer.

Doll's expression is shocked. Shocked, and a little hurt, as well as somewhat cold. Doll feels like she should feel betrayed by that, but... She understands where Lizzy's coming from. She's nervous, because of the whole 'vengeance' thing. If Doll didn't love Lizzy as much as she does, she'd be gone before Lizzy could blink. But Doll does. And that's part of the problem, too. Loving Lizzy means she wants to stick around for everything that happen, but it also means, if Lizzy's serious, that she'll possibly have to put up with V.

Doll doesn't know how she'll take to V kissing and cuddling up to what Doll wants as hers and hers alone, but she's unable to control Lizzy or how she feels, and has as much control over that as Lizzy herself does. Why can't she just have something that's hers? Not shared, not ruined and not 'occasionally', but just... Hers to keep. Is it too much to have something to treat herself with, or is that just not how the game's played for her? V just ruins everything. But Lizzy loves her.

So, Doll backs down and relaxes, despite herself. "[Truly? You truly love us both?]" Doll murmurs, gaze softening with the utterly miserable nod from her girlfriend. Sighing, Doll just blinks slowly. "[I can't promise you anything. I cannot promise that this will work out, I cannot promise that we'll go about this smoothly without conflict, and I cannot promise that V will reciprocate your feelings. But... I will try. For you. Do you understand?]" Doll gently questions, tilting her head.

Lizzy nods, staring at her hands as to avoid looking at Doll directly. Despite the rising hope and gratitude in her systems, Lizzy can't help but feel the guilt of her feelings. "Yeah. Thanks, girl... I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't even expect to love her..." Lizzy whispers, watching from her peripherals as Doll types away on Lizzy's phone, likely to call V over.

Doll doesn't grace Lizzy with anything more than an acknowledging hum, focused on messaging V about the whole ordeal to make it easier for Lizzy, as Doll knows how to properly articulate herself as to not mess things up for Lizzy.

A few tense, silent minutes later, V cracks open the newly installed window in Lizzy's room and crawls in, Doll rolling her optics at the undignified and creepy entrance. She tries her best not to attack V on sight, instead letting the two talk it out as she watches silently. V sits on the opposite side of Lizzy, raising her digi-brow.

"So. BugFreak told me a lil somethin'. That true?" V asks, kinda confused and anxious, yet putting up her usual nonchalant front so Lizzy doesn't become even more nervous than she looks. V glances at Doll, who just gives her a resigned glare. The cheerleader nods, curling into herself with a blush.

"Yup... I love you. Both of you. It's freaking weird and totally inconvenient, coz you two literally hate each other and all, but... I do. A-and if you wanna either make this work, or leave, I'm cool with it." Lizzy meekly adds, totally not as cool with it as she tries to convey. V grumbles to herself and crosses her arms, Doll watching carefully, ready to punt V into next year if she so much as makes a single tear fall from Lizzy's optic.

The Disassembly Drone sighs as she ponders for a moment. Lizzy likes her... And Doll, who's already dating her as of yesterday; she remembers the slight jealous tinge she felt when Lizzy gushed about it to her over the phone. Honestly? V's cool with polyamorous stuff, she doesn't care, as long as she's eating the girl she wants to. So. Yeah. V reciprocates the feelings, but... Doll's an issue.

The girl, to put it short, is completely insane. Understandably, but still off the chain with bloodlust and the fact that she's infected with the AbsoluteSolver isn't exactly a key interest for V and puts a slight damper on things. Plus, Doll doesn't seem like the sharing type, despite V being open to it. She supposes she gets it, since she knows Doll hasn't had anyone to love for a long time and an opportunity finally presents itself, but she has to share. V'd be pissed about it too, if she was in that position.

Yet, sympathising with that brat is pointless. She's not worth V's time. But Lizzy is. And if V has to send that freak into orbit for a nice couple of days for alone time with Lizzy, then so be it. Inhaling softly, V makes her choice.

"Fine. It's cool, I'm down for it, as long as you don't start anything." V snaps, pointing at Doll accusingly, who growls in response to the semi-violent warning. Lizzy gapes, her optics wide, before she pulls both Drones in for a gentle hug. The two Murderers blush, before begrudgingly hugging Lizzy back, careful not to make contact with the other.

"Really!? Like, seriously!?! You're both gonna go through with this, no problems?!" Lizzy squeals, a grin lighting up her face as she grabs both of their hands in a death grip, causing them to wince a little. V scoffs.

"Oh, there's gonna be problems," V informs, snarling at Doll. "But yeah. We're both down. Love ya, Liz, that's why we're doing this." V admits, giving Lizzy a gentle kiss, Lizzy giggling into the loving contact. Doll immediately narrows her eyes, flinching as she instinctively attempts to beat V into the ground, only to jolt as Lizzy quickly shuts her down by pressing a kiss against her lips as well.

Giggling at Doll's stunned expression, Lizzy gently guides the Russian Drone to rest her head in her lap, Doll hesitant about looking so relaxed and vulnerable in front of V, but allowing it. "Literally, I'm like, so freaking grateful both of you actually wanna try this thing out. I get that you both got major issues, but... We'll sort 'em out. Hey, I got a bonding idea!" Lizzy suddenly exclaims. "How about a sleepover? Y'know, to celebrate or whatever?" Lizzy smirks, V and Doll looking at each other blankly, before sighing with a fond smile and nodding.

"[Of course.]"

"Sure, Liz, sounds cool."

Elated with the unanimous agreement, Lizzy immediately rushes off to gather all the sleepover necessities she has stored away for the occasion. V grins at the excitement, glancing at Doll, who seems just as happy with Lizzy's joy. The two accidentally make eye contact, and instantly grunt and look away, only to perk back up as Lizzy returns.

The trio, though unsteady with how things are right now, are pretty happy with the current situation, even though they're aware of the upcoming challenges ahead. Lizzy knows dating two enemies won't be easy by any means, but she's so appreciative that they're trying for her, because it means that much to them.

Lizzy is honestly really positive about the future ahead, as rough as it's gonna be.

Chapter Text

"You what."

"[You asked me to tell them we needed to tell them something. So, they're waiting inside the Bunker.]"

"I told you not to do that! You can't seriously be that freaking deaf, idiot! This is why I tell you to pay actual attention to what I'm saying!"

"[Half the time, you are ranting about committing genocide on the human race. Nothing to listen out for.]"

The two Drones, both bickering in the snow where they chose to discuss the Issue™, are panicked and on a time constraint, due to poor communication and a lack of interest in what the other is saying. Prom is literally in a day and Uzi and Doll haven't heard anything about it, surprisingly. Everyone has just kept it a secret from specifically them two, because of last time and it's understandable, honestly.

Doll had accused Lizzy of it, and Lizzy had just replied that she's been too busy to tell Doll about it, and that she thought she already knew anyways and that it wasn't a secret thing, which Doll responded with a harsh scoff. Said scoff was immediately muffled by a kiss that nearly shut her down, but still, Doll wasn't pleased. Neither was Uzi, when Doll told her about it.

Now? The two girls are rapidly trying their best to shape up for the night and hype themselves up for it, Uzi snapping out of her annoyance to grab her friend's hands, which are a little shaky due to her nervousness that Uzi's easily capable of picking up on.

"Okay, okay! We gotta do this quick, then! Look, it'll be fine, Lizzy's probably totally down to go to prom with you, why wouldn't she?? At least she'll be more receptive than freaking N!" Uzi shouts, digital sweat sliding down her screen as she shakily grins at Doll, who looks completely unamused by Uzi's pathetic display.

"[Calm down. We should... Be fine. You know N adores you, Uzi, he'd be the last person to reject you. We'll be fine. We just need to get it over with.]" Doll states, letting go of Uzi's hands and beginning to trudge back into the Bunker, where the other two are sure to be waiting. Doll immediately pulls out her phone and scrolls to N's number, quickly texting him to go to Uzi's room. With a thumbs up emoji in reply, Doll looks back at Uzi, who's muttering to herself as she follows Doll along.

"[I texted N to go to your room. Meet him there.]" Doll instructs, before disappearing in a flash of crimson lightning. Uzi's hollowed optics stare at the slight burn mark in the snow, before throwing her head back and groaning as she redirects herself to her window, which she's an expert in climbing through due to prior escape attempts from being grounded.

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Blip.

"Aaaand here she is!" Lizzy lightly exclaims, playfully grinning at her recently acquired girlfriend of two months. Doll deadpans at Lizzy, before clasping her hands in her own, knowing Lizzy's already anticipating something to be discussed. Gathering up all her courage and determination, Doll speaks.

"[Lizzy... I know this is late and all, but will you---]"

"Yeah."

....

....

"[.... H-How did you--?]"

Lizzy sighs and knocks Doll on the head a few times, Doll blinking with each light tap. "Hellooo? Anyone in there?? I said yeah, and that's all ya gotta know." Lizzy sassily drawls, lightly circling Doll's cheek with her index finger. Doll, still baffled, offers no response as she desperately tries to work her CPU to figure out how Lizzy knew. "C'mon, we both heard ya out there. Uzi's shouting isn't exactly quiet." With that, Lizzy pulls Doll along to pick out a prom dress for tomorrow night.

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Uzi sighs as she flops into her room from the window, greeting N from her position on the ground before she picks herself up to nervously sit on the bed beside him. The sweet Disassembly Drone tries to desperately hold his tail to keep it from wagging, a blush flickering on and off of his screen to keep a lid on his emotions from being too visible.

Uzi raises a digi-brow, but quickly shakes her head and begins her anxious babbling of a request. "So, N... You know I don't usually like social events, but..."

"Yeah?"

"L-Like, I was just wondering if, uhm..."

"Uh-huh!?"

"Uh... You..?"

"Heeheehee! Go on!"

".... It feels like you know something I don't, dude. Wanna spill?" Uzi asks nervously, glancing between N and the window, wondering if this is a good sign to make a break for it to cool herself off in the snow. Unable to contain himself, N giggles.

"We heard you and Lizzy talking about prom outside! And, uhm, I-I'd honestly really like it if we went together! If, uh, that's still cool with you!" N admits, Uzi stammering before groaning in embarrassment and burying her face into N's jacket. N snickers and hugs Uzi close to him, stroking her hair.

Uzi sighs, relieved. "... Yeah. Thanks a lot, N, but just... Don't make me anxious like that again."

N sheepishly grins. "Noted."

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Prom night. The music is booming throughout the soundproof room within the colony, multicoloured lights lifting the mood into a playfully wild atmosphere and Drones are dancing to the music the DJ, Thad (since he signed up for it this time around because the others are tired of the playlists), is playing for them.

N and Uzi are seen awkwardly dancing together in the middle of the dancefloor, the Drones crowding around them chanting their names to boost their confidence. However, confidence doesn't help their sheer lack of dancing skills as N steps on Uzi's foot and causes her to lose balance. Uzi yelps and grips N's dapper-looking tuxedo to try bring herself back up, but N also loses stability and promptly collapses on top of Uzi.

The two Drones blush heavily at the accidental close proximity, before hugging each other closely and laughing at the tumble, too elated with each other to care about anyone else's opinions or feel embarrassed. Not that they're negative anyways; the others just snicker and continue on with their night.

Meanwhile, Doll and Lizzy sit on the table near the beverages they may or may not have spiked, watching as the others enjoy themselves. Lizzy places her phone back in her pocket, now having a video of the fall secured in the device. Lizzy turns to her girlfriend, nudging her shoulder. "Hey, hun, wanna get out there?" She smugly asks, ready to actually do something other than just spectate. With a smirk, Doll takes Lizzy's hand and teleports them out to the floor.

Having had a few private dance sessions of their own, Doll and Lizzy are surprisingly well-versed in the activity as they both move alongside one another. The Russian girl twirls Lizzy around before holding her hand and leaning back, Lizzy doing the same with a slight laugh and blush. Doll grins and squeezes Lizzy's hand, teleporting them both to switch sides on beat with the music.

Lizzy, used to the feeling, enjoys the unique style of dance with Doll and promptly breaks away, stepping back from Doll a few steps and turns away, outstretching her arms forward, grinning as Doll teleports in front of her and crashes into them, spinning them both around.

Lizzy and Doll both blink in surprise at the sudden close contact, between their faces, not having kissed before or going anything above flirting and loving hugs. Lizzy looks away from Doll bashfully, Doll tilting her head with a worried frown, only to release a muffled gasp as Lizzy slams her lips into Doll's with a heavy, pink blush.

Shakily, Doll places her hands on Lizzy's waist and melts into the inexperienced, yet perfect, kiss as Lizzy wraps her arms around Doll's neck. The Drones around them point it out and immediately cheer for the two.

N and Uzi smirk to each other, fist bumping as they look upon the scene together. N nudges Uzi's shoulder, promoting the smaller Drone to look up at him, before N nervously gulps and gently presses his own lips against Uzi's, inspired by the other two. Uzi's optics hollow, before she slowly holds his hands and smiles into the contact she's totally not been wishing for since she got together with him.

Uzi quickly pushes N away before anyone notices, N grinning bashfully and wrapping his tail around Uzi's waist as he pulls her into another dance. The night has been absolutely perfect and the four Drones couldn't've had a better one if they tried. With their respective partner, they feel like they could spend a lifetime in their arms, just dancing to the dull beat in the back of their minds while they focus on the sight of the other in front of them.

Smiling, Thad places his phone next to him on the DJ desk, making sure the flash was off so he doesn't get immediately jumped by two incredibly sassy and indignant Drones and forced to delete it, having captured the perfect shot of both kisses of the night. Thad snickers to himself as he switches the beat up to a new one.

"This is so going on my socials tomorrow."

Chapter Text

Since the fresh age of seven, Doll has been on her own. It has been an extremely gruelling process to get to even the age of eight, always being shunned and brushed off by the other vampires in the cave hideout thing (not like it has an official name) for being too 'creepy' or 'bloodthirsty', as if that wasn't their whole purpose.

Doll was far more tame before her parents died. Always 'such a nice young girl' and 'in need of proper ire', as told by the elders. Now that her parents are dead and gone because humans couldn't handle what they don't understand? Now that there's two corpses lying in the dirt of The Cave? Now that Doll is an expert hunter of humans and one of the highest in the ranks? Doll is seen as far too dangerous. A risk.

Therefore, she was shunned and oftentimes had to wonder outside of The Cave in order to feed, just to earn even the slightest amount of blood she wasn't provided like she should've been. The concept of neglect was not lost on Doll, and perhaps it was better to learn to live solitarily. This sole reason was why she's so strong in the first place; if you know how to get it, you will know how to get it. It's that simple. Doll is used to being alone, expecting this to run with her in the race of life. That's just how it is. That's what being neglected gets her.

Doll had found it pathetic that even such skilled hunters back at The Cave averted their gaze from someone who could potentially challenge even them. Maybe that's why they're afraid. Or Doll is just being foolish and self-absorbed, but there's no room to feel anything else in this world. Not after having seen the truth of it for so long.

But... Through one thousand and three hundred years, of living through sheer abandonment, trauma and horrors committed by multiple humans... Doll has seen the evolution of them. The industrial revolution, the treaty of Versailles to wish for peace and retribution, the bounce-back of the human population from a deviating event... Doll knows this specific species carries an unholy amount of determination to live. To prosper.

So, that is why she had left, in the middle of the night, to fly on down towards a large human city. Las... Las Vegas? Is that what they called it? It had gone by many names in the past, when it was being built. Doll had to learn the 'slang' and new way the current generation of humans speak, in order to have any hope of getting somewhere with them. She just needs to figure out how to blend in rather than just hide away... Hhmph.

... She has somewhat casual clothes. A Russian staple, a Ushanka, sits atop her head just like it had her father's, the crimson star placed within the middle innocently. The only weird thing about her would be the odd trench coat made of fine leather back in the 1700s, still in mint condition, may she pridefully boast. That, and the talons Doll bears for feet. Bird-like, to better swipe up prey from the air. She supposes that, if they do not look down, she is safe.

Clawed feet padding along the concrete footpath of the darkened streets, Doll is surprised at how many people are wondering about at this hour. They're all laughing in groups or walking alone with weird, white devices attached to their ears. Some even stumble and sway with a bottle of fine Whiskey or Vodka. Is this meant to be a unique night? Is this how they commonly act?

Pulling her trench coat tighter around herself, Doll just winces at their antics and sidesteps away from them, even though she's already on the other side of the street. Doll shakes her head, long hair covering her triangular, abnormal ears from being too noticeable. "[Odd... Nothing like before...]" Doll gently whispers to herself, holding herself back from sprouting out her wings and flying away.

Reaching for her bravery, her determination, Doll continues. Where, she does not know.

It's only when Doll, head lowered and arms wrapped around herself, tanks the hit of a warm body crashing against her own. Sturdy, Doll doesn't falter, yet the opposing threat(?) is sent to the ground with a grunt that conveys more irritation than it does pain or surprise. Doll tilts her head curiously, holding her hand out, only to yelp in surprise when the girl bounces back on her feet and begins... Yelling.

"Uhm, excuse me, can you freaking watch where the hell you're walking!? God, you don't run the damn streets, you gotta learn to move over! Jeez, the hell's up with your style, girl?? It's giving, like... The Great Depression, damn!"

And that's how Doll had accidentally encountered the most luminous and determined spark that set her life into the greatest wildfire Doll refuses to extinguish.

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It has been an interesting couple of years. Doll had never thought Lizzy would stick around for this long; Doll is everything Lizzy's not. She's not even the same species as her! It is astounding to Doll that Lizzy didn't drive a stake through her heart when she'd revealed that fact, too. For someone as secretive as Doll, Doll is really bad at keeping her main secret under wraps.

It was obvious to Lizzy, Doll had been told, especially since she's filled out all the checkpoints for a vampire based on what she does. She never goes out in sunlight, she avoids garlic, she speaks fluent nerd, she has a somewhat personal understanding of history and she literally outed herself the first month of them knowing each other.

"[Ugh... I am in dire need of stretching my wings. It is tiring keeping them in.]"

"What?"

"[Lizzy!?]"

And that's basically how it kickstarted. Lizzy marveled over the fact that she had a 'Vampy Bestie', as she'd called it multiple times prior. She's even gotten that as her nickname in her phone, which is an extraordinary piece of technology Doll is not at all familiar with. It has taken Lizzy years to get Doll to understand how everything works. And the slang. Especially the slang.

Doll oftentimes has trouble understanding exactly what Lizzy's saying, as she uses an intensely modified version of the modern English Doll has mastered. It's like it's spun on its head the second Doll met Lizzy. It entices a small thrill and a confusion deep within Doll. She opts to ignore the mysterious feeling.

At one point, Doll had asked Lizzy why she's even bothering with her, why she hasn't outed her yet. Doll is a ruthless Murderer and needs blood to survive (which Lizzy sometimes provides) and she is the complete opposite of what she expected Lizzy to want. Lizzy's reply really struck a chord with Doll.

"Pfft, why wouldn't I wanna chill with you, girly? You're totally, like... Real. Y'know? You're some weird, probably immortal dork that spills dorky history facts at random, you got totes comfortable wings, you're hot and just... Really nice to hang out with."

"[I... Understand. Sort of. I appreciate your companionship, Lizzy. You are enjoyable company as well. I like you. Yet... I am not... 'hot'. Rather, my body temperature falls below yours by approximately---]"

"Chill it with the nerd talk, bestie. I meant, l-like... Eh, you'll learn. I'll teach ya, maybe."

Those words stick with her. She thinks about them often. Especially in times like this, where she's sitting alone in the modified shed-house thing Lizzy helped her turn into more of a home than an eyesore. Lizzy would offer for Doll to move in, but Doll has literally no money and rent alongside food isn't... Something she can afford if Doll moves in. Doll stated that she can rob people or sell some spare organs to company she'd know enjoy it, but Lizzy shut that down quickly.

"Dolly! Guess what I got!" A rambunctious voice bursts from outside and leaks within the echo-y walls of the shed. Doll immediately perks up, excited to see her friend.

The eccentric girl stumbles into the shed with a packet of... Something colourful. They're very small and shiny, much like what Lizzy usually brings her. These items vary from hair brushes to some odd game called 'Uno'. Doll had strayed from the frustrating game--- She never quite understood it. Those items lay neatly in a sterilised corner, safe and clean.

Lizzy sits beside Doll, thighs touching, as the blonde girl hands over the packet to the vampire. "Hair clips! They're usually for clipping hair outta your face, but like, I totally got you these because you'd totally slay in them, girl." Lizzy compliments, nudging her friend with her elbow.

Doll squints and tears the hair clips out of the packet messily, curiously examining them, turning them in her fingers. Lizzy helps her out and clips a pink one in her fringe, grinning at the item. Doll just smiles. It feels nice. "[I suppose... I like it. But... 'slay'? This is not exactly battle attire, Lizzy.]" Doll informs, Lizzy rolling her eyes.

"Slang, girl." She sighs good-naturedly. She's really gotta update Doll on this stuff.

"[Ah. Understood.]" Doll mutters gently, before grabbing a hair clip --A pink one-- and clipping it into Lizzy's hair. Doll admires her work, Lizzy's face heating up from such gentle contact with her bestie. "[We match.]" Doll notes, Lizzy dimly recognising the fact as true.

The blonde girl's lips quirk in an amused smile, before she turns herself around and flops backwards onto Doll's lap, Doll's legs on either side of Lizzy's body. The vampire doesn't flinch, used to this behaviour. Instead, she relaxes and wraps her arms around Lizzy's lower torso, releasing a calm sigh. This is the type of stuff she came down here for. Screw The Cave, this was way better.

This human was... Incredibly kind and unique, not like the others she sees from day to day. Lizzy was so nice to her, despite how cruel and patronizing she was to others. Lizzy was a good friend, she makes Doll's chest feel warm. Really warm. Maybe it's because Lizzy's body heat sinking into her lack of one? Doesn't matter.

Reaching one hand down to intertwine her fingers with Lizzy's, the two girls relax in each other's embrace, completely comfortable and at ease with the other. Lizzy glances down at their conjoined hands, before smiling, a dusting of blush gracing her lively cheeks.

Chapter Text

Cyn's corpse crosses its arms as she stares at Doll through the Totally Hidden and Not Creepy At All security camera she had creepily installed in her room while she was out. Being peaceful. Cyn knew that Doll has slowly forgotten about her grasp on her, and she is getting bored. Doll was one of her best puppets! Who else would give her the same fun and excitingly aggressive reactions as Doll does?? Uzi is... An option, but her aggression gets old fast. Doll, however, Cyn is drawn to.

To be so calm one second and a vile beast the next, well, it reminds Cyn of herself. It's not an uncommon trait in Worker Drones that aren't in a constant state of cognitive dissonance, but it's still fun to witness and mess with. That being said, Cyn cannot play with Doll if Doll isn't using her gift she ever so generously forced her entire bloodline to have! Maybe it's time to... Bring it out herself, as well as get rid of Yeva. Again. Ooh! Time to test her new creations! What a perfect opportunity.

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Honestly, given everything... Doll never imagined she could be happy with what she had anymore, but that was when she had nothing. (Well, besides Lizzy. Maybe that kept her sanity.) Yet, in two months that she'll never forget, everything changed. Suddenly, Doll had more in her life to look forward to. Her mother had come back from the dead and, while her father will not return, she will no longer grieve alone.

It was almost unreal, the first few weeks. Doll immediately kept telling herself that everything was fake and she's hallucinating yet again due to lack of oil or sleep deprivation. It was drilled into her head the third week, when she snapped out of her self-created lie. Doll had slowly gotten used to her new life, as strange as getting back into living with her mother, and not her corpse, is.

Yet, in the back of her mind, she knows that she's forgotten about the most important rule to follow in a place like this. Don't get too comfortable.

Currently in her room, lying on the carpeted floor with Lizzy and switching between cuddling and brushing each other's hair, Doll is content. She can hear her mother hum to herself as she cooks up whatever it is she's cooking. Smells like wires, could be something else. Oddly enough, when Yeva asked where Nori was, she seemed far more tame with the fact that she's dead than Doll thinks she should be. Weren't they close? Doll would have to ask another time.

"Yo, Doll. Check this out, girl." Lizzy nudges Doll to get her attention, angling her phone so Doll can see whatever Lizzy's enthusiastic about this time. Doll deadpans as she sees Lizzy's new social media post; a picture of her and Doll laying together, Doll dead asleep.

"[You lack boundaries.]" The Russian girl simply states, Lizzy shrugging nonchalantly. Lizzy didn't even think they had any boundaries at this point, but Doll doesn't seem to share the same opinion.

"It's totally cute, though, c'mon." Doll's smug girlfriend presses, shaking the phone in Doll's face. Doll gives no reaction other than a slow blink. Lizzy knows she knows. "Someone's sour, jeez." Lizzy scoffs, turning back to mindlessly tap on her phone. Doll indulges herself in her own thoughts, staring at her hand that was intertwined with Lizzy's.

The Solver Program isn't something she's used in a long time, Doll preferring not to make it a habit. It reminds her of the brat she's been trying to avoid, and being connected to her in some form, it's not the most comforting of thoughts. Yeva said she could sort it, but... Can she?

Ah. She's being pessimistic. Lizzy said that wasn't the best way to go about everything. She's right, Doll supposes, so it might be time to take a quick nap before dinner to rid herself of the thoughts. Doll's optics display two, horizontal lines, imitating closed eyes as she rests her head against Lizzy's shoulder. She doesn't miss the subtle smile her preppy girlfriend tries to hide.

But, of course, the golden rule. Don't get too comfortable.

With a startling bang! Doll and Lizzy both flinch and scramble out into the main room of the house. Yeva's standing in the middle, Solver at the ready and teeth bared in a stressed form of aggression as she stares at...

Oh.

Oh.

Three... Disassembly Drones? Can Doll call them that? Mixed in with fleshy veins that wrap around their limbs and branches off into their chassis, they pulse blood throughout their bodies and into their disgusting brains in order to keep them alive. Or, a ghost of life, as this isn't what Doll would call it. This isn't life. It's a mimic.

The wall in front of them is completely demolished, some pieces sticking to the veins and subsequently being absorbed into the flesh as it is, technically, matter and matter can be improvised by Cyn's sick creations, turned into something new. Bad.

These three Drones seem far too strong for their own good, and by the way they're bumbling around and stumbling into each other, Doll would say they don't know how to use that strength. She almost feels bad, but they probably don't feel any pain. Yeva slowly lifts a few knives with her Solver and raises them, Doll following suit, but due to her rustiness and neglect of using it, the knife she was trying to life clatters to the ground noisily and alerts the three Drones.

Click!

They're momentarily stunned by Lizzy's phone camera. Hand on her hip, she grins at her phone. "Nice." With a roll of her optics, Doll shoves Lizzy into her room and locks the door, ignoring Lizzy's defiant insult she yelled out.

Doll yelps as one of the Disassembly Drones leap towards her, the Russian girl acting quick and grabbing a knife. She plunges it into the Core, but it keeps moving forward to try and reach her. Doll grits her teeth as she realises that the Core was never illuminated, it's dead as well. Wait...

"[The brain! It has a brain!]" Doll calls over to Yeva, who knocks her opponent down in order to cut off the Disassembly Drone's head. It falls to her feet, listless. Yeva turns to her daughter, raising her digi-brow.

"[Uh huh...?]" She slowly answers, gesturing for Doll to continue. Doll grunts as she kicks the Disassembly Drone to the corner, before growling at the other two.

"[The Core's dead, but the brain isn't. Do what you just did, knock the heads off and we will win.]" Doll informs, reading her knives that she shakily raises with the Solver. It takes far more effort than it used to.

"[Aww, look at my little one, being all logica--- Ooomph!]" Yeva is swiftly interrupted as the Disassembly Drone amalgamations both bite down on each of her arms and pull, nearly dislocating them, if one hadn't slipped and fallen clumsily. Yeva yelps and punches the other one off, but now cannot use the Solver, as her arms are too damaged to lift or use her hand. The wires that control her hands are exposed. And severed.

The Disassembly Drones are closing in. Doll can only watch. Momentarily, Doll is spectating the scene from a wrecked locker, V cackling as she kills off her father and soon, her mother. It's about to happen again. Doll is going to have a watch it again. But...

But...

Doll immediately snaps out of her daze and trembles with fear and rage as she levitates all of the knives she has out of their holders, and launches herself onto the closest Drone to her mother, Doll stabbing it rapidly as she bites and tears into the neck to decapitate the head. It falls off, but Doll keeps the knives stabbing into it, even as she swings herself at the next beast.

Doll's systems whirr loudly as she exerts all of her fruitful energy into murdering the beasts that dare step foot anywhere near her family. The knives completely blending the other Disassembly Drone, Doll skewers the current one's head off and sends more than a few knives down into the hollow neck, spinning them around and blending the insides of the creature. It can't kill if it has nothing to help it move with.

Panting, Doll slowly backs away from the two corpses, only to flinch when a moist, oily hand touches her own. Growling harshly as she whips around, Doll calms down when she recognises her mother's shocked face. Doll trembles. She's alive. She's still alive. Not gone, she isn't gone, she isn't hallucinating, she can't be.

Doll throws herself into Yeva's arms, shaking with relief when she doesn't just fall to the ground because her mother wasn't really there. Doll can't help but allow tears to run down her visor, as much as she hates herself for it. "[I am so sorry, mother, I-I did not realise this... T-this would spiral! I didn't know Cyn was still vengef--]"

"[Hush, please. I will heal the severed wires automatically, but I will receive appropriate medical attention. Relax, Doll. I am alive. I am fine, we are fine. Lizzy is fine.]" Yeva repeats, cooing as she forces herself to hug Doll, albeit loosely. Doll heaves as she nuzzles into her mother's embrace, Lizzy hesitantly emerging from her room to look upon the scene in concern. Yeva smiles softly as she notices Lizzy. "Ah, Lizzy. Would you mind calming Doll down while I locate Khan for his assistance?]" Yeva softly requests.

Lizzy gives Yeva a gentle nod as she gingerly pulls Doll from her grasp and into her own. Doll instantly latching onto Lizzy, Lizzy sighs with relief. "Yeah, sure, go for it. I've got Doll, she'll be fine with me. Get some help, girl." Lizzy encourages, before guiding Doll back to her room for some quiet time and affectionate comfort.

Yeva huffs as she watches the two disappear into Doll's room with a small smile, before turning to face the corner of the main room. Yeva frowns at the very obviously unamused security camera. "[A pathetic attempt. You are losing your touch.]" She sassily scoffs, before ambling off to go find Khan. Slithering down to collect her ruined mess of metal, oil and flesh, Cyn retracts into the wall.

"Glare. No fair, I was proud of those. Hum. You are oddly confident you will not die again. Let us see how long that lasts."

Chapter Text

"Bestie... I don't even think I wanna do this plan with you anymore. You totes botched the nerd-gun thing, how the hell are you gonna kill a Murder Drone??" Lizzy quips, nudging her friend with her elbow as she presses the ice pack to Uzi's visor. It doesn't exactly do much aside from cool down the overworked circuits in there that are still trying to calm down from registering the literal flashbang it experienced from Uzi's railgun malfunction.

"It's not nerdy, and I never exactly gave it a test run! Don't judge me! Also, you're still coming with, I'm not doing this alone!" Uzi barks at Lizzy, trying not to let her smile show, before shoving her hand away and holding the ice pack to her head herself. She's literally only a year younger than Lizzy; she's basically a mature adult! (If an adult was 17 and a half!)

Lizzy just huffs an amused snort, before relaxing besides Uzi and tapping away on her phone until the end of the lesson. It was honestly the most gossiped-about thing when she became friends with Uzi, as Uzi's literally the most freakish Drone to ever walk the Bunker (she literally rocked up to school on the first day and people avoided her because 'durrr hot topic mainstream'), and Lizzy's the most favoured and popular girl school. Yet, Lizzy'd taken pity on seeing Uzi be constantly harassed and belittled both online and physically.

Not cool, that's not what being popular is about. And does Lizzy care that she had to drop a few bitchy friends and tank a hit to her public image? Nope. Uzi's more important than that; she's a literal person-- why isn't she being respected?? It's totally crazy. Most Drones think that their friendship is toxic because of how much they 'argue', everyone unusually uncustomed to friendly banter. Whatever. Lizzy doesn't even care, and neither does Uzi. Lizzy'd do a lot for Uzi and the line of what she wouldn't do for her is yet to be drawn.

But today, Lizzy thinks she's finally found it.

"Sooo... Wanna run the plan by me again? Y'know, so I can keep my head or whatever? (If I even go...)" Lizzy bluntly asks, Uzi grinning and startling Lizzy when she suddenly jumps up to stand on the chairs, a foot on each one. Lizzy doesn't know what she's getting into.

"Hell yeah! It's easy! You and me get out weapons ready, we sneak out there and get some power batteries if we can get 'em (coz I ruined our supply stock), but we're totally out there to kill a Murder Drone! Maybe even the entire group! Ahahahaha!!" Uzi cackles maniacally, only for Lizzy to roll her eyes and sit her back down forcefully. Uzi grunts as she watches Lizzy stand up and open the storage closet in the nurse's office, pulling out her own badass weapon.

It was built with inspiration from an old-fashioned rifle, yet really teched-up to fit the whole 'fuuutuuuree woooo' vibe, but also because it's really cool. There's a cute, little, pink bow charm hanging from the base. Within the barrel, there's a questionably powerful core thing in there that can blast out enough electrical charge to override a Drone's systems and completely fry them within a few seconds. Lizzy is extremely hesitant to use it.

"Ugh, so not my style. But, like, you even sure it's gonna work?? I don't--"

"Can it, seriously, stop worrying! I know what I'm doing! Mainly!" Uzi snaps, immediately defensive and angsty just like she always is when questioned. Lizzy sneers, then just sighs and looks at the door.

"... C'mon, then, dork. Let's get going."

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Uzi and Lizzy cackle together as they both exit the doors, leaving behind a suspicious Khan who's not buying the excuse of the impromptu door maintenance check. These two are the least likely to care about the doors at all. And he'd be right.

"Pffft, is he always that gullible?!" Lizzy snorts, twirling her rifle as she trudges through the crackly snow with her bestie. Uzi smirks, shrugging nonchalantly and batting her railgun against Lizzy's playfully.

"Always, but can ya blame him? All that empty space in his head can't even think about anything other than doors!" Uzi mocks, yelping in surprise as Lizzy pulls her away from smacking into a small pillar.

Of bodies.

Uzi then realises where exactly she is. She's currently surrounded by corpses, now inside of the... Weird, corpse spire thing she's only ever been told about. Huh... Uzi tilts her head. It's not only bodies in there, but other stuff. Shiny stuff, like a broken half of a music box, jewellery, a bunch of coins, a concerning amount of mosaic tiles and some glass pieces. Uzi read about this behaviour before; Disassembly Drones love shiny stuff. Bird freaks... Lizzy shudders and turns on her heel, whining when Uzi yanks her right back beside her. Pressing on, Uzi gives Lizzy an encouraging grin.

"Together?" She softly tilts her head. Lizzy smiles at Uzi gently, shoulders dropping.

"Together. Yeah."

Turning back to face the morbidity of the environment, Uzi quirks a digi-brow at a random arm, kicking it away from her in disgust. Feral... The purple-clad Drone sighs, flinching when she notices a sudden green light to the left of her. Is that...? Oh, score! Power core! Hell yeah! Uzi grins, only for her joy to be disrupted by Lizzy yanking her by the collar and running behind a really messed up looking car. Uzi snaps her harsh gaze towards her, only to pause as she sees Lizzy's terrified expression. Lizzy nudges her head towards the expanse of snow, and suddenly, Uzi understands.

Handgun at the ready, Uzi grabs a discarded mirror piece and rotates it so she can see behind her. Lizzy bites her lip; she doesn't know if she'll survive this stupid situation Uzi got her into. She's literally only got the weapon going for her in terms of combat.

Both Drones flinch as two ---(TWO!)--- individual Drones drop down from the sky and slam against the largest mound of bodies--- The corpse spire. One has long, silver hair and wears a ushanka and a warm-looking coat with furred lining sprouting from the sleeves, collar and hem alike, while the other wears a grey, oily trench coat with a hat fitting the thing's medium-length-haired head.

Both beasts tear into the same body, sharp teeth gnashing for an attempt to latch onto and pull apart the largest piece. The hat-wearing Drone wins over the large piece, gaining the torso and head while the other just receives the hips and legs. The long-haired Disassembly Drone seems to growl at the other, the other cowering a little, yet they both suddenly pause as if a switch had been flipped mysteriously.

Both Uzi and Lizzy are struck with fear as two, glowing, yellow X's are now facing them both. The hatted one waves, only for the other to flare its wings, pushing off of the hatted one like a leverage point and bucketing towards them both. Uzi grits her teeth and nudges Lizzy into action, jumping out and aiming her railgun at the hatted one. Uzi squints as she tries to aim, but the immediate billow of snow shooting around her from the hatted Disassembly Drone landing before her catches her off guard and causes her to drop her weapon. Damn!

Lizzy gasps in worry, but can't exactly do anything about it when the ushanka-wearing Murder Drone is literally running towards her on all fours like a rabid animal. Squealing, Lizzy fumbles to get her weapon into position and as soon as she manages to do so, the Murderer swipes the gun out of her grip. Lizzy cocks her hip out and flicks her hand at the creature's malevolent face. "Ugh, unnecessary, girl. You're so freaking extra, chill."

The hunter pauses for a mere second, confused at Lizzy's gall, yet disregarding it in order to jump up and pounce on Lizzy like a fox scrambling for prey hiding under snow. Lizzy grunts as she's knocked down, acting on impulse as she repetitively kicks it in the chest to try and escape. The Murder Drone giggles. "[Is this meant to hurt?]" It speaks, sounding like--- Wait, it speaks!?

"Woah, wait, gossip alert! You things can talk!?" Lizzy exclaims, halting in her kicking to gape at the Disassembly Drone above her. The hunter, disregarding its X, squints at Lizzy. This thing is... Oddly curious. Ew?

"[... Correct. But you are going to die, so it is irrelevant to you.]" She grins, sharp teeth lining her maw as she opens her mouth to take a bite. Lizzy whimpers shakily, turning her head and squinting her eyes in apprehension, trying her best to avoid the drool.

BBBBZZZZTTTT!!!

The Disassembly Drone above Lizzy is subsequently shaken by an insurmountable amount of volts rushing towards her systems and completely screwing up her internals in the head. She collapses onto Lizzy, who grits her teeth and rolls her off. Uzi, panting and messy, pulls Lizzy to her feet and secretly checks on her to make sure she's okay.

"Yeah, you're freaking welcome, by the way!" Uzi shouts, shoving Lizzy's weapon into her arms while her own rests in its holster on her back.

"Don't get all sassy, girl, jeez. Thanks for saving my life, or whatever, I'm totally indebted to you." Lizzy sarcastically scoffs, brushing off the snow from her cheerleader outfit. Lizzy opens her mouth to suggest leaving, only for her optics to expand in horror as both Disassembly Drones slowly regain their heads with a confusing method of weird, liquid metal and other... Key ingredients.

Clenching her fists and shoving Lizzy behind her, Uzi stomps her foot into the snow and runs up towards the trench coat Disassembly Drone, picking up an arm along the way and hitting him right across the head with it. He barely moves. All five of his bulb-eyes light up just below his hat, one illuminating in red. Bad? Is that bad?

"... Did you just hit me with that arm?" It questions, smiling as he points towards the arm in Uzi's grip. Uzi glances at it before chucking it away, blankly staring at the Murderer before her.

"Hoooly crap, it talks." She breathes, Lizzy coming up beside her and resting her arm on Uzi's head.

"I found out before you, just saying." She smugly remarks, Uzi rolling her purple eyelights at her friend. Stupid smug nerd. Uzi shoves Lizzy back a bit, the cheerleader yelping as she stumbles back into the other one. Right. There's another one. The second Disassembly Drone glares at Lizzy and nudges her forward. Sassy jerk.

The first Disassembly Drone sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "Yeeeeahhhh, my... Head kinda hurts, and I also can't seem to remember the past three hours of my life, but I'm sure that'll work itself out! Right, D?" He asks 'D', who raises a digi-brow.

"[I... Suppose, N. But we have more important matters to focus on. These two are supposedly new additions to our squad. They are... Compact.]" D mutters, a hand under her chin as she squints at the duo. 'N' copies D's pose, his optics narrowing more by the second as both Doll and Lizzy sweat nervously.

"Hmm... You're right...."

Suddenly, N perks back up and salutes to both of the new squad, tail wagging behind him. "I'm Serial Designation N, and this is Serial Designation D! I'm kinda the leader of the squad in this city--- That's not true. Everyone tells me I'm useless and terrible." N swiftly tacks on, D nodding in agreement.

Lizzy and Uzi both stare at him. What is going on.

"Wait, I'm not supposed to tell you that part! Biscuits! Whew, well... How about I---" N is cut off by D's hand on his mouth. N's optics hollow in surprise, but makes no move to take her hand off until she does so herself. Lo and behold, D's hand rests back beside herself.

"[N. No time. We need to return to the Pod as soon as possible. We will take these sudden, unquestioned new arrivals with us]." D informs, grabbing Lizzy's arm and zipping off with her, Lizzy shouting in fear. Uzi gasps and tries to follow D, desperate for Lizzy not to get hurt. N nervously grins, before swooping her up, too, and slamming back down near the Pod after a short flight.

Lizzy immediately tears herself out of D's arms as soon as she touches the ground. She takes her phone out and grimaces at her reflection in the camera. "Tsk, are you serious!? You got my hair all messed up!" Lizzy barks at D, who raises her digi-brow.

"[And?]"

Lizzy gapes, before scoffing and flippantly turning her head away. D simply blinks in response. Uzi, having already entered the Pod with N, is heard shouting at him. Lizzy rolls her eyes and leans against D, who recoils with visible discomfort.

"Ugh, there she goes again, with the whole rebellion trope. I gotta get that girl into new hobbies." Lizzy mutters, dusting off some snow from D's arm. D grabs Lizzy's wrist firmly and snarls, irritated with the touchy Drone. Where the hell did JCJenson get the mind to send these two here!?

"Lizzy! Lizzy, c'mon, let's bounce!" Uzi suddenly screams, yanking Lizzy from D's grasp. "There's others and they're gonna freaking know! Let's get going!" She informs, Lizzy now running beside Uzi. Lizzy turns back to wink at D.

"We should totally hang out!"

"[...]" D stands there, perplexed.

"Whew! Those two sudden arrivals that we aren't questioning for some strange reason sure are something! Eh, D?" N grins, nudging his squadmate gently. D nods softly, subconsciously gripping her Ushanka as she stares after the two.

"Yo, the hell are you two just dawdling around for!? We got, like, two Workers I kinda wanna practise balloon animal shapes with~!" V snickers, jumping down from her weird position on the corpse ceiling. D brushes some metal bits off of V's jacket, sighing softly, before blinking at V curiously.

"[Workers? No, they are---]"

*SMACK!*

"Wakey-wakey, you're meant to be killing them instead of ruminating on their existence! N's already gotten a hold of himself." J scoffs, jabbing her thumb behind her. N is a mere panicked speck, rushing towards the Bunker doors before they close.

D, now all five bulb-eyes working and yellow once more, adorns a shocked expression. Through her playback feed, she now realises her mistake. Those were Workers.

"[Ah. I will... Correct this.]" D assures, giving a submissive glance towards J. J crosses her arms and glares at D as she lifts off and soars towards the Bunker. V nods towards them.

"Should we...?"

J nods, sighing. "Yeah. Those two need supervision."

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"D! Look! I caused a massacre!" N joyfully points towards the corpses littering a small room with a flipped table and nanite-melted digital panel. D squints at N, licking up some oil from a body before dropping it.

"[Report it to J, don't inform me. We need to obliterate the rest if we want to do well with the kill count.]" D firmly instructs, stomping down the hall. N winces at the harsh tone, then shrinks into himself as screams follow D's stroll. N nervously looks away, before gulping and following. It'd be nice if D didn't feel the need to base everything around J's approval... Even if it's hypocritical for him to say that, given the situation with V.

N walks down the oily hallway, just in time to see a door shut right before D's form. N's optics hollow as she sees Lizzy covering her mouth in horror, Uzi pinned by D's sword, her hand dropping to her side in defeat and acceptance, mixed with disbelief. "D...? That Worker, did he just...?" He softly calls, only to stop as D lightly nods. N frowns in sympathy, stepping towards Uzi and seperating the sword from her torso...

... Only to slam her into the wall when he hears J and V's voice. D shoves Lizzy behind a large, green container and hesitantly glares at her boss and her friend, awaiting their next moves. J huffs, smiling and shaking her head.

"Woah. Nice work, you two!" V winks, tail lashing. D narrows her eyes, way too nervous and defensive.

"At ease, D, jeez. Also, N?? You broke in and did this?? I'm impressed! At this rate, we'll make top of the leaderboard for sure! And you know what that means~! Branded peeen~!" J condescendingly coos, clicking the pen in N's face. N marvels at it as J tosses the useless item in his hands.

N glances at Uzi, who's being held by an anxious Lizzy. Is... What he's doing, really worth it? D looks like she's questioning it, too, and she didn't even get the threat/pep talk Uzi gave him! Maybe they're wrong...? "Uhm-- J?"

J turns on her heel, V already in the vents. She says nothing, but that's enough to know that she's not messing around with that tone of his.

"Uhm, I was thinking and-- I sure do love all this, uh, really cool murder of (maybe not so different from us) Worker Drones and all! But... It's got me thinking... Why are we being sent in one direction in the first place? I don't... Think the company really loves robots and, y'know, we might be... Robots??? Haha, I've made a terrible mistake! It's cool how immediately I can tell--"

J interrupts N's monologue by slinking her way behind him, patting his back. The air feels dangerous. D grits her teeth in worry and anger. "Aww, no way, buddy~!"

D is shot in the face by J when she tries to step forward.

N yelps and tries to back away, but is locked in by J's tight grip. "Questioning the company? You just finally gave me the excuse I needed." J hisses, jamming some exclusive weaponry only she was equipped with into N's chest. He gags, feeling a multitude of malware and viruses litter his systems.

"T-thanks, J! A-always lo-ooking out f-foo-or me..." He weakly compliments, collapsing to his knees and falling onto his side. J poorly salutes him before bounding off. Lizzy, once the coast is clear, scrambles away from Uzi and to D, who's now slowly sitting up. Uzi hesitantly looks at N.

"A-aww-ww, bisc-uit-uit-uits... I'm sorry I ruined this whole thing for you two... A-and made y-y-you have an aw-kward moment with your dad..." N apologises, Uzi shaking her head and backing away to jump onto the container.

"Nuh uh, no bonding thing! You and Miss Mystery over there just killed a bunch of people, idiot." Uzi deadpans, twirling her wrench in her hand.

N nods. "That's su-uper faa-A-air... I messed up..." He sighs, D tilting her head at N curiously. Lizzy just whacks her head a little bit.

"Keep still! You still got a bullet wound, y'know! Here, lemme just..." Lizzy pokes her tongue out, focused, as she stabs a blue, pin-on bow through D's Ushanka. D narrows her eyes at Lizzy, unable to decipher if this is a mockery.

"[How will this help?]" She huffs, yet doesn't take the accessory off. Lizzy shrugs and shoots D a smirk.

"It'll help your fashion sense, girl. Lighten up." Lizzy chides, bopping D gently. D deeply exhales, relaxing gently in defeat. Helping a Worker. Two, even. This isn't how she thought her day would go. "Ooh! Look, guess we're helping!" Lizzy informs, pointing at Uzi, who's working on getting the virus thing out of N's chest.

Uzi glances at Lizzy and D, then back at N, with a vicious grin, tapping the railgun strapped to her back.

"On one condition..."

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"HEY! Put that conveniently attractive male down!" Uzi commands, V only stopping out of sheer confusion and surprise. Uzi stands with N, D and Lizzy, a smug smirk on her face. D's arms rest at her sides, her expression a mix of boredom and irritation as Lizzy gives only the smallest glance to V and J, before sorting out D's hair.

N waves mindlessly, yelping when Uzi nudges him. "O-oh, right! Uhm, J, you're sometimes really mean to me and I wish you weren't. Just some constructive criticism." He mumbles, grinning when Uzi gives him a fist bump.

"Noted, traitor. I'll keep that in mind when I rightsize your existence." J snarls, and launches towards them both. D growls in alarm. The Russian Disassembly Drone whacks J away and points at V for a split second, before J strikes her with a generous amount of toxic laser. Lizzy rolls her eyes.

Uzi grits her teeth when J speeds towards her, ducking and jamming the end of her railgun into J's chin, sending her flying upwards. N nervously slams into V repeatedly, sparks created by the swift connections of their blades. "Ugh!"

J soars back around and beelines for Uzi, only to be sidetracked by a sudden pen to her third bulb-eye, N giving Uzi a thumbs up before battling against V again. Uzi smiles softly, yet grunts as she's blasted with the blue static waves of an EMP explosion. Dang...

"Uzi!" N shouts, shuddering in fear as he turns back to V. "I am so, SO sorry about this!" N whimpers, before grossly licking up V's blade, the female Disassembly Drone quickly recoiling.

"Ew! What the hell!?!" She spits, N now flying above her and sending V to the ground with a slam of his leg. He tries his best to restore his composure as he locates Uzi.

Uzi pants, now pinned underneath J's poor excuse of a foot. Ohh, this metal mongrel is so gonna get knocked down a peg or two! Uzi glances at J's tail, resting right beside her head. Brain blast. "I've had prey fight back before, but your edgy spirit is just... So...Pain.. ful!?" J screeches in pain as Uzi jams the stinger into J's 'foot', the Murderer now hopping on one leg before collapsing onto the ground.

Quick, Uzi grabs her railgun and smugly points it at J's face. "One more buzzword and I'll do it~!"

".... E-equity partnershi--?"

ZWWWAABANG!

Uzi pants with a grin, spitting on J's corpse, only to falter as she glitches a little. Totally normal. N picks her up and places her on his shoulders, Lizzy smiles, gasping and pointing at them, facing D. D immediately takes a step away from Lizzy. The blonde Drone grumbles under her breath, crossing her arms.

Silence falls over the colony, before the Coward Crusaders erupt in joyful cheers. Uzi just glares as she sees her freaking dad come through a line of Workers, holding that damn mug she gave him for 'Mediocre Drone Day'. Like he deserves it.

"I'm not even gonna get into this with you, Dad. You can go stay here with your freaking doors and harrowing dread-- I'M gonna hang out with my friends THAT I HAVE. I'm banishing my freaking self, don't trouble yourself! Let's go, all of you!" Uzi snaps, N nervously nodding and slamming through the roof.

D stares at Lizzy. Sighing, with no other choice, she picks her up and follows N out. Lizzy snickers softly, poking her tongue out at D. "Nice night, isn't it~?"

"[Quiet.]" D scowls, yet there is a nearly imperceptible blush on her visor that Lizzy wasn't quite able to catch. Best it's left alone.

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The early morning sun rises slowly, casting a chaotic tranquility over the surface of Copper-9. Uzi watches the sunrise, sitting on a busted car she'd never be able to repair. N glances inside the corpse spire. Lizzy's gently speaking to D, showing her some weird stuff on her phone regarding fashion statements and irrelevant opinions of other Drones on social media. D listens quietly, not noticing Lizzy playing with her long, silver hair. N then turns back to Uzi.

"I'd join you if the sun didn't kill me! Hole you're having important character growth or something, though!" N encouragingly exclaims, Uzi grinning back at him.

"Eh, it's nothing much, just fixating on murdering all humans and that. Classic robot stuff. They better be ready, sitting tight on Earth, coz we're coming for 'em!" Uzi devilishly threatens, before looking at her hands, eyelights blown wide as she cackles with no shortage of insanity. Lizzy just rolls her eyes at Uzi's usual schtick. Nothing new.

No-one even notices when a golden symbol flashes across Uzi's visor.

Chapter Text

With Lizzy, popularity is basically her entire personality on the outside. She's well known in the entire school for being a massive bitch to everyone, cutting down those who thought they could gain just as much popularity as her. Doll knows everything about that; everyone does, it's a fact.

Lizzy wouldn't dare go near the proclaimed 'loser side' of the school's large territory in the Bunker, which is primarily where the unpopular or timid kids gather. Them, or Drones who don't talk to people at all and just brood in their own teenage angst like a protagonist would, to be oddly specific. In short, there's a hierarchy within social status. And Lizzy's at the top.

Yet, given Lizzy's usually dismissive, rude and nonchalant attitude, and the fact she barely gives anyone who she doesn't care about five seconds to talk to her, Doll's rather... Perplexed, at how many Drones seem to fawn over her. Doll supposes novelty and appearance plays a large role, but it still is rather questionable as to why such an amount seem to like her romantically.

Doll hadn't even noticed until she had taken it upon herself to stop hiding what she felt, for once, and actually went up to her best friend to ask her out. To say Doll was elated that Lizzy squealed louder than she'd ever heard her before was a complete understatement. Their relationship together was amazing and unlike anything Doll's ever felt before, but she loves it so much. She's glad Lizzy feels the same.

It was only a few hours later, when Lizzy had excitedly taken a selfie with Doll to show off the new feed for gossip around the school, did Doll notice that Drones have had Lizzy on their minds as well. It begun with comments, such as casually professed disappointment with heart emoticons to downright pathetic desperation for Lizzy to date them instead. Doll was... Disturbed. The desperate comments here and there were just plain weird to her; it was as if Lizzy was some sort of celebrity or whatever. It's honestly not that deep, but maybe it's just what popularity does to the lower class. (Jeez, why don't they start making merchandise of her, too?)

In response, Doll had started to become a little more careful around who Lizzy speaks to and who's staring at her for a bit too long. Doll knows that Rebecca, Emily and Thad would never obsess over Lizzy, she trusts them. They're her friends, too, important friends, and Doll loves them dearly. But that's not to say about the others... Namely the mindless jocks roaming the hallways and forcing manipulating others to do their homework for them. Popular guys, who think they're a 'match' for Lizzy. Doll doesn't like how they hype each other up to go ask Lizzy out.

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Doll sighs, bored at her and Lizzy's spot to eat together, as she stands to her feet and wanders towards the cafeteria sector, a little bit curious about what's taking her so long. Lizzy usually just grabs her lunch and sits back with Doll, and even if she's caught up with talking to Thad or whatever, she's never there for ten minutes. Paranoid, Doll is eager to find Lizzy herself.

Rounding the familiar corner to enter the cafeteria, Doll's optics hollow as soon as she sees Lizzy standing in front of Chad, scrolling through her phone and rolling her eyes at whatever nonsense he spills out of his mouth. Chad seems to be talking up a storm, nervously laughing at his own jokes when Lizzy doesn't even give him a snort. Doll stands by and subtly watches the scene. Best not to interrupt the reasoning for her next meal.

"Sooo, now that we've awkwardly stood here for, like, ten or so minutes getting to know each other, I wanna ask... You're really dating that creepy girl, right?" Chad asks flippantly, shuffling closer to Lizzy. Lizzy just rolls her eyes for the thousandth time. Heeeere we go.

"Yep, that's me, and her name's Doll, so maybe use it?? Anyways, I've dealt with whatever you are for way too long; kinda gotta get back to my---" As soon as Lizzy sees an out and brushes Chad off, she's pulled back towards him. Lizzy shoves him back and quirks her upper lip in disgust and alarm. "Ew, gross, don't touch me."

Chad ignores that. "Oh, c'mooon! Surely, you don't really wanna be kissing up with that weird little--"

"[Continue.]" Doll teleports right beside Lizzy with a burst of code and crimson lightning, the jock yelping in surprise. Lizzy sighs in absolute relief, glad that Doll's finally found her. Doll's menacing tone is evidence enough that she's not being friendly, though. Not to the jerk in front of her.

"Oh! Uh, well, it's nothing important! Look, me and Liz were just havin' a friendly little chat! Isn't tha--" Chad instantly becomes radio silent as Doll holds up her hand, not a word out of her, just a cold stare.

The Russian girl has a familiar look in her eyes, Lizzy notices. One could play it off as irritation, but knowing Doll well enough to read her, Lizzy knows better. She's calculating the best way to take Chad out and not get caught, and while Chad may be pathetically simple and desperate, Lizzy doesn't exactly want him dead. That'll encourage Doll to kill whoever she sees flirting with her, but Lizzy knows it can be avoided with a nudge in the right direction, no murder required.

"[I'm sure. But I will allow you to leave with a small reminder of who is available, and who is not.]" Doll informs, blinking slowly. Her left hand raises, fingers forming the position needed to call upon the Solver, planning on seeing just how far an arm can take before it is dismembered. Lizzy inwardly gasps through her teeth, before grabbing Doll's wrist. Chad runs from them as soon as he sees an out.

Doll frowns at Lizzy in irritation, opening her mouth to protest, but grunts when Lizzy just pushes her back against the wall to shut her up again. Doll stunned, Lizzy takes the opportunity to press her lips against Doll's soft pair, effectively shutting her girlfriend up for good, draining her anger. Doll's raised hand soon falls limp, and Lizzy gently lets go of her wrist, softly brushing down the length of her arm to then cling onto her shoulder, Lizzy's other hand resting on Doll's cheek.

Doll has no choice but to clear her mind and lose her bearings, falling into the kiss with a small hum. Lizzy keeps at it, moving her lips against Doll's soothingly, snickering playfully when she feels Doll's arms wrap around her waist. Lizzy won, yet again. Pulling away, Lizzy smirks at Doll, who deadpans in return. "Feel better?" Lizzy teasingly asks.

"[.... Quite.]" Doll begrudgingly admits, blushing and refusing to look Lizzy in the eye. The cheerleader gleefully smiles, before pulling Doll along, back to their respective spot so they can eat together in peace. Pulling out a brown paper bag full of batteries and mini charger cables, Lizzy offers some to Doll.

Doll ignores the offer, instead choosing to nestle against Lizzy for a bit. Lizzy shrugs, knowing Doll likes napping through lunchtime often, and wraps an arm around Doll's shoulders while scrolling through social media with the other. Lizzy narrows her eyes at Chad's contact on Instagram, pressing on his icon and blocking him. No need for creeps like him following her.

Chapter Text

Being a princess and heir to the throne is a duty with complexities beyond the causal peasant's comprehension. It's full of rigorous duties to fulfill, meetings and events that must be attended with elegant dresses and behaviour. Or, that's what the common person would think. In reality, being a princess is mainly duty-free, aside from the meetings and events. That's something Lizzy has to attend, sadly.

At these events, Lizzy has a duty to greet her soon-to-be subjects with enthusiasm that she doesn't show (much to her parents' chagrin) and answer questions about her eventual reign. This takes place at the ballroom (for elegance, ugh) and no, the lower class will not be stepping foot onto the perfectly cleaned marble flooring of the ballroom, no, they will have to inquire outside. Selfish, yeah, but who cares?

But aside from that, Lizzy's life is the best it can get. Being the princess and living in the Kingdom's palace of Copper-9 (Lizzy is SO going to change the name of the country when she's Queen) is absolutely divine and Lizzy wouldn't change her life for anything. Well, most aspects. The food is amazing, the servants are always so kind, she's well taken care of, and her life is great. But... Lizzy's bored, to put it straight.

Sitting in the palace all day every day and only going outside to announce stuff and give out free stuff (trashy clothes she'd never wear) is completely boring and Lizzy feels like... She should be doing something. Anything. Something she can do to not spend every second of her life sitting around. Something's missing in her life, something exciting and challenging. Fun. Maybe she should talk to her parents about that, get permission to go out more.

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Today has been rather bright. That brings bad business about Doll, given that her clients usually only arrive during the dead of night to request her shady business. Doll is a thief, and a popular one at that. She's been known to be a very reliable source to use for thievery, having never failed one of her clients. While Doll only accepts expensive business deals that pay her $1,000 and up, she is no fake. She delivers, as long as her clients do not give out her location or anything. (If they do, they will experience a very horrendous public execution like last time, which is the first time it has ever happened, and the first time she's revealed herself.)

Stealing a gemstone ring from a mafia boss? Done. Bring the skull of a famous racing horse to a salty bidder? Done. Whatever the client wants, the client will receive. She's made good money from this gig, one of her alluring traits that attract new people to her is her powers. These inherited powers allow for Doll to get into locked and secured spaces, break open any safe with a bit of focus. It acts as an extra limb, but can be a scythe of devastation if she so desired. Doll's crimson eyes flicker to the hidden entrance of her abode. A new one has arrived.

Flipping a shiny coin in her clawed hand, the cold air shifting with each calculated movement, the thief glares at the newcomer entering her domain. The concrete-based room, decorated with skulls, riches, jewels and cloth she'd stolen from recent expeditions is a sight to behold, and judging by the astonished and hungry look on this well-dressed man's face, Doll can practically smell his greed. And his fear.

Remaining hidden in the shadows, Doll waits for him to speak.

"'Scarlet-Witch', or Doll, I know you're here. I've heard good tales of your business, of your magic, and friends of mine have been highly rewarded by what you steal for them. I come to you with a request." The man's baritone voice quietly sounds around the room, shady and cold. Doll's eyes narrow at the man, who should not know her name.

Doll steps forth and raises the coin slightly above her hand with her magic, before crushing it with a twitch of her fingers. She flings it at his feet, admiring the way he flinches at the show of power. "[Be wary of your words. They bite. Why have you requested my services? Be concise.]" Doll spits, red eyes piercing into chocolate brown.

The man bows his head, ringed fingers clenched into a shaking fist. Trying to reel in his fear. "My apologies, truly. I have a request for you, a rather risky one." Doll raises her eyebrow, bored. They all say that. "I will pay you handsomely, if you were to bring me an item of the Royal Families'. To be specific, the blue ring that one wealthy maid commonly wears." He elaborates, Doll cocking her head slightly.

This is new. Risky, as he had stated, and potentially outing her identity and location if she's caught, but not the most dangerous request she's received. With this one, there are no weapons she's at risk of death of, aside from the ones the guards carry, but she's made it past guardsmen before. Doll huffs slightly. "[How much are you willing to offer me?]"

The man's lips quirk into a rather sinister grin. He reaches behind himself, causing Doll to be wary, but she's immediately immersed in the plethora of shiny coins in the large bags he's brought along. About five, to be exact. He must be desperate for that ring. A gambler who lost a bet, maybe? "This, Scarlet-Witch, is exactly ten grand, and it will be yours if we have a temporary 'connection'. I do not skimp out on any deals I make. Do I have your assistance?" He holds out his hand.

Doll would be a fool not to take it.

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Grunting as she presses herself against the sturdy wall of the castle, Doll has officially made it past the guards, who're still talking to each other and not doing their jobs at all. Doll rolls her eyes and continues forth, her clawed hands making it easier to climb up and step onto the balcony. She crouches, slowly making her way over to the glass sliding-door and unlocking it from the other side, utilising her powers. She enters and locks it behind herself. This will be easy. The rich fools are all asleep.

...

...

...

Lizzy sighs, unable to sleep. Try as she might, but these blankets just aren't doing it for her. Way too thick and not enough fur. Groaning, she sits up and grabs her empty cup, deciding that cold water might help her out. Lizzy hates summer.

Stepping out into the kitchen, where the maid's rooms are parallel to, Lizzy pours herself some fresh water out of the tap and chugs it thirstily, sighing in relief as she places it in the sink. Way better. Now, she's just gotta---

*CLANG!*

Lizzy immediately gasps as she hears a sharp clatter hitting the floor, and shoots her gaze towards the hallway across from the kitchen. Red eyes. There's only a select few people who have them, but these ones... Lizzy knows exactly who they belong to. In an instant, Lizzy flicks on the lights and there she is, Britney's dramatically large blue ring on the ground. The Scarlet-Witch is staring right at her, completely frozen in fear and anxiety.

So... This is a situation. Lizzy's heard really bad things about this one, and she's even witnessed the public execution she gathered everyone out to witness after a betrayal, she said. Lizzy remembers what Doll looked like, it's been practically ingrained in her memory, for some reason. And yeah, Lizzy knows her name. She gets all the gossip, she knows these things.

Now, Lizzy has some options. Option one; turn Doll in and see her get either studied on because of her powers, or option 2; ...Talk to her. Lizzy's constantly ruminating on her boredom, and this is literally the first exciting thing she's felt since she was, like, 7. Well, that's her choice made, then. Now, how to approach this...

Lizzy slowly holds her hands out in a placating manner, Doll immediately flinching away and calling upon that power she has. Knowing that she can get crushed into a ball with the wrong move, Lizzy takes this slow.

"Uh, hey, girl... Chill a little bit for me, okay? I'm not turning you in or anything. I know you got your own thing to survive on, or whatever, I get it. Look, I'll let you go if we can have a few words in my room, alright?" Lizzy proposes, stepping forward. Doll secretly levitates the ring into her pocket and glances around the place. There's no escape. Doll can't run out anywhere without either falling to her death or getting caught. So... Ugh.

"[... Okay.]" Doll relents, warily following a gleeful Lizzy into her really large, pink room. It nearly hurts Doll's eyes as soon as she steps through the oakwood door. Furred boots and scarves strewn about, mirrors, crown designs, these are only a few things Doll can really keep her focus on, as she can't really... Do that, with the rather full room.

Lizzy pulls Doll onto her bed, Doll wincing at the silken blankets. So carefully made, not patchy and tattered enough. Doll has the money to buy this kind of quality material, but she's always been partial to the old stuff. Quantity is better. Doll hesitantly looks Lizzy in the eyes, the other girl smirking back at her. Irritating.

"[Do you... Require anything...?]" The Russian girl inquires, uncomfortable with the silence, even though she stews in it all day when she's not out risking her identity. This silence is louder than she'd like.

"Nahh, just wanna talk. I'm bored, okay?? Like, I don't even do anything around this place besides attend ballroom stuff and meetings! And, like, you're new and mysterious and hot and creepy, so I wanna chat." Lizzy rants, idly grabbing Doll's hand and playing with it, tracing the small scars littering the otherwise soft skin. These totally tell stories Lizzy's gonna get outta this one.

Doll doesn't know what she's gotten into, but she isn't sure she likes it. Doll allows Lizzy to do whatever with her hand, knowing she's not a threat. Please, Doll could totally send this girl into the wall without her magic, she's of no harm. So, Doll relaxes. This could be... Interesting.

"[I see. Well, what is it you want to discuss? I admit, company can be nice.]" Doll mutters, squinting as Lizzy squeals in excitement. She's certainly eccentric...

"Okay, first off, how's all your, like, missions or whatever?? Do you get to go out of the country for some?" As Lizzy enthusiastically asks this, she grabs a hairbrush and begins to straighten out Doll's partially matted hair. Doll blinks slowly. Huh. Maybe this will actually be worth it.

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Four hours have passed and Doll and Lizzy have both been having a great time, admittedly. Doll's been enjoying Lizzy's unique personality, grinning at each dig at the royal life she leads. Snobby rich people do not suit Doll's tastes, and she is glad Lizzy feels the same. Lizzy, however, has listened to Doll's interesting stories of her requests and marvelled at the ones about going beyond the country.

All in all, Lizzy and Doll are comfortable around each other. But Doll knows she has to get going, as she has a request to fulfil and the royals will soon awaken. This being so, Doll sits up from Lizzy's lap and neatens up her clothes. Lizzy visibly deflates. "You leaving already, Doll...?" She pouts, standing up as well. Doll nods hesitantly.

"[Yes. Your family will be up soon and I have a good deal to fulfil. Believe me, it's best I leave quickly. It was fun talking to you, though, surprisingly. I enjoyed our time together, Lizzy.]" Doll honestly compliments, giving Lizzy a tender little smile that makes her chest feel weird. Lizzy returns it.

"Ugh, fiiine. Go back to wherever, but, wait a second." Lizzy quickly heads over to her desk and grabs a pink, fluffy bracelet with a small kitten charm in the middle. Doll tilts her head as Lizzy places it around her wrist. "There! Just a lil gift for my newest friend, y'know? And have fun with the ring, girl, hope I see ya again." Lizzy smirks, teasingly waving at Doll as she heads towards the window. Doll freezes and looks back at Lizzy, before sighing and giving her a slightly bewildered smile.

Doll waves at Lizzy, who does the same and gives her a wink. Doll snickers and rolls her eyes, before leaping down to the ground and trudging through the shadowed patches of grass, back to her home. Lizzy watches Doll fondly, before sighing when she's finally out of sight. Lizzy clicks her tongue in disappointment, turning around to sit down on the bed.

Lizzy's eyes widen in surprise as she sees a single ranunculus flower lying on her bedsheets. Lizzy picks it up with tender care and gently twirls it in her fingers. Smiling back at the window with a small blush, Lizzy knows she's not gonna get that girl out of her head for a while.

Chapter Text

Lizzy hums to herself as she wraps her arms in bandages that, while not necessary, prevented blood from splattering all over her arms and getting them disgustingly sticky. Ew, no thanks. She'd rather not have to shower for two whole hours again. The first match of the day is taking place just outside the preparation room, the massive colosseum full to the brim with eager Drones desperate to see her fight again.

Lizzy has a signature fighting style that has gained a vast amount of popularity amongst the bloodthirsty crowd, since it's contrast to the event works surprisingly well together. She fights how she wants to fight, and she always chooses to be light on her feet. Dancing around the unfortunate loser who's been pitched against her, Lizzy's sword chips away at the brutes she faces diligently. Ducking and weaving around attacks, going for the achilles heel to seal the deal, Lizzy performs a deadly ballet, of sorts, to bring her opponents to their last breath.

Sure, they laugh at her, at first, but are quickly humbled when they're introduced to her skill first-hand.

It's life or death out there, but it makes Lizzy feel so alive. At any second, one wrong movement or miscalculation in her attacks or enemies tactic and she's down. Dead. That's the main thrill the audience seeks, Lizzy supposes. To know if your favourite gladiator is gonna come out victorious once more, or will fall to the hands of a new, more popular champion. Lizzy understands the risk, and if she ever falls, well... She can only hope the one who killed her can face vengeance head on.

Shaking her head, Lizzy ties up her hair and looks over to her companion, Doll. Doll's sitting down on the floor, sharpening her mace that she has yet to forgo since joining the ruthless lifestyle, making sure the steel spikes are pointed and ready to knock in some teeth. No matter how much she may wash or sharpen it, though, the bloodstains refuse to fade; badges of her victories.

Doll's fighting style is the complete opposite of Lizzy's, a perfect contrast of diligence to brutality. Doll's racked up quite a few fans out there, those sick enough to holler in excitement at the gore presented to them. Her fans are commonly mentally ill, but in such a way that Doll enjoys continuing to entertain them. It's funny, seeing those expressions of glee when another ribcage is torn apart and crushed into another Drone's face. Curious. While Lizzy's opponents are left as recognisable corpses (sometimes), that's not an option with Doll.

Only those brave enough to consider being out up against her have the gall to enter their death early. They are quickly dismantled in the most brutal, gag-worthy, gut-twisting ways possible. For this reason, many are cowards and don't dare tempt her wrath, so Doll has less fights than Lizzy does. Rarer. Still, Doll waits patiently, in this room, for Lizzy to return each time. She's not exactly allowed to be in here when not expected, but the guards don't bother arguing against her after what she did to the first one who tried it.

"You ready to take down those idiots out there, Doll? We're so totally winning this thing." Lizzy's excited voice interrupts Doll's train of thought. The crimson-eyed Drone smiles up at Lizzy softly, standing to her feet and approaching her. Lizzy sighs and stands as well, grinning adoringly.

"[Yes. I am. I have high hopes this will raise both of our statuses amongst the crowd; it will be an enjoyable experience.]" Doll agrees, idly wiping away some dirt from Lizzy's cheek. Lizzy giggles and grabs Doll's wrist, keeping her hand to her cheek. Lizzy then slowly trails her hand to place on top of Doll's, which cups her cheek.

"Mhm... Yeah... Gotta say, Doll, you're looking good out there when you are. Blood and all, it's kinda hot." Lizzy purrs teasingly, winking at the Drone so very close to her. Doll chuckles lowly and rubs her thumb against Lizzy's cheek.

"[Likewise.]" She compliments, blushing as Lizzy moves to hug her tight. Doll returns the hug with a tender, loving embrace, completely at ease in her girlfriend's arms.

The people of the audience have seen many rare things in the colosseum, and will continue to do so, but this is something they will never witness in their entire lives. Doll and Lizzy are so much more than just companions or two gladiators who know and mutually respect one another's work. No. What they have runs far deeper than their occupations, and it will forever remain hidden to anyone aside from them. It's sacred, not to be spoken of by the outsiders and used for popularity. This is their own little sanctuary.

Lizzy soon separates herself from Doll when she hears the baritone horn being blown by a spectator. Five minutes until the most popular event of the century. Lizzy sighs and gently brushes Doll's bangs out of her optics, then presses a kiss to her lips. "Ready?"

Doll nods. "[Ready.]"

The event in which they are about to participate in is long awaited one, many Drones travelling from different settlements to see in person. It's a two versus two battle, which has been announced to be an annual thing, to keep the hype going. Lizzy'd read up on who she and Doll would be facing, and it's two, supposedly, swift and skilled Drones. Nothing to worry about.

Doll and Lizzy both brush themselves off and grab their respective weapons, Lizzy's sword and Doll's mace, before heading out to face the roaring crowd.

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Small, flying aerial drones zoom around the perimeter of the colosseum, recording the legendary footage to project on digital screens for the audience. People jump in their places, holding massive banners that depict Doll and Lizzy's logos, and even some fusions between the two with words of encouragement. Same goes for the other two, who are already in the ring and waving at their fans nonchalantly, more focused on the two entering. They are quick to sport bloodthirsty grins, their thin, serrated swords at the ready.

The crowd screams in absolute excitement and anticipation as they see the duo famous gladiators walk side-by-side, deadly eyes trained on the opponents. Both duos stop a few metres away from one another, raring to fight. The announcer taps on the microphone, before eagerly speaking out to everyone attending.

"Alright! I'm so pleased to introduce and welcome all of you to the first ever teamed event in the history of this colosseum!! It's been my pleasure to gather the four most brutal, most popular, most sadistic gladiators to fight for us today! I'm sure curious to see if our two favourites will reach victory yet again, or fall!" The audience screeches with vigor and enthusiasm, chanting and hollering good wishes and prayers for their favoured duo.

Meanwhile, the four in the ring just scoff at the tone of the announcer, so over his repetitive, annoying voice. They instantly snap out of it as one of the aerial drones flies down and hovers between them, flashing a green light before zooming off. The fight begins.

Doll growls and stalks towards the one with blue optics that's been eyeing her up from the start, looking at her with an expression of foolish superiority; the same expression they all wear. He slowly approaches as well, twirling his sword in his hand. Lizzy's quick to run right at the other one, the one with green optics, leaping over the first sword slash of the battle. She snickers playfully and kicks backwards, bashing her boot into his stomach, before whipping herself around and cutting into his torso, then beginning to dance around his frantic movements.

Doll cackles menacingly, enjoying the panic in Blue's eyes as she swings her mace right at him, barely missing with each step he takes backwards. Blue grunts as he ducks under a swing and aims his sword at Doll's chest, only for Doll to grab it right before it pierces her Core. She smiles warmly. "[Cute.]"

Then bends the metal in her hand with one firm squeeze, rendering it useless. Blue gulps.

Lizzy grins as she witnesses Doll's small victory, casting her a discreet wink. Green raises his sword above Lizzy's head, having the height advantage, and slams it down, only to yelp as Lizzy swiftly twirl out of the way. Sword jammed in the ground, Green is stuck, while Lizzy uses her own to slice right at his achilles heel, kicking him in the back and sending him on his hands and knees. Lizzy pulls out her phone, takes a quick selfie, then drives her sword into Green's Core. "Pfft, take the loss, loser."

Doll proudly claps at Lizzy's win, boot pressed harshly against Blue's chest, the poor Drone unable to even squirm. In the time Lizzy's taken care of Green, Doll's had her usual fun. She's repetitively slammed her mace into Blue's legs, the metal now thin as paper and pushed, unceremoniously, into the oil-stained dirt with force of her weapon. Doll digs her heel in more, crouches down and slowly tears his arm from his socket, oil splattering everywhere. The crowd exclaims a mix of disgust and excitement.

Arm discarded, Doll flashes Blue a smug grin, then ruthlessly bashes her mace into his face, visor glass flying everywhere and sparks zipping around the innards of his faceplate. Doll's optics hollow sadistically as she continues, each bash of the mace more fierce than the last, until, finally, she's done.

The crowd violently roars, confetti spraying from the colosseum's seats, and the announcer proudly declares the winners. Doll and Lizzy, however, ignore it all aside from a few waves. Lizzy brushes Doll's bangs out of her eyes yet again, smirking. "Yeah, as I thought. Hot as hell, girl."

Doll blushes at Lizzy's compliment, making sure it's imperceptible to the crowd. "[... Likewise. Again. You did well.]" Doll quietly compliments. Lizzy gives Doll a sweet, loving smile that'll only ever be meant for her, and seen by her alone.

"You too, Dolly. Wanna go wash off back home, after we do that speech crap? I'll do yours if you don't wanna talk." She offers, jabbing a thumb towards the exit hallway. Doll nods and nudges Lizzy towards the announcer, where she takes the microphone, since she's the one who's good at talking and selling it. Lizzy's speech is lost on Doll, as Doll idly watches a bead of oil trail down Lizzy's face. It's cute.

Lizzy soon finishes up, the excuse of exhaustion viable, and the duo walk together as they exit the colosseum early. In the hallway, Doll nuzzles Lizzy's cheek with tender affection. Lizzy immediately returns it. "Mmh... 'm tired. We'll shower then cuddle, that sound good?" Lizzy offers, Doll giving Lizzy a gentle kiss of confirmation, not one to talk so much after fighting.

Lizzy grins at her girlfriend, and holds her hand tight, opening the door to that takes them to the back streets, leading her home. "Cool. Can't wait."

Doll just purrs, walking off with her, oil dripping down the path they walk on. Both exhausted and barely battered, their skills had shown for day. While they may be ruthless killers inside the colosseum, it's completely different on the outside.

Outside, they're just happy to have each other at the end of the day once more.

Chapter Text

Ugh, great. The teacher decided it was a good idea to make a new seating plan because 'it causes less stress on me if you're not talking with each other'. In other words, 'I love seeing you all miserable'. Lizzy immediately adopts a sour look on her face as soon as she's handed the chart--- She's next to Doll. Doll. The class quiet freak. Lizzy feels a very familiar surge of anger (and only anger) as she glances at the creep from across the room.

Arms crossed, one boot pressed against the wall, Doll leans against it and very obviously looks nowhere near Lizzy, but the cheerleader can see that contempt she's wearing on that pretty face. Pretty ugly face, actually! Whatever, her internal monologue's probably messed up because of having to sit next to some Wednesday Adams downgrade. It wouldn't affect Lizzy physically, sure, just literally every other aspect of her life.

Having to deal with Doll, at all, was bad enough for Lizzy, and it was obvious to the entire bunker that they despised each other. Every time they walked past one another, Lizzy would always have a snide remark about Doll's clothes or suspected murder tendencies, to which Doll would stare at Lizzy blankly, reach for the popular girl's locker, open it and snicker when Lizzy screams at all the Robo Roaches.

Doll would initiate the insults first, sometimes. It was often something backhanded like '[you look nice today for someone who uses that much hair gel]', or '['that clothing choice is rather bold. I envy your bravery.]' It's specifically fashion or reputation related on purpose, and it really gets under Lizzy's casing each time.

Lizzy would've gotten Rebecca and the jocks on Doll's case immediately, but one glare from the Russian dork and they'd all run back to Lizzy with their pride left at the door. Lizzy doesn't really mind; she's quite fine with dealing with the creep by herself. Or, thought she was. Turns out, seeing an unfortunate fault in the seating plan could really alter ones opinion.

Lizzy scoffs and rolls her eyes, storming over to her seat at the back and plops herself down with a grunt, instantly pulling out her phone and scrolling through it. A warm breeze suggests that Doll had sat down as well. Lizzy tries not to cringe as she sneaks a glance at her. Eugh. Wow. She really doesn't try at all, does she? Look at her. Sleeping already. Pfft, have fun with the failing grades, girly, not Lizzy's business.

Honestly, Lizzy could do a much better job on Doll's hair if she'd ever even get that close. A little bit of glitter spray, light frizz tamer and cutting those split ends off would do that freak some good. Lizzy's expression mellows the more she stares, hand on her cheek, holding her head up. Mmh. Could be kinda soft, too; it has the potential. How would that feel? Lizzy could imagine running her fingers through Doll's hair and admiring how soft and silky it is, maybe even place a little pink bow? That'd be funny.

...

...

I-if she'd even go near that thing!! Like, ew, no. Not Lizzy's ideal person to do a makeover for, despite how much Doll looks like she needs it. Feeling a sudden urge building up, Lizzy speaks up and taps her finger on Doll's desk, Doll looking over with lidded optics. "Sooo, you just gonna sleep through the entire class or are you actually gonna be useful this lesson? You're literally gonna get held back by like, three years, creep." Lizzy remarks, smirking at the Russian girl.

Doll narrows her optics at Lizzy, flicking her hand away. Doll shoves her book towards Lizzy, showing every single math problem solved and explained in paragraphs. Lizzy gapes. "Uh-- How?? How'd you get the entire math chapter done in one night!? We were given until Friday to do it!" Lizzy exclaims, reading through each answer.

Doll takes her book back forcefully, and wipes off where Lizzy had touched it. "[General intelligence. Are you stuck on the first or second question?]" Doll casually inquires, closing her book and staring at Lizzy with those pretty crimson eyes that Lizzy kinda wants a closer look a---

"Third." Lizzy grits out, a very forced smile plastered on her face. Doll just smiles in response, a knowing smile, and that instantly boils Lizzy's oil. "Don't freaking look at me like that! At least I don't suck at cooking!" Lizzy snaps, jabbing her finger to Doll's chest.

"[I specialise in a different form of culinary technique. I would not expect you to know.]" Doll pokes her tongue out at Lizzy, completely childish but also very demeaning, and leans in closer to her. Lizzy tries to ignore the raspberry scent radiating from the girl.

"Yeah, coz everyone knows how to cook people. Seems more up your alley." Lizzy taunts, the hidden accusation not lost on Doll. Not like everyone doesn't suspect her of murder and the recent disappearances. Doll just shrugs.

"[And you can be next in line. You look easy to fry; you seem hot enough.]" Doll snarks, but a subtle twitch of her hands reveals that that's not exactly how she wanted that insult to go. A few blush lines flicker onto Lizzy's visor, and she crosses her arms, glaring. Her fingers tremble.

"Y-Yeah, well, of course you'd say that! Freaking murderer, g-go back to brooding alone in your room o-or whatever!" Lizzy's retaliation is rather messy, very distracted by the weird insult Doll just threw at her. Lizzy hates how her Core jolted at it. Lizzy glances at Doll's hair, desperate for more material to use against her.

"And wash your hair, too! You might actually look prettier than usual if you'd put some actual effort into it, you weirdo." Lizzy jabs, and Doll looks at Lizzy for a while, before rolling her eyes. Doll ends the bickering there, simply laying her head back down.

Doll really isn't fond of the popular girl. It's not even worth remembering her name, though Doll hates it when she automatically says it in her head whenever she sees Lizzy. Doll is perfectly content with not ever talking to Lizzy at all, but it's fun and cute to get a rise out of her. Er--- Maybe cute isn't the right word. More like amusing. Lizzy doesn't suit the word 'cute'. She looks more like a yellow mat that was dumped in glitter and sass. Always so drawn to fashion, too. That lip gloss she always wears looks more like an act of desperation to attract rather than any casual wear. Doll wonders what it tastes like.

...

...

To eat, of course. Doll has been planning on striking Lizzy down soon enough, she just... Needs more information. She doesn't look easy to lure, so Doll will have to try another way. (Doll ignores the part of her subconscious that reminds her how she's never needed to do so before).

Doll is glad that the home bell rings, interrupting her thoughts.

Teleporting back home as soon as no-one's looking, Doll sighs softly and chews on a discarded arm, staring at the pink bow Lizzy had chucked at her yesterday as an act of bashful rage. Blushing, Doll tilts her head and squints at it, her Core jolting. What a curious feeling. She'd need to study it.

Also... Maybe, to get Lizzy to really leave her the hell alone for once, maybe she should do something a little bit more... Drastic. Something she wouldn't expect. Doll grins to herself as she plots, cackling to herself.

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Stepping out of the Drone-friendly shower, built for convenience, Lizzy sighs and collapses onto her bed, scrolling through her social media. That was hell and a half, but at least she washed off all Doll's gross vibes from her chassis. Lizzy really doesn't wanna go to school tomorrow, she knows Doll's gonna put more Roaches in her freaking locker, but it's whatever.

Lizzy's pink optics flicker onto an image of Doll, who's in the background of one of the photos of Lizzy the photos had taken for the website. Doll seems to just be relaxing against the wall, eating with that purple idiot, nothing special, but Lizzy zooms in on her anyways. Doll's image is oddly blurry and even a little distorted, but Lizzy doesn't look away. Blushing, Lizzy swipes off the app and shuts off her phone, rolling over to cover herself with her blanket.

"S-still as disgustingly freaky as ever..."

Laying in bed, Lizzy sighs to herself and narrows her eyes, one last thought occuring before she heads off to sleep. She has to do get that bow back from Doll. It'll be a damn pain to ask for it back, but... Ugh. She'll ask tomorrow. That bows's too important to be anywhere near that freaks' house.

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Doll's optics trail the hallways like a hawk, standing by Lizzy's locker. Her head feels fuzzy and she doesn't even know if she's being logical about this approach, but it's the first thing that came to her mind when she thought about Lizzy. And the reason for that is totally because she wants to use reverse psychology to get rid of Lizzy; kiss her and she'll be weirded out enough to finally never talk to her again.

"Ugh, normally I'd wanna punt you across the room for being anywhere near my locker, freak, but I kinda gotta ask you something." Doll is startled by Lizzy, but regains herself as she prepares to initiate her plan.

Lizzy cocks her hip sassily, narrowing her optics at Doll in slight disgust and embarrassment since there's a blush on her visor for literally no reason??? Why??? Ughhhh.... Whatever.

"Sooo, remember when I threw that bow at your creepy mug? Yeah, I'm kinda gonna need that back. Don't want your germs getting all over-- MMPH!?!"

Lizzy is subsequently interrupted by Doll's hands grabbing her shoulders firmly, pushing her against the locker forcefully, and slamming her lips against Lizzy's. Doll glares at Lizzy with a blush, before closing her eyes and drawing this out for as long as possible. Anything to get her away.

Doll's lips move against Lizzy's furiously, the Russian girl able to taste the addicting overwhelming strawberry lipgloss Lizzy's probably applied over thirty times. Sickening. But Doll still keeps the kiss up, mentally preparing herself for when Lizzy inevitably pushes her away, squeals in disgust and never talks to her again. Screw the others watching.

But... To Doll's surprise and delight chagrin, Lizzy doesn't pull away in the slightest. Instead, she seems to melt into it, wrapping her arms around Doll and holding her close. Doll is completely bewildered, but she keeps it going, not sure why or what she's doing.

Lizzy's tongue shoves its way into Doll's mouth, exploring the other girl thoroughly and enjoying the taste of raspberry and something else, something metallic. But whatever, inhibitions can screw itself right now because even she doesn't know what she's doing anymore. It's only until the duo hear the shutter of a camera that they pull away. In an instant, to avoid getting held back a year or possibly murdered, the students watching quickly dissipate.

Doll and Lizzy stand alone in the hallway, panting heavily as they catch their breath, staring at the other with wide eyes and equal blushes. Doll is the first to snap out of it, growling harshly at Lizzy, though her hands tremble.

Lizzy soon follows, but glares at Doll with a massive, primrose blush. "Hey, don't start that with me, freak! The hell did you kiss me for!?" She demands, unable to stop thinking about the taste in her mouth that's gonna be there for days on end.

Doll just huffs and looks away, hands tightening into fists. "[Was testing something. Didn't go as planned. Get away.]" Doll grunts, backing away from Lizzy. Lizzy is quick to grab Doll's shirt collar, not letting her go until she gets an answer.

"Testing what, exactly!? Ugh, you're even more of a damn freak than I thought... Who just straight up kisses someone they literally argue with on a daily basis!?" Lizzy shouts, knees trembling as her body refuses to cooperate with her mind. Lizzy is in genuine disbelief and is going to have a massive shower when she gets home.

"[Who kisses that same person in return, for someone so hateful about it?]" Doll snarks, hand gripping Lizzy's wrist and accidentally clawing into it a bit. Lizzy doesn't falter physically, but mentally, she does a major retrace.

"Hu-- Wha-- No! Don't pin this on me! It's only natural for a girl to kiss a total hottie back when she sees one, idiot!!" Lizzy defensively screeches, only to immediately shut up and cover her mouth as soon as the words leave it. Shit. Lizzy literally can't even defend herself from that, what the hell is going on with her, today!?!

Doll pauses, too, completely shocked by Lizzy's sudden outburst. Doll's... Weirded-out, but... Flattered. She takes a step back, calling upon the Solver, red glitches flickering around her form. "[... I see. After school, come by my house later, or I will find you myself.]" Doll quietly states, but Lizzy knows she's dead serious. Then, before her eyes, Doll is gone.

Lizzy can only stare at the spot where she was, embarrassed beyond belief. Lizzy gulps, shakily sighing as she walks to class, knowing Doll's not gonna be there and is kinda thankful for that. However, Lizzy also knows she's gonna be met with a bunch of gawking idiots who saw what just went down. If they know what's good for them, they won't even mention it.

Lizzy, throughout the entire duration of class, can't stop thinking about the kiss. About the taste. About Doll. If she thought it was bad before, it's way worse, now. She's so not looking forward to later on. Totally.

Chapter Text

A splash of oil accidentally splatters on the plumage of the pink-feathered Drone, resulting in an annoyed hiss and swipe at the culprit, who immediately backs away, snuffing a begrudging apology. Don't mess with the leader. Lizzy immediately shows her authority, flaring her feathered wings, the very reason she's leader. Feathers = Pretty/agility. So, leader.

Lizzy glares at the blue-eyed Drone, flicking her tail in her face in passing. Rebecca rolls her optics and scratches at her face with the claws of her off-white wings, not quite ridding herself of an itch as much as she's distracting herself from Lizzy's gaze. Lizzy snorts and moves on, flippantly chucking a chunk of Rebecca's hunt towards the rook of the pack; Emily. She doesn't get much sometimes, but she's useful. Way more quiet and stealthy than the rest. Emily trills out a happy expression of gratitude, Lizzy simply continuing to walk past. There's someone she wants to see.

And there, she is. Doll. Hanging out with Uzi, of all Drones (as usual), but still just chilling out. Finally relaxing, for once. Lizzy halts as she watches the scene. Doll playfully bites Uzi's arm, Uzi snarling and biting down on Doll's tail in return, always taking playfights as sparring sessions instead of casual fun. The mouth of Doll's prehensile limb nips Uzi gently and the purple-clad Drone lets go. Lizzy rolls her eyes. Her pack is really unconventional and odd at times, but they all have their own skills for hunting, which is why Lizzy hasn't kicked anyone out yet.

Emily's really stealthy, scarily so, and alerts the others when there's food nearby or other weaker territories to take over. She even manages to steal from the larger territories, despite being a total coward. It takes a lot of convincing to get her to do it. Then there's Rebecca. She's way more... Unusual, in her hunting tactics. She tends to take directly from the Worker Drones (civilised pricks) and nab the weaker ones, offer them to other packs before taking them out when they're distracted. Lizzy often complains that she's taking too long with her hunts, to which Rebecca rebuts and the bickering begins anew.

But at least she's not as wreckless as Uzi. The only reason Lizzy keeps her around is because she's tough and Doll likes her. Other than that, ew, no. That creep can leave. When she hunts, there's always an altercation she's brought back with her alongside bountiful oil canisters and bodies. The amount of times Lizzy's needed to settle other packs down because of Uzi's idiocy is insurmountable. She's too freaking sadistic, to the point where Lizzy actually might get a collar and chain. There's really only one person she even likes around here, sometimes. Doll.

Call Lizzy biased just because Doll's her best friend, but Doll's just way more tolerable and willing to listen to Lizzy than the others. Lizzy appreciates it. A lot. Doll often hunts quickly, and straightforward. Locate prey, hide, swoop in and kill. Easy, how it should be. Lizzy immediately joins Doll and takes out the rest, and it's a really easygoing team effort when it's their turn to hunt. And when Lizzy's stressed because her pack isn't listening, Doll trills softly and nudges Lizzy to bed, before sorting them out herself. It's helpful.

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Sighing, Lizzy approaches Doll and Uzi, Uzi angrily grunting before spreading her wings and soaring towards a tree to sleep on instead of dealing with the cocky girl again. Lizzy rolls her eyes, before nuzzling against Doll as a common greeting. Doll returns it, warbling joyfully in seeing her friend. Lizzy glances at Uzi then looks back at Doll, to which the crimson-eyed Drone chuffs and shakes her head. Lizzy screws up her face in annoyance, only to relax as Doll spreads Lizzy's left wing and nips out all of the debris and broken feathers trapped in the mass of plumage.

Lizzy's primrose optics dart towards Doll's own wings when she finishes, only to deflate a little as she realises that she can't exactly return the favour in the same way. Not deterred, Lizzy leans forward and delicately licks a fresh scrape on the tattered webbing of Doll's wings. The crimson-eyed Drone shivers, before nudging her body against Lizzy's as an act of gratitude. Lizzy smiles.

The peace is interrupted, however, as Emily skitters up to them and frantically chitters and points at the south side of their territory. Doll and Lizzy squint, gasping as they see multiple lights heading towards them. Workers. Sparing each other a quick glance, the duo nod and take off towards the skies, where the other two are. Emily groans softly, scared, and joins them.

Five, just like them. They don't have the upper hand in numbers, damn it. Second plan, then. Gesturing towards Rebecca, Lizzy soars to her side and divebombs downwards, picking up the two in the back and tossing them in the air. Doll and Uzi quickly take action, both latching onto either side of one and pulling him apart, slurping up his insides. Lizzy grins, but facepalms when Uzi cackles and tosses the head down in front of the three remaining. Aaand there goes stealth. Thanks, freak.

Lizzy screeches at her pack, and each member responds, all diving down into landing and surrounding the Workers, snarling and showing off the Solver symbol they seem so afraid of. One Worker says something to the other beside him, and all three pull out odd-looking sticks that spark with barely restrained electricity, holding them up threateningly.

Lizzy huffs, rolls her eyes, and looks at Uzi. If there's one thing she can rely on that idiot for...

Uzi immediately grins, the smile practically splitting her face, and darts towards each Worker, giggling sadistically as she basically blends them one by one. Emily buries her face into Rebecca's chest, terrified, the blue-haired girl grunting and unable to pull her off. Doll wipes away the flecks off oil that were unceremoniously flicked onto her face. Lizzy snorts and turns around, spreading her wings, and looking back at Doll patiently. The others can have their meal; Lizzy knows Doll's been wanting to talk to her about something for a while.

Doll perks up, glances at the others, before spreading her wings and soaring into the sky with Lizzy. Doll slowly barrel rolls around Lizzy playfully, Lizzy giggling quietly as Doll leads her to wherever.

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Soon enough, Doll closes her wings into herself slightly and dives towards a rather large, barren patch of snow that was very obviously hand-cleaned by the crimson-eyed Drone. Decorations are arranged in a circle; leaves and Worker fingers lay innocently in place. Lizzy gently pads through the snow, wings dragging through the white powder, staring in awe. Doll takes position in the center of the ring, Lizzy remaining outside of it, sitting down. She knows what this is, and waits patiently.

Doll takes a deep breath, before determinedly furrowing her digi-brows and spreading her leathery wings. Rehearsals, think about the rehearsals.

On all fours, like they occasionally are, Doll gulps nervously and begins slowly moving her wings in a shimmery motion, ducking her front down as an act of submission and respect. Lizzy remains deadpan. Whining imperceptibly, Doll's tail sways in a rhythmic motion, jaws snapping shut in an purposeful beat. Picking it up a notch, Doll jumps towards Lizzy and flares her wings, but severely miscalculates and winces when an entire plume of snow erupts in Lizzy's face. Lizzy growls at Doll, wiping the snow from her freshly-groomed hair.

Doll looks upwards into a small crevice in an abandoned building, taking note of her partially hidden emotional support-- Emily. Emily gives Doll a thumbs up, nervously grinning, trying her best to help. The usually stoic Drone sighs softly, before spreading her wings and taking to the skies. Lizzy tilts her head, intrigued. This is different.

Doll trills softly and tenderly circles Lizzy, remaining aloft as she lowers a little bit and delicately runs the tip of her wing along Lizzy's own. Lizzy shudders, blushing. Different, and really freaking cute. Doll grins at the positive reaction, and reveals her final piece.

Doll rips her way high into the clouds, flapping a little vigorously to get the whisps of white to position, before speeding down and spinning, the clouds spinning around her body in an enticing show of skill. Doll, just before hitting the ground, pulls up and flares her wings, latching onto a nearby branch, where she slowly climbs down and sits back in front of Lizzy.

Lizzy gapes at the display, before shaking her head as she remembers that she actually kinda has to make a judgement, here. Doll really wants to be her mate, huh? Lizzy tries her best to hide her expression as she gets up and very slowly stalks towards Doll. The other Drone has to physically restrain her tail under her foot to keep it from wagging. Lizzy's face is extremely close to Doll's.

Then, she gently taps her forehead against Doll's sweetly. Doll instantly melts, all tension draining from her body. She presses further into Lizzy, purring softly as she wraps her wings and arms around Lizzy, tails intertwining. Lizzy giggles and licks Doll on the mouth, earning a shiver and a lick to the cheek.

The sassy girl tilts her head and croons quietly, running her thumb over Doll's hand. The calm Drone chuffs in response, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. They'll rule the pack together, as mates.

The moment is interrupted by Emily, as the shy Drone yells and tumbles into the snow from her hiding place, quickly scrambling back to the others when Lizzy angrily snarls at her. She rolls her eyes and scoffs, hugging Doll close. Doll tenderly relaxes into Lizzy's embrace, the pink-feathered Drone sighing and laying down with her, practically glued to one another.

Cuddling under the stars, the duo refuse to move for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Lizzy sighs as she pauses in her task of dusting off some old antiques the fleshies like collecting, instead renewing her focus on the one Drone everyone in the Manor, visitor or family member, dislikes. Doll. 'The Disobedient Troublemaker', she's been dubbed. Currently, she's holding true to the title, as she's actively refusing to acknowledge Lady Louisa.

It's obvious that the human woman is pissed--- Lizzy can hear her threatening Doll and ordering her to actually do something useful for once, to just help out. Doll just stares at the old lady with apathy, not intending to do a single thing she's being asked of. Lizzy gets that. It's a lot, being here. It's stressful and ruthless and they all just wanna relax, but that's not an option.

Doll's constant disdain for orders, and humans in general, has lead her to multiple harsh punishments ranging from electrocution to months of isolation. Doll's only ever been dealt the isolation punishment once, and it nearly drove her frail strand of tolerance to snap. Doll had been so bold as to bite James' hand as soon as she was allowed to return to her job that she spitefully never does or will do. That bite earned her an extra day in the basement. The next day, Lizzy was shocked to see Doll actually cleaning a table up. Haphazardly, of course, but she still actually did something.

Lizzy had tried to manipulate the fleshy jerks into letting Doll out an hour early, but only an hour. She attempts to get Doll to get on track, if only to protect her from the punishments, but it's just not possible. Doll's seemingly harbours an incredible hatred for any humans that aren't Tessa, for reasons unknown to her. So, Lizzy has taken it upon herself to doing anything to convince the humans to give her friend a lighter discipline, something like monitored housework. It works, sometimes. Lizzy hadn't been able to relieve Doll from the basement an hour early, though.

Perhaps Doll was scared and desperate, when she'd done the house cleaning afterwards, but when Lizzy asked, Doll never gave a straightforward reply. She was certainly very clingy with Lizzy for months following the incident. That's fine, it's Doll, Doll's always cryptic. And Lizzy kinda likes it. Likes Doll. She's pretty neat.

She and Tessa are pretty much the only ones that even have that opinion on Doll, anyways. Doll only ever answers to her or Tessa, no-one else. If Doll's sleeping on the job, Tessa usually gently wakes her up and gives her a duster to clean with. Doll only gives an exhausted sigh and smile, before doing her task. Lizzy is the one who mainly instructs Doll, always keeping her on track and Doll listens. It's just when anyone else gives an order, she doesn't, and still refuses to do so if they're in the room, no matter if Tessa or Lizzy try to get her to.

Lizzy understands why she'd be someone Doll listens to, given their constant presence around the other, but why Tessa was an option confused Lizzy. Until it didn't.

Lizzy was wondering around the Manor, wanting to spend some time with Tessa and Doll, but it appeared that it was a bad night for anything like gossip or fun. Lizzy'd found Doll gently soothing Tessa, applying some kind of human remedy or whatever to the bruises her parents gave her for not being up to par. Doll pities Tessa, she doesn't like seeing such an innocent, kind child getting hurt for something so mundane. And so grew her contempt for the fleshsacks of the building.

Lizzy joined them both, offering small talk and distracting them both from the trauma. That night, it was just a relaxing night for the trio, nothing major. Doll agrees, to this day.

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Speaking of this day, Lizzy might wanna snap back to it, because Doll looks dangerously close to biting Louisa, and Lizzy doesn't exactly wanna have to go without Doll for another few months. She quickly dashes over, placing herself between the two stubborn girls. Lizzy pushes Doll back a bit, minding her growl of discontent. "Woah, girl, easy. Uh, I don't think this is exactly, y'know, housework or whatever?? Maybe we could both do a task together or something!" Lizzy offers.

Doll just keeps staring at Louisa with a near-cruel leer, possibly plotting another vengeful bite. "[They don't deserve to have us clean their own mess for them. They have limbs, they are quite capable.]" Doll mutters, subconsciously grabbing Lizzy's hand with her own. Lizzy pushes down the feeling of her Core buzzing in response.

Louisa rolls her eyes. "Ugh, Eliza, translation!" She demands, flicking her fan at the bow-wearing maid.

"It's Lizzy, Miss. And she's just, l-like, going on about how she's totally gonna do her chores today. Right, Doll?" Lizzy's tone is strained, hand tightening around Doll's with a grip of warning and pleading. Louisa narrows her eyes at Doll, hands on her hips.

"Is that true, Antichrist?"

Doll slowly blinks at Louisa, and, with a flick of her wrist, a wine class is sent hurdling through the air and splashing all onto the older lady's perfectly pristine and expensive dress; one out of probably thousands. Lizzy's white optics hollow in absolute horror, mouth agape. She nervously glances at Louisa, who's very obviously steaming with pure rage, rage that Doll is eager to match. She knows she's in for another punishment.

"Oh, you little heathen!! GUARDS! ESCORT THIS BRUTE INTO THE BASEMENT FOR ANOTHER NIGHT OF WELL-DESERVED SOLITUDE!!" Louisa's screeching is unable to be ignored, and soon enough, Doll is picked up by two guards wearing very thick protective gear. It seems they're prepared, specifically, for her in case she acts up.

Doll nips and claws at them both, kicking at them, but it's to no avail. Lizzy can only maintain her composure and watch as her best friend is sentenced to another night in that bland, empty room. She turns to Louisa. "Mistress, are you--"

"Quiet. Go to bed." With that, the human is gone.

Lizzy scoffs and rolls her eyes at her, before heading down to Tessa's bedroom, where she and Doll happily nuzzle up with the girl to keep her warm through cold nights. Tonight, though, Lizzy's going to have to explain why Doll's not here, yet again.

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It's midnight. Lizzy can finally execute her perfectly unstable plan, which has a high chance of failing, but Lizzy needs to do this. Slipping out of the bed and making sure Tessa's nice and comfortable, Lizzy places a friendly kiss on her head when she stirs. There. Tessa's all tucked in. Now...

Lizzy exits the room, swipes the key off of the hook next to Tessa's door (since she's the only one who has a copy of all the keys in the Manor, it's surprisingly not hard for her to get it. At least there's no freaking mission or whatever) and strolls down to the basement. Lizzy's only ever been in it twice, just for retrieval purposes. It's wooden, rickety and the dust is enough to clog up Lizzy's systems for decades. It's a wonder Doll can stand it. Not like she has a choice.

Reaching the oakwood door, Lizzy smoothens out her maid uniform before unlocking it and lo and behold, there Doll is, sitting down next to a rocking horse, writing in that journal she always manages to sneak in. Lizzy smiles and approaches, Doll immediately looking up. A smile blooms on her face when she sees her friend, and she stands up to greet her. An obvious coating of dust falls from her crumpled uniform with the motion.

"[Lizzy, I... Did not expect to see you here. How did you access this place?] She questions, simultaneously pulling her friend into a soft hug, to which Lizzy eagerly returns. Lizzy inhales Doll's scent, running her hand along her long, silver hair. A hint of raspberry, old books and.... Something tangy. Metallic. Eh, whatever, not important.

"Swiped the key and let myself in. Y'know I couldn't let my favourite girl sleep in this dump alone." Lizzy mutters, her face buried in Doll's shoulder, Doll giving a non-committal hum in response. From behind, Lizzy can see Doll's journal, and the amalgamation of weird, tri-pronged glyphs on one page, and a scrabbly drawing of her on the other. Lizzy's... Flattered. Doll actually drew her. What a dork.

Lizzy sighs and gently lowers herself onto the ground, not even caring about the dust at this point. Doll is quick to follow, laying herself down on Lizzy's stomach, head resting on her chest. Lizzy blushes softly, glancing away and brushing a strand of hair from her face, Doll blushing as well. Then, Lizzy's expression drops as she pats Doll's cheek.

"... You should really start following orders, Dolly. You're really gonna get yourself screwed over, one day. You don't want that." She whispers empathetically, silently pleading for Doll to just follow along so life here is far less harsh on her. Doll replies with an indignant scoff.

"[No. Those egotistical brats will not taint my dignity; I will not be their servant. That's not what my purpose is. I simply desire to live in peace.]" Doll grumbles, holding Lizzy closer, enjoying how Lizzy squeezes her against herself. Lizzy delicately traces a small series of patterns on her back.

"Well, duh, all of us 'lower beings' wanna chill and relax with Tes, just hang around. But it's not like that, Doll, you're just gonna get hit with worse punishments. C'mon, girl, please..." Lizzy isn't above begging, if it's for Doll.

Doll isn't adamant on listening. "[So be it, I will accept the consequences. As long as you are not harmed.]" Doll whispers, nuzzling her head against Lizzy's, both Drones set on ignoring their respective blushes. Lizzy deflates a little bit.

"You're gonna get hurt, Dolly..." She whines, digging her hands into Doll's body out of reflex, the thought of Doll getting hit, isolated or worse taunting her mind. Lizzy is then comforted by a gentle, hesitant and very light kiss on her forehead. Lizzy immediately beams at her friend, glad to see Doll's being somewhat willing to be the initiator of their causal affection.

"[But I will see to it that you are not. Trust me, I can handle myself. The humans are cautious; they would not dare press me.]" Doll snarls, feeding herself little lies in order to comfort herself, because humans were cruel. They'd definitely reach beyond her limits. Lizzy exhales softly, closing her eyes.

"I just hope you know what you're doing. Mmnghh, I'm tired... Get some sleep with me." Lizzy quietly beckons, rubbing Doll's back. Doll immediately complies, tired of today. Powering down, Doll appreciates the warmth that Lizzy provides in such a pitiful place.

"[Goodnight, Lizzy.]"

Chapter Text

"Where'd the note say that freaking metal JERK was!?" Uzi shouted, desperately soaring through the sky with Doll, both Drones benefiting from their Solver forms.

"[Left, that building.]" Doll informs, pointing at a rather well kept building, multiple layers of sheet metal welded to it to keep it from crumbling. Yet, it is rather obvious, as it stands out from the rest of them like a sore thumb. Doll's voice is far more collected than Uzi's, but it's clear that she's internally fuming.

It was yesterday, when a note fluttered down from the vents, a Robo Roach dutifully dropping it off by Uzi's bed. With very poor handwriting, N had scrawled out a hard to decipher message, begging Uzi to save him and 'Pink Mean Girl' from where they've been kidnapped. Uzi doesn't know why the hell anyone would need N or Lizzy of all Drones, but it doesn't matter, they're coming to get them.

Both Doll and Uzi land before the building, Doll holding the emo girl back from recklessly storming in. "[Careful. Could be traps.]" She mumbles, crimson optics focused on the ground. Uzi rolls her eyes and enters anyway.

Doll waits outside, arms crossed. If there are traps, she's not getting herself caught in them like a blind fool. Yet, Uzi doesn't yelp in alarm.

"Yo, it's safe, hurry it up!" Uzi angrily beckons, Doll sighing and trailing after her. Jeez, she can be as bossy as Lizzy sometimes.

Venturing deeper into the cold, concrete building, Doll's tail nudges Uzi's as she spots a dim light from around one of the rugged corners. Uzi and Doll are quick to duck, creeping forward to peer around it. Uzi nips Doll's hand when Doll accidentally places it on her head, Doll flicking Uzi in the face to retaliate.

There.

Lizzy and N are both sitting next to each other, tethered by rope to two, separate poles like a dog on a leash. There are obvious bite marks on N's, Lizzy's sporting multiple frayed sections. N is currently chatting to a Drone ---a Murder Drone--- and it's obvious that that freak is the one who had the gall to mess with two Drones that have, admittedly, very dangerous and stubborn girlfriends.

Uzi is first to enter, pouncing right on the creep and biting down hard, teeth digging into his visor and blinding him. Meanwhile, Doll, with a swift swipe of her hand, unties the duo by practically evaporating the rope with her Solver. N and Lizzy both sigh in relief, no longer bound. No time to reunite right now, Doll assists Uzi in the fight, wincing at the bullets littering the floor.

Rolling her eyes at Uzi listening to his villain monologue, Doll just lifts up a spare filing cabinet and slams it upon the unknown Drone, flattening him into a mess of oil and squashed metal. Doll huffs. Simple brat. Uzi and Doll immediately turn their focus to their respective Drones.

"N! Holy hell, how did this even happen!? Why didn't you shoot him!? Are you okay?! Ugh, don't make me come rescue you again, or I'll, like... Do something or whatever!" Throughout Uzi's halfhearted threat (that totally isn't an attempt to seem tougher than she feels), she's been hugging N, N gently nuzzling into the and wrapping his wings around her.

"Heh, we, uh... Kinda got EMP'd; my bad, I wasn't looking. He also jammed up my weapon deposit, stabbed right inside my arm... That guy told us he took us here because he wanted to see what's inside of us?? Something like that? Like, biomechanical gross stuff. I dunno... Just glad you're here..." N recounts, purring as his tail wags when Uzi protectively kisses him, making sure to block the view from the other two with her beanie. She'd not getting blackmailed by Lizzy again.

Doll, however, is extremely frantic when she sees Lizzy. She doesn't like close calls when it comes to those she loves; it scares her. She's lost so much, and losing Lizzy would make her genuinely lose her mind. So, Doll stays practically glued to Lizzy as she presses loving kisses all over Lizzy's face, clutching her close. "[Are you alright? Not-- N-Not hurt? Are you scared? You're okay?]" Doll's slow, yet repetitive, questions cause Lizzy to chuckle.

"I'm fine, babe, chill. Ain't nothing that loser tried actually scared me. It was kinda pathetic, honestly. But, like, I'm okay,. I'm here. Need me to, uh...?" Lizzy softly gestures towards Doll's hands, to which Doll nods. Lizzy smiles and holds them, grounding Doll and keeping her calm. Shuddering, Doll slowly soothes herself through Lizzy, pressing their foreheads together.

"[Was scared for you...]" Doll tiredly mumbles, tail roaming Lizzy's arms. Lizzy simply presses gentle kisses along Doll's jawline, refusing to let her girlfriend remain in this state. The moment is broken by a can falling and clattering to the ground, alarming Doll into a protective position over Lizzy, snarling. Uzi reacts similarly, growling lowly at the item.

"Hup!" N hurls Uzi to ride on top of his shoulders, now ready to get going. Lizzy follows suit and nudges her cheek into Doll's, before standing up. They both roll their eyes when Uzi sticks her tongue out at them.

"Who's tall now, huh!?" She boasts, cackling on top of N, chest puffed smugly. Doll offers no response, simply spreading her wings and gaining altitude, but not before picking Lizzy up and carrying her with her. Lizzy giggles at the feeling of the cool air against her visor, the soft breeze calming her. Doll smirks, before tossing Lizzy up into the air, Lizzy snapping a selfie, before catching the cheerleader once more.

Bridal style, Doll flies Lizzy back home, Lizzy posting the picture on her social media to gloat about the outing barely anyone else in the Bunker can experience unless they either have wings or a death wish. Hearing Uzi whoop behind them, Lizzy glances back to see her and N having a bit of fun in the sky before they go back home. Corny losers.

Content and safe in Doll's arms, Lizzy just buries her face into the Russian's chest, enjoying the low rumble of the purrs Doll emits as they head on home.

Chapter Text

This doesn't feel right, to Lizzy. Well, it does, obviously, but just... Something feels off. Has felt off for a while, now. Don't get her wrong, dating Doll is great and is the highlight of her life, but it's just that... It's bland. Not that that's an entirely bad thing, of course not, Lizzy's happy! But is Doll?

Does Doll know how much Lizzy loves her? There's been conflict in the past, what, with the whole 'not talking for months after prom' thing, but that's ages behind them. It's never deterred Doll and Lizzy knows how much Doll loves her even after that drama, but it's different, with the Russian girl. Doll knows it's requited love, but to what extent?

Lizzy really feels like she isn't doing enough, and not being able to read Doll on stuff like love isn't helping. Call her paranoid, but she's not up for her girl potentially feeling like she isn't utterly and wholeheartedly fawned over by Lizzy, because she is. Lizzy needs to reaffirm that she loves Doll, she might need to take this whole thing up a notch. Do some sweet gestures, hone in on some aspects, all that. Could take some planning, but with time, Lizzy could fix this. No more basic stuff, Doll's gonna get all Lizzy can give. She swears it.

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It's been a few days, and Doll feels like Lizzy's being a bit much. It's not like Doll hates it when Lizzy's in an affectionate mood, but 24/7, barely any sass, all mushy talk? Doll can compare Lizzy's behaviour to an overly sappy romance novel written by an inexperienced production team. It's making Doll cringe, at this point. Too many sappy pet names, no playful teasing or anything anymore, and Doll has been weirded out ever since. She conspires, a little.

Doll's fine with how their relationship is, it's perfect and everything Doll's ever wanted and probably more than she deserves. But she loves it. She's never had a problem with anything about it, there's no need to be uncomfortable or unsatisfied! She's got all she's ever wanted and is content with her life, her love.

But is Lizzy?

Given by how she's acting recently, Doll is beginning to suspect that maybe she's gotten bored? Is she, herself, boring? What's caused such a drastic change in Lizzy's behaviour?? Why? Doll doesn't have answers, but she's going to get them sooner or later. And by that, she means now. Which is why she's right outside Lizzy's door, having been knocking for the past few minutes and hearing occasional grunts from inside.

Doll is instantly astounded when Lizzy suddenly opens the door, holding a rather large bouquet of severed Drone arms to mimic flowers. Lizzy is wearing an expression of poorly-veiled disgust, and Doll can tell she wants her to take it before she throws up. Doll, overwhelmed, takes the small bundle, teleporting it back to her room. Before she can even inquire what that was, Lizzy's on her.

"Dolly, hey, didja like the gift?? I totally stole some of those from your stash, but I hope you liked it, pookie!" Lizzy grins, blushing heavily as she holds her girlfriend's hand, pulling her inside. Doll gags at the pet name.

"[Refrain from calling me that. And... Yes, the gift was nice, but... I must ask. Why? You've been acting different, Lizzy. Not that I don't like being doted on by you occasionally, but this is unique. Frankly, uncomfortable.]" Doll's clear statement of discomfort and placement of boundaries causes Lizzy to nervously shrink in on herself, rolling her eyes defensively.

"Ugh, can a girl not spend a week or two loving on her girlfriend?" She rhetorically questions, looking away when Doll cups her cheek. God, she can practically feel the concern through the motion.

"[That is not what this is. You know that. What is going on?]" The Russian's voice is gentle, sincere. Lizzy can't help but melt, leaning up against Doll and sighing.

"Do you, like... Are you happy with this? Y'know, like, us> Am I doing enough for you, girl?" Lizzy softly asks, peering up at Doll, who looks completely bewildered by Lizzy's sudden tone.

"[What kind of a question is that...? Of course you're doing enough. Way more than anyone else would, given my history. Why are you doubting yourself?]" Doll pulls Lizzy in close, wrapping her arms around her and levitating the blank to do the same, enveloping the cheerleader in a comforting embrace.

"I dunno, I just feel like I'm not? I guess I just wanna know if you know that I love you, is all... It'd totally suck if you didn't..."

So that's the source of her insecurity. Doll understands, now. Lizzy doesn't think she knows that she loves her. How ridiculous. Doll immediately chuckles at Lizzy, pressing their foreheads together with a gentle blush, Lizzy's visor turning a respective pink to match.

"[How ridiculous.]" Doll voices her thoughts. "[You are in need of a mental examination if you do not believe how I know you love me. Lizzy, I am perfectly aware of this. You don't need to do anything grand or whatever just to prove it. I'm happy with how we are, now. Simplicity is my favourite thing about us.]" Throughout her little speech, Doll has erupted in a series of gentle purrs, her chest rumbling against Lizzy's. Lizzy listens intently to both Doll's speech and the comforting purrs, sighing and grinning at how stupid this whole thing was, in hindsight.

"Gosh, you're a sweetheart... I hate that about you, sometimes. You make me feel weak, ugh, it's totally not cool, but... Thanks, girl. Sorry 'bout this stuff, dunno why I was feeling so insecure, I just--"

Lizzy is abruptly shut up by Doll's lips against her own. The best kind of silence. Lizzy gives in, letting go of all her worries in favour of focusing on Doll and her option on the matter. Slowly falling down to the ground, the two girls sit together, still locked in a gentle, sweet, loving kiss that both understand perfectly, even without words.

Simplicity is nice. No need to be extravagant. Doll is going to make sure Lizzy completely understands this by the end of the day.

Chapter Text

In Lizzy's bed, locked in the sanctuary of her room, Doll is completely at ease, right now. A rare feeling, but it's well appreciated, especially as she lays her head on Lizzy's chest, Lizzy's arms resting against Doll's back as she situates her phone on Doll's head so she can see it.

Lizzy absently scrolls through her social media accounts, dissing random morons for the fun of it and liking some of the poorly-generated girlboss quotes her algorithm feeds her. Lizzy casts her gaze to Doll, giving her a gentle head rub, before continuing on. Doll purrs, vibrations transferring to her cheerleader, Lizzy softly chuckling at the shared rumbling in their Cores.

Soon, however, Lizzy scoffs as she gets a notification from Teams. Her homework's due in literally thirty minutes. Ugh, as if timing could be any more inconvenient! Lizzy hesitates, weighing her options; it feels kinda illegal to move right now, considering the adorable girl resting on her and actually looking peaceful for once, but she needs to keep her grades up. So, with a heavy metaphorical heart, Lizzy taps Doll on the cheek, earning a flinch.

"Babe, c'mon, up. I gotta get my homework done, it's due in like, 30. Off, baby, hop up." Lizzy's voice is as soft as it is pleading, sitting herself up as Doll unceremoniously slumps down to Lizzy's lap. Doll grumbles tiredly, before yawning as she slowly rolls off of Lizzy, dragging out an exhale. Lizzy smiles softly and kisses Doll's cheek, always extra affectionate when Doll's this tired. It means she gets to get away with being all over Doll without getting pushed away out of embarrassment.

Lizzy then stands up, stretching out her limbs and heading towards her desk that holds all her school stuff. Pulling out her laptop, Lizzy sighs as she pulls up the word document for the assignment, relieved when she sees she's only got a chapter to go.

The cheerleader grunts as she squints at the screen, the letters way too fuzzy and kinda whispy, only to project a deadpan expression. Right. Glasses. Bad eyesight. Lizzy's really gotta get that fixed, it's soooo annoying...

She pulls her glasses case out from the backmost space of her desk, opening it and pressing the plastic to her visor, the built-in sticky pads assisting her with keeping them in place. Vision substantially better than what it was, Lizzy gets to typing, doing a real half-assed job of answering the first few because they suck and she'll ask Doll for help correcting them.

But, speak of the devil and she shall appear...

Doll tiredly shuffles over to Lizzy, hugging her from behind and nuzzling her cheek. "[Are you done?]" She inquires, her voice a soft murmur.

"Just started, girl, sorry." Lizzy chuckles, rubbing Doll's hand as she hears her scoff. Doll sighs in resignation, leaning her head to the side, hand tilting Lizzy's head so she can position herself for a kiss, only to falter at Lizzy's new attire.

"[Oh. I was not aware you wore glasses. Bad eyesight?]" Doll guesses, fiddling with the pink, glittery plastic idly as she checks Lizzy's glasses out. Lizzy shrugs nonchalantly, nodding her head.

"Yup. Shitty when it comes to small writing or far away stuff, it's not, like, a screwed up visor. Just some internal crap. Didn't bring it up, coz it wasn't really that important." Lizzy informs, fixing up Doll's messy bedhead with her palm, stroking down the finicky strands.

"[I think they're cute. They suit you well.]" Doll compliments, relishing in Lizzy's flustered blush.

"Ugh! Shut up! I don't need to be all blushy this late at night!" The cheerleader complains, crossing her arms in feigned annoyance. Doll snickers softly, before resting her head on Lizzy's shoulder to look at the screen.

"[Maths? Mmh, you have gotten the third question wrong. Pythagoras theorem, Lizzy, you know that.]" Doll nudges Lizzy gently, glancing at Lizzy's visor as she rolls her primrose optics.

"So? I literally don't care, girl, I'm only doing this because I gotta hand something in, in like... Shit! Fifteen minutes!" Lizzy immediately frets, rapidly scrolling down to where she was up to, only for Doll to gently grasp Lizzy's hand and push it away. Doll then firmly nudges Lizzy out of the seat, sitting down instead.

"[Go rest. You are tired. I can complete this in five minutes, go lay down, I'll be there.]" Doll softly promises, smiling at her girlfriend with a gentle expression of affection. Lizzy's optics hollow, blushing heavily, before she shakes her head and cups Doll's face, pressing her lips against hers with a tender grace.

"Flatterer." She quips, before laying back down on the bed, pulling her phone back out while Doll works away. She scrolls on her socials, quirking a digi-brow when she sees that Doll's got a new post on her private story. Lizzy's eyes widen as she taps on it, an image of her with her glasses on, smiling softly, showing up to greet her. Immediately, Lizzy sits up and chucks her phone at Doll, who instantly catches it with the Solver, not even looking at her.

"DOOOLLL!! Take it down, now, you freaking jerk!!" Lizzy screeches, blushing furiously as she glares at her very obviously smug girlfriend. Doll only offers Lizzy a playful wink and pokes her tongue out, lifting her hand to press 'submit' on Lizzy's work, uploading it to Teams.

"[It is on the private version, stop worrying. Only I will see it.]"

Lizzy sighs, shoulders slumping in relief, reaching out for Doll as the Russian girl walks over to her, climbing back on the bed to cuddle up with her. "Ugh, thank freaking robo-go--"

"[Along with Uzi and J, but I assure you, they will not---]"

Doll is promptly shoved off the bed.

"DELETE IT RIGHT NOW OR SAY GOODBYE TO SLEEPING IN THE BED TONIGHT!!!" Lizzy's shrill, demanding scream pierces Doll's audio receptors, causing the crimson-eyed Drone to wince in slight pain, head buzzing for a second. She frowns up at Lizzy from her spot on the floor.

"[Relax. I will delete it, no need to deactivate my ability to hear...]" Doll grumbles, quickly pulling her phone out and pressing delete on the post, Lizzy watching over her shoulder. Once it's confirmed as deleted, Lizzy huffs in relief, tugging Doll back up to the bed, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"Then don't post crap like that. I'm not gonna be seen looking like that by anyone other than you, Dolly." Lizzy mumbles, pressing her face into Doll's chest resolutely. Doll kisses Lizzy's forehead and rubs her back.

"[... I can accept that. You do look cute with glasses, though.]" Doll tacks on, screen going black in preparation to power down. Lizzy grins tiredly.

"Might wear them more often, then, just for fun, if ya want..." Lizzy whispers, kissing Doll's cheek.

Doll smiles softly. "[Yes, actually, I... I would like that.]"

With that said, both girls cuddle up together, the duo completely comfortable and warm in each other's arms.

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Somewhere else, a devilish snicker is heard in the room, neon eyes staring at the screenshot she took, intensely. Uzi grins with near-sadistic glee, pulling up her contacts and heading to the group chat, four Drones present, not online. She sends the screenshot, watching everyone's icon soon flicker online, lettering at the bottom depicting everyone who has seen the image.

'Yo losers Doll took down a fkn hilarious post omg sucks you didn't catch it. Buuut guess who took a screenshot >:3'

Chapter Text

The two cheerleaders sit on Lizzy's bed, stumped and rather anxious in comparison to how confident they (Lizzy, mainly) were back when they were handed the baby back in class. This task is worth 50% of their grade because it's literally a life they're supposed to be taking care of. They can only wonder how Uzi's doing with hers, if she even has one anymore.

Lizzy gently taps the baby's' visor, eliciting a cheerful beep. "So, uh, you got the manual, right? What do we gotta do, Dolly?" She inquires, peering up at her girlfriend, who's (metaphorical) nose-deep into the manual the teacher gave out. Doll grunts softly, squinting at a few lines that are underlined in red.

"[We are to allow it to rest, entertain it and... Make sure it does not die. I am sure we will succeed, it will not be too complex.]" Doll informs, closing the manual and looking at Lizzy. The popular girl is taking a few selfies with the kid. Doll deadpans. Of course this is the first thing Lizzy does with the baby... Doll doesn't question whether the flash is harmful, because the baby seems to be enjoying it nonetheless. Lizzy grins and posts it to Instagram, then picks the baby up.

"Hah, this is gonna be a breeze! Okay, soooo, entertain the lil guy. Easy enough, he's already perky, look!" Lizzy thrusts the pill-baby in Doll's face, causing the infected Drone to rear back a bit. Clearly, she doesn't like being responsible for any more than one Drone.

"[I... See. I suppose we should let it r-]" Doll is swiftly interrupted by the baby being tossed up in the air and caught by Lizzy again. Ignoring the slight Core-attack, Doll frowns and gingerly takes the kid from Lizzy's hands, earning a frown in return. "[Do not toss children.]" She gently chastises, before walking over to Lizzy's spare blanket, one of many, and bundles the kid up in it. Lizzy rolls her eyes. Showoff. Doll ignores Lizzy, and strides towards the fridge Lizzy keeps, mainly for Doll, and pulls out a bottle of vodka. She walks back towards the kid and tilts her head. "[... No entry point... I can make it work-"]

"DOLL!" Lizzy exclaims, ripping the bottle away from the kid. Doll glares, annoyed. She tries to help, but is immediately shot down. Is this not a partner assignment?? Lizzy places the bottle back in the fridge and fixes up the blanket around the baby. "Don't give the freaking kid vodka! Are you serious!?" She reprimands, looking responsible for once. Doll huffs.

"[Relax, it is the first thing I had drank when I was little.]" The Russian girl argues, cueing Lizzy to slap her upside the head. Doll growls softly in response, irritated.

"Yeah, you! You actually have the stuff to digest it, but if any liquid enters anyone else, dead! C'mon, Dolly, we don't all have an eldritch entity slowly corrupting us and mutating our insides to flesh. Get real." Lizzy finishes, glaring at her girlfriend, who is pointedly looking away, not one to enjoy being chastised like this, because she rarely is. Makes her feel childish. She also doesn't like being reminded of the fact that she has organs, that usually stays repressed.

"[... Mmh... I apologise...]" Doll reluctantly mumbles, earning a kiss on the cheek from the blonde menace. Lizzy smirks, proud of herself for gaining the upper hand.

"Thank you, Dolly~!" Lizzy giggles.

-+-+-+-+-+-+--+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

The rest of the day passes, and Doll and Lizzy have gotten attached. It's hard not to, when the kid's so cooperative and not a troublemaker like most are at this stage. When they both present the kid in the class, showing off its status and earning that easy A, it's surprising for the others to see them both pull the kid away from the nurse who looks after the daycare and incubators. Doll looks irritated and nervous, while Lizzy just looks stubborn and angry, like she usually does when she doesn't get what she wants. "We can look after the kid for another day, chill, just go do your own thing! We're slaying at this, back off a bit." Though, Lizzy's sassy tone proves ineffective to May, who is actually serious about her job of looking after the future generation.

"Young ladies, you're both literally still in high school, this child has parents, and they wanna see him, so let give him to me. I can arrange visits with permission, but this behaviour will not be tolerated and I will have your grades revoked. Hand him over. Now." The stern warning and lecture is enough for Lizzy to roll her eyes and give him up, before snorting and flicking through her phone. May takes the others as well, glaring at Uzi, whose kid is downloading more data containing anime than it can run on its small internal systems. Overall, the day had progressed well, and Doll and Lizzy had earned their grade, occasionally visiting the kid to hang out and such. It had been a learning experience for both of them and they enjoyed every second of it.

Alone at home, a sticky note is placed on Lizzy's mirror. 'Baby name ideas'.

Chapter Text

Lizzy grits her teeth, sitting on her bed, feeling unusually sweaty. Stupid programming, but it's useful to indicate when something's wrong. And Lizzy knows there is. Killer headache, all freaking day. Not a vibe, totes painful, and she wants to actually feel good when Doll comes over, so she's gonna need to do a little diagnostics check. Sighing, the cheerleader leans back into the bed and closes her eyes.

...

[Checking For Foreign Content...

...

...

...

[None Detected. Paranoid, much?]

[Running: Virus_Remover_prgrm...

...

...

[All clear!]

...

...

Although...

[Fear= True]
...

...

[Attempting to Exit {Processor_Search}]

...

...

Failure to comply. How sad, you wanna leave? I only just got here! Meanie! >:(

Buuut, whatever, just listen up. Or read.

[Attempting to Exi-]

No, no, no. that's rude. I need you. What more cliche way to use a stubborn puppet than to get to it through the ones it cares for? A very handy trick. Now, just let me...

[Absolute_Solver] wants to access your database. Accept?

[Yes] [Yes]

...

...

...

....... [Yes]

Thank you! I will see you soon.

-----------------

Doll sighs softly as she enters Lizzy's room via teleportation, no need to knock for someone who isn't feeling the best, it might just make her headache worse. Lizzy hates loud noises when she gets these. Doll travels from Lizzy's loungeroom to the bedroom, only to freeze in place. The bag of microchips and digital medication stuff she forgot the name of clutters to the ground, startled. The space around Lizzy's bed is unusually dark. Until it isn't. Two luminous, vile, fear-inducing yellow optics stare back at Doll, piercing through her chassis, her visor, her artificial soul.

Cyn had gotten to Lizzy.

Doll is unsure of how and why, but she's wriggled her goddamn way into... Into...

Doll growls, narrowing her crimson optics at the thing possessing her girlfriend, reaching for her anger to overrun the fear. "[Get your parasitic self out of Lizzy before I tear it out.]"

Lizzy(?) giggles and stands up, her too-wide grin mocking Doll. "Chortle. That is no way to treat your girlfriend, Dolly. Have some manners." Lizzy's voice is not her own, but that robotic, basic-ass voice Cyn utilizes. Doll grits her teeth, fists clenching at her sides. Lizzy cocks her head. "Ah-ah, I wouldn't do that. I literally control that power you have, idiot. Imagine trying to verse a god, couldn't be me." Lizzy then stands up and smugly winks at Doll, before, in a flash and blast of power, she's right in Doll's face, the rug Lizzy admires so much torn up from the speed, smoking a bit. Doll would never want to shove Lizzy away in any other circumstance.

Lizzy forcefully grips Doll's cheeks, salivating hungrily. "You are a pest. I don't understand why I didn't withhold the Solver from you once I saw Yeva had passed it on, but I will remove it. Remove you. It was fun. Toodles!" A massive, boney arm bursts from Lizzy's back, the clawed hand swiping at Doll before she can react. She'll just say it was the shock. Doll slams against the wall, grunting, before growling and lunging off of it, using the Solver to grip a knife in passing, before slamming the blade into the arm, severing it. Lizzy flinches back. "Yelp! Mean! Scoff, I suppose an exterminator would rid you with ease." Lizzy remarks, before grinning. Multiple tendrils expand from the hole in Lizzy's back, rushing forward to grip Doll's arms.

"Silly puppet! Time to pluck your wings, roach." Lizzy cackles as the tendrils pull both of Doll's arms in opposite directions. Doll squirms, frantically trying to break free, feeling her wiring disconnecting from each other, bolts forcefully snapping from their places, loosening Doll's joints. Then, for a minute, relief. Doll opens one optic, trying to get a glimpse of the monster wearing her girlfriend. Lizzy's body is shaking, a yellow tear falling down her visor and fading to pink as it disappears, like gradient. "Stop, lemme go... Dolllyyyyy....." Doll's Core nearly rips itself apart from the sound of Lizzy's desperate, glitchy whimper, begging to be set free. It was just meant to be a movie night.

Doll always gives Lizzy what she wants. She will never let her down.

Doll curves her hands down, gripping the tendrils, before forcefully ripping them right out, with a burst of strength. Doll's at a disadvantage with her arms loose, but it doesn't matter. Doll snarls as she teleports around rapidly, shoving Lizzy against the walls repetitively, trying to knock her head around a bit, to fix this. She doesn't know what to do. Lizzy grunts and yelps each time, and it hurts to hear, but it's all Doll's got. Then... after a few minutes of nonstop exertion... Lizzy's screen goes black. Both she and Lizzy slump to the ground, one offline and the other close to it. Doll simply holds Lizzy close, waiting, fighting back the festering pain and guilt.

Eventually, Lizzy stirs, her arms wrapping around Doll weakly. "My freaking head hurts... So much for not having a headache on movie night... But, just... Just... Stay. I'm, I'm tired..." It's clear, by Lizzy's mumbles, that she's not entirely coherent, but she's there and that's all Doll cares about. She'll work on the Solver stuff later. For now, they both need to sleep it off and be scared about it later. So, Doll picks Lizzy up, ignoring the pain in her loosened joints, gingerly placing her treasure on the bed and tucking her in, making damn sure it's comfortable. Doll slides in next to Lizzy, gently stroking her stomach, tempted to roll her over so she can check on the damage on her back, but right now, just... She's gotta sleep.

Doll hugs Lizzy tight, tucking Lizzy's head under her chin, purring. Purring always gives Lizzy at least a bit of comfort, so that's exactly what she'll do. Lizzy whimpers and clutches Doll tighter, being the most vulnerable she's ever been, only ever showing it to Doll. When Lizzy finally goes into sleep mode, Doll stays up. Just thinking. She will need to plan for tomorrow, for how it'll go, because it won't be easy. It'll be stressful, but as long as Lizzy's okay, Doll's okay. With a sigh, Doll closes her eyes, stroking Lizzy's blonde hair, before succumbing to the exhaustion of the afternoon.

Chapter Text

Leaping from rock to rock, scampering along metal structures and abandoned houses, crawling along walls and digging into the concrete, Lizzy is in a deeply concentrated search for something good to bring back to her girlfriend, her mate, her everything- Doll. Her light-pink wings allow her to glide above the ground and to other structures with ease, keen eyesight catching onto shiny things that she occasionally dives down to check on, only to scoff when it's not what she wants. Bottle caps, keys, tinfoil, ew no. Shiny rocks, glass, china? Tempting. Pocket knives, sturdy metal, smooth rocks? That's where it's at and Lizzy's gonna find one of 'em. She needs to, because she wants to show gratitude to her girl. Doll's been doing a lot for her, with the Solver and all, giving her lessons and being so sweet and patient, but what can Lizzy do for her? This. Scrap hunting is a good way to show another Solver Drone appreciation and love, and Lizzy will get what she wants.

Grumbling as she glides down towards a few shiny gleams of light catching her eye, Lizzy hopes it's something good. She lands delicately, tail feathers at the end of her long, thin appendage brushing away any snow on her legs. Lizzy tilts her head as she sniffs at a butter knife and a watch. Would Doll like these? Would she add them into her trinket collection? Well, obviously- She puts anything Lizzy gets her into the collection, but Lizzy wants Doll to actually like it, not just glance at it once and forget about it. So, no, these aren't good enough. Sneering, Lizzy turns away and raises her wings, only to yelp as she's immediately tackled to the ground by something way larger. Lizzy's pink optics hollow. She's pinned under a freaking Murder Drone. Lizzy immediately squirms, flapping her wings to drudge up plumes of powder snow in its face, only to squeal in pain as two massive hands slam themselves down onto her wings, eliciting a sickening crunch. Broken immediately. It'll heal, but that's not good if she wants to get out of this alive.

Lizzy frantically bites and claws at its arms, punching it in the head everytime it tries to take a bite out of her. "LET ME GO, YOU UPGRADED SACK OF- MMMPH!!" Lizzy's insult is muffles by the hand covering her entire face, lifting her up into the air. It chuckles watching the smaller Drone claw at its arm. The Murder Drone slams Lizzy back down into the snow, scratching and nipping at her, trying to get a good position to take a chunk out. Lizzy squints and begins kicking, her boot connecting with its delicate Core over and over again. It backs off after the twelfth kick, disoriented, before roaring and soaring off, muttering insults under its breath. Then, as quickly as it went, it comes shooting right back down to Lizzy. Lizzy yelps and, with a burst of adrenaline, she teleports out of the way and uses the Solver to slam the butter knife into its head. It twitches, before finally going limp. It won't stay that way for long, so Lizzy's gotta go. Now.

Lizzy pants heavily, gritting her teeth as she pushes herself up off the ground. There's oil on the snow. Not hers. It leads to a large, silver claw that was torn out of the Murder Drone's finger somehow. Perfect. Pretty, shiny, and a souvenir of Lizzy's battle, showing her skill and what she won against. Lizzy picks it up in her mouth and weakly gathers her energy and teleports back home, where Doll's waiting. She called her there for a surprise, after all.

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Doll sighs to herself as she waits on Lizzy's couch, tail flicking back and forth, the head restlessly nipping at her boot every so often. She's initially relieved to see the pink burst of code and lightning, but that relief immediately shifts into horror as she takes in Lizzy's appearance. Disheveled hair, crumbled clothes, feathers falling out a bit, wings bent at angles they definitely shouldn't be, and an exhausted smile on Lizzy's oil-covered face, an object in her mouth. Doll instantly rushes to her girlfriend, cupping her cheeks and frantically checking her over. "[L-Lizzy!? What happened to you!? Wh-What did this!?]" She exclaims, looking into Lizzy's eyes as Lizzy gently strokes her hand. Lizzy drops the object from out of her mouth. A claw? Large... It's most likely from-... Oh.

Oh....

Lizzy weakly chuckles. "Had a run-in with one of those massive freaks, but it's chill, I'll be fine. Just a bit banged up, nothing the Solver won't-"

"[Did you kill it?]" Doll's sudden question stuns Lizzy.

"What?"

"[Did you kill it?]" Doll repeats. "[Strike the Core?]" Lizzy's optics brighten in realization, then dim a little bit, in guilt.

"... Nah, just stabbed it in the head." Lizzy quietly admits. Doll sighs and gently nuzzles Lizzy's cheek, earning a purr, tail weakly wagging.

"[I see. If I may ask, why did you bring this back...?]" Doll softly questions, turning the massive, silver claw in her fingers. It's definitely impressive, and something to be proud of, that's for sure. Lizzy bites her lip, tail coiling around Doll's own. The semi-sentient head purrs softly, nuzzling into the feathers.

"Had to bring you something to show I appreciate the stuff you do for me, and put up with. Gotta treat my girl." Lizzy admits, not looking all that guilty about bringing something back for Doll, if at a cost. Doll hugs Lizzy close, both girls closing their eyes in contentment. Lizzy buries her face into Doll's neck, Doll lovingly stroking Lizzy's back, avoiding her mangled wings that she'll be grooming nonstop later on, after healing them. "[Oh, Lizzy... I would've been fine with just anything...]" She mumbles softly.

Lizzy scoffs, tightening her hold on her girlfriend. "You don't deserve 'just anything', Dolly..." She rebuts stubbornly, earning a loving lick to her forehead. Lizzy giggles and kisses Doll sweetly, to which the Russian responds eagerly. Soon, Doll pulls away and begins sniffing at the claw, a loading icon appearing on the top-right of her visor. Lizzy tilts her head. "What're you-" With a burst of crimson coding, Doll's gone. Lizzy rolls her eyes. "Idiot."

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The Murder Drone grumbles as it finally comes back online, more than a little pissed. That pink runt had made off with its claw and its meal. Oh, it's gonna track that little brat down, and when it does, it'll show her exactly what it'll do to a weak little-

SLAM!!

Its head is promptly slammed into the ground by a boot crashing down on it. A few teeth loosen in its mouth. It groans as whatever hit it backs off, only to yelp as its head is yanked up to face two glaring, red optics. A Solver Drone, judging by the wings and tail, different to the other, but something tells the Murder Drone that the other one has something to do with why this one's here. Doll scoffs.

"[I normally do not waste my time on things like you, I am already deep in a vendetta against another, but you... If you lay a hand on my girlfriend, you are already on my blacklist. What a fool you are, harming another smaller than you. But small does not equate to weak, which I will gladly demonstrate.]" Without any further conversation, Doll raises her hand and calls upon the Solver with ease. The Murder Drone yelps as an unusually elongated butter knife imbeds itself deep into its nanite canister trapping it. Doll slowly approaches, getting an unhealthy amount of satisfaction from the look of pure, unadulterated fear on the sky demons' face. Doll gleefully smiles. "[Bye-bye.]" With a slight quirk of her fingers, a series of knives imbed themselves into the Murder Drone's head with an unnatural velocity. Doll tilts her head, before crouching down and ripping off a shiny, loosened tooth from out of its mouth, then teleports back home.

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On the bed, wings outstretched, Lizzy waits for Doll to come back from her dorky murder spree of vengeance or whatever and, speak of the devil, Doll teleports back into her room in crimson lightning. Lizzy smirks, tail wagging slightly. "Yo, babe, had fun~?" She questions, trailing her finger along Doll's jawline when the Russian's close enough. Doll chuckles softly, dropping the tooth at Lizzy's hands, enjoying the way Lizzy squeals in adoration.

"[That is for you, and yes, I had... Enjoyed myself. More importantly, how are you feeling? Is the Solver healing you well?]" Doll inquires, sitting beside Lizzy and gently rubbing her back soothingly. Doll connects to Lizzy's systems and transfers a bit of her own assistance to Lizzy's Solver to aid in the healing process. Lizzy sighs in relief.

"Totally..." Lizzy mutters lazily, closing her eyes. Doll smiles and remains silent, allowing the peaceful atmosphere to take hold of the situation, easing their nerves a bit. The rest of the night is filled with idle chatter and affectionate caresses, both girls having a calmer night than normal, which both are completely fine with.

On the shelf, in a private and more enclosed section, lie a silver tooth and fang, both objects pressed up next to each other.

Chapter Text

Lizzy groans as she huddles up on the bed, Solver form on full display, utilizing its abilities in hopes that it'll ramp up the healing process a bit more. She's contracted a freaking virus from that bullshit-ass excursion yesterday; she should've known to get outta there as soon as the others started buffering. Ugh... Lizzy grits her teeth as another buffer hits her, tensing up her systems and causing disorientation. Lizzy shakes it off, before flapping her wings a bit, due to overheating. Easily, the feathers dispatch from their positions in the wing, fluttering to the ground, both large and small. There's no real noticeable difference, but if you were to give Lizzy a quick preening session (PLEASE don't do that when she's like this), you'd easily identify the unsightly patches where feathers have fallen, and will soon grow back.

In short, this sucks. And-

"[Lizzy?]"

-Nevermind. Guess it could get worse.

Lizzy sighs as she sees the red glow flow through the room, a telltale sign that Doll's coming towards her. The virus can't be given to Doll, since she's got some weird blockers or whatever she said she stole from the tech room yesterday, but still, Lizzy doesn't want Doll dealing with this. Regardless, Lizzy's excited to see her girlfriend.

-------------

It was unique to see pink feathers scattered about the room, since Lizzy spends ample time neatening herself up and would rather die than have her feathers get plucked or have them fall out, but Doll hears no complaining or mortified curses. Doll knows, right from the start, what's going on. Lizzy's sick. Likely caught it from the excursion yesterday, everyone pretty much was, from what Lizzy said. Doll stayed home, because she doesn't like anyone there and she doesn't wanna get sick herself. A protocol she took was nabbing some blocker chips from the tech room in case she starts buffering, but so far, nada.

"[Lizzy?]" Doll gently calls, rounding the corner to enter Lizzy's room. There, huddled up on the bed, tail lashing irritably, wings furling and unfurling as if restless and itchy, is Lizzy. She looks.... Like she could be better. Doll will try her best. The Russian girl slowly wanders towards Lizzy and sits on the edge of the bed, running a hand through Lizzy's blonde hair, fiddling with the yellow bow. "[Virus?]" She inquires.

Lizzy sighs and nods, resting her head on Doll's lap. "Virus. Sucks hard." She confirms, voice an annoyed grumble, tracing patterns on Doll's thigh. The cheerleader grunts as she's hit with another buffer, before rolling her eyes. Doll hums sympathetically, pulling Lizzy closer.

"[I suppose it is best we both take a rest day, no? For both of our benefit. I can watch over you and stay, and you can rest while I look after you. Your condition should not be left unattended.]" Doll informs, scritching the base of Lizzy's wing carefully, earning a shudder. Lizzy grins up at her girlfriend, patting her thigh.

"Sound totally awesome, stay a bit. Look after me, Dolly...~" Lizzy drawls, giving Doll a flirtatious wink. Doll blushes and looks away, digi-brows curving into an embarrassed frown. She always gets flustered when Lizzy takes this sort of tone with her.

"[Do not start.]" She warns, to which Lizzy just snickers and curls into Doll's lap a bit more, squeezing her close. After a few minutes, the blonde girl is completely knocked out. Doll sighs, stroking her back, other hand intertwined with Lizzy's.

"[... Rest well.]"

Chapter Text

Doll sits on the chair in the mostly abandoned landing pod, boots resting on the main console as she stares at J blankly, who's droning on about JCJenson and eradicating the Solver, as if that's not what she and J have been trying to do when they collaborate like this. J flips a pigtail back as she paces the pod, ranting. "And the company has refused to lend us the appropriate material to combat the same thing we were sent out here for- Typical human idiocracy, at best... You'd think they'd let up on that stupid 'probation' thing, it's been nagging me for months! Obviously, partnering up with a Worker Drone is against the rules, but to find the source of the virus, we need firsthand experience-"

Honestly, most of that's faded into white noise for Doll. It's nothing she already doesn't know, but J's insistent whining about a successful demolition of the Absolute Solver does not seem to have an end. Doll doesn't know if J's doing it for the company or because she actually wants it gone, but that doesn't been complaining's going to help. "[Maybe productivity would be useful instead of ranting.]" Doll comments dryly, earning a sneer.

J crosses her arms, hip cocking out to the side. "Shut up, freak, I need to vent and you said it'd be good for me. And it is. Be a good friend and listen." J retorts, the word 'friend' still feeling a bit odd in her mouth, and not just because Doll's a Worker Drone. She's never really had friends, due to the fact that she's too good for the other two she worked with, and her rampaging attitude towards literally anyone who isn't- ...

Anyways.

Doll's a good outlet, and, admittedly, a good companion to keep around. She's grown quite fond of her behaviour and presence, though she'd rather flip off the company than admit to it aloud. J can see the potential in Doll- She's nice enough and she can personally relate to Doll's struggles of vengeance. V took something precious from Doll and Cyn took something precious from J, not too long ago, in fact. J's been venting about her loss for a bit to Doll, to someone who understands and won't just brush it off. She still can't say her name, but Doll knows who she's talking about. Her old friend... But, that's not important. She has a mission, a partner to work with, and she'll get it done.

Doll, now flicking through her own coding, seems to have begun finishing up while J was in thought. Routinely check-ups on her coding to identify anything unusual is common practice to scribble down notes and gain further information. Doll sighs. "[No current updates, the last abnormal string of code has been nullified, though.]" The Russian girl informs. J hums and uses her High-quality, ensured durability JCJenson Pen to scrawl that down on the notebook she's been recording this stuff into.

"Hmm, nullified?" J repeats, quirking a digi-brow at Doll. Doll nods, shrugging.

"[Yes, I cannot access what has been shut down. Inconvenient.]" She mutters, earning a scoff from J.

"Yes, inconvenient. We don't have time to experience blockages, get onto it and fix it." J orders pointedly, tail lashing irritably. She really can't afford to have Doll's systems preventing access to potentially valuable information, as well as not knowing why.

Doll rolls her eyes, swiveling around on the office chair. "[Do not give me orders. I admit, you are a lot like Lizzy, in some ways. You are impertinent, but sassy and disregarding. Reminds me of her.]" Doll observes, glancing at J. The Murder Drone grunts in annoyance and swaps her hand out for her blade, aiming it at Doll.

"Don't compare me to your girlfriend, moron, everything reminds you of her. Lovesick idiot." J spits, growling when Doll kicks her blade away with ease. Doll shrugs nonchalantly and stands up, stretching her limbs.

"[You should meet her. She can provide another venting source, she is far better at it than I am. She will respond.]"

Honestly, that's not what J expected to get her thinking about befriending ANOTHER Worker Drone, but... She'll admit, company can be nice. Sometimes. It depends. And if this 'Lizzy' bozo's as good at dealing with venting as Doll says she is, J could use her. She doesn't have to like it, though.

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And that's the reason why Doll's dragged Lizzy out into the cold snow, leading her to the landing pod. The Spire. Lizzy's complained when Doll had talked her into meeting up with J, and is still complaining now, but she'll listen to her girlfriend and take her word for it, but she stated she'd leave if J started getting all Murder-y. Doll said she wouldn't let that happen, but still, it's the principal.

Finally, a tall, slim figure wearing a suit-dress stands at the foot of the Spire, arms crossed as she looks at the new arrival judgmentally. Lizzy returns the glare, looking J up and down, before sneering a little bit. "Ugh, that yellow shirt under that suit? Ew." She comments, earning a nudge from Doll. Of course this'd be the first observation Lizzy makes. She doesn't listen to the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover', never has. J grunts in annoyance.

"Huh, the sentient toaster has more audacity than the purple freak. I'd tone it down, bozo." J swiftly backfires, Lizzy rolling her eyes in response.

"And get your ass squashed into a cylinder ball by Doll for testing me, yeah, sure, go off, Queen." Lizzy remarks, flipping her hand at J sassily. Doll calmly watches this interaction, standing by to let the two girls (aggressively) get to know each other.

This one interaction has evolved into months of contact between the two. Lizzy hooked J up with a phone so they can chat, vent, talk shit about people, whatever. J's also looking a bit less stubborn and more mischievous, clearly feeding off of Lizzy's attitude. It's gotten to the point where J's actually comfortable with saying things like 'friend' and 'bestie'. When V and N first heard about all of this, it was an understatement to say they were surprised. Well, V was more amused, but N was a little bit hesitant around J to show his enthusiasm towards her change in behaviour. It's a positive thing, after all. But that doesn't mean Lizzy should spend week after week with her new friend like she'd been doing, it's... Annoying Doll. Whenever she heads out to talk about the Solver and run diagnostics with J, Lizzy tags along and the whole point is then nullified. Doll will change this.

---------------

Laying down on Lizzy's lap in her home, Doll's content, optics closed as she purrs when Lizzy strokes her hair lovingly. But then, Lizzy shifts. "Oh my god, babe, J wants to show me her newest bullying tactic! I gotta go, girl, I'' be-"

"[She can show you through text. Stay.]" Doll grumbles, firmly pressing herself against Lizzy harder. Lizzy falters. Everytime she announces she's gonna visit J, Doll's cool with it, but Lizzy knows Doll can get irritated when she leaves consistently. Especially in the middle of cuddle time. Lizzy laughs softly and settles back down, shooting J a quick response before putting her phone down next to her. Lizzy gently cups Doll's cheek and peppers a few kisses along her jawline.

"You jealous, gorgeous?" Lizzy taunts, dragging her other hand along the Russian girl's side. Doll shudders, before looking away and grunting. That's a yes, then. Lizzy smirks and hugs Doll closer, before pressing her lips to Doll's in a loving, reassuring kiss. Doll easily melts into it, purring faintly. Pulling away, Lizzy presses their foreheads together. "M'kay, girl, I can stick around... Sorry about ditching you, got too caught up with the other idiot." Doll chuckles softly and cuddles further into Lizzy's chest, kissing her exposed shoulder.

"[It's alright, just... Do not leave for a few days.]" The infected Drone quietly requests, to which Lizzy just pulls Doll closer.

For the rest of the day, they both remain like this, completely satisfied with how things are for now.

Chapter Text

There'd been a lull in the Bunker for quite some time. Everyone could feel the boredom and existential dread in the air, not uncommon but also not really welcome. It mainly affected the students since material was repetitive due to no-one wanting to print more stuff off for the kids to learn, but the Teacher had decided to look into school activities to pass the time and rid the Bunker of the ever-so-joyful experience of bed-rotting. There were many options in the vote that was set up; Theater play (basic knight and princess schtick), sports day rallies, Tetris standoff, baking, the works. It was close between the play and Tetris, but the knight/princess play had eventually won.

Lizzy was, of course, the lead role in the play being the princess, and no-one wanted to try get the role off of her. The students had the chance not to participate, and many didn't, including Doll because she hates that mushy, weird-talking romance stuff, as well as being perceived. Not her thing. But, Lizzy just had to convince her with a healthy bribe of two gallons of oil (stolen from the Bunker's stash) and lots of cuddle time. If she didn't agree, Lizzy'd threatened to lock her and V in a room together. Quite the foolish threat, given either one or neither would come out alive. Doll had reluctantly accepted the role of the knight. She put up a fight, though, and still will.

Surprisingly, Uzi had offered to participate in the play, whether from pressure by Khan or N giving her puppy eyes, but she did nonetheless. Due to the original play being pretty much ancient lost media, the rest of the plot was pretty much improv. Uzi decided there'd need to be dragons, V and N gladly taking the role- V taking the role to antagonize Doll rather than actual enthusiasm towards the play. Upon V being added, her position on stage would be far away from Doll. There was now a high chance of the innocent play becoming a gladiator colosseum.

------------------------

Backstage (or the large storage room), everyone was getting into their costumes, aside from Doll and Uzi, claiming 'they won't be seen wearing that crap'. Provoking them into doing it had been deemed as a failure, two students having their fingers severed by the cousins biting them off in irritation from being forced. They all decided to put a sticky note on their chests, their roles written in sharpie. Neither girls are excited about this- Doll would much rather play Tetris. She's near octillions. She'd have an easy victory. Doing a play is just humiliating, and Doll will show up, but she won't be listening to anyone. Catch Lizzy, leave with Lizzy. That's all she's doing. Uzi has actually agreed with Doll about not listening, not like she ever does anyways, but more chances at being a menace is fine by her.

And so, the play begins, V and N circling the styrofoam tower Lizzy's in. V nips at N's heel mischievously, causing him to yelp and speed up, only to walk into V's nanite canister. Uzi, the 'dragon tamer', just plays on her DS, leaning against the small tower and not doing a thing the script requires her to do. Doll's doing the same thing, sitting at the front of the tower's base, blinking boredly. Lizzy glares at Doll, before clearing her throat. "Okay, uh- Yo, knight! I'm in severe danger, there's literally two dragons surrounding the tower they locked me in, help!" Lizzy's tone is slightly bored, crumpling the script into a ball and tossing it at Uzi's head, earning a hiss. She can improv through it.

Doll blinks up at Lizzy, tilting her head. Lizzy quirks a digi-brow and reminds Doll of the 'help'. Doll brightens up. "[Kill the dragon?]" She asks, needing to confirm it. Lizzy nods hesitantly, not liking Doll's scheming tone. Doll grins and, seemingly out of nowhere, pulls out a gun and aims it at V. Immediately, Lizzy ditches her phone at Doll's head, the Russian girl yelping and flinching back.

"No murder on the freaking set, you idiot! Play your role and suck it up!" Lizzy commands, throwing Doll a vicious glare. Still, Doll doesn't comply and simply yawns, before closing her optics. Lizzy rolls her eyes. Wow. Absolutely useless. Sighing, Lizzy steps out and prepares to jump, which catches Doll's attention. Doll outstretches her arms, easily catching Lizzy. Doll purrs softly and glares at the audience, before positioning Lizzy bridal style and disappearing into the storage room. V, who'd been eating the back of the styrofoam tower with worried complaints from N, looks up and rolls her eyes.

"Lame." She snorts, before laying down on stage, aiming her minigun at the audience, causing them to frantically exit the makeshift theater. Uzi, nuzzled up against N, continues playing on her DS, enjoying the commentary from her boyfriend.

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Lizzy, now in her room with Doll, crosses her arms at the infected Drone. "Remind me never to include you in plays again. You freaking suck." Lizzy dryly comments, earning a nonchalant shrug from Doll.

"[I had no intention on joining in the first place, I just wanted to play Tetris. You insisted and promised me oil. Give.]" Doll tiredly demands, head resting on her girlfriend's lap. Lizzy scoffs and strokes her hand through Doll's violet hair, down to her back, waist and back up again.

"Not like you deserve it, but whatever, fine. Tomorrow. Wanna go have a few rounds of Tetris, then?" Lizzy offers, even though she knows she's gonna get schooled by Doll countlessly. If it'll make Doll happy, then Lizzy'll do it for her in return for at least agreeing to participate in the play. Doll perks up and nods, before cuddling Lizzy close and starting up Tetris, connecting to Lizzy's systems so they can play competitive. Lizzy joins the round and, after a few minutes, Doll's ten levels ahead and Lizzy just lost on the third one.

"I hate this bullshit game..."

"[Suck it up, princess.]"

Chapter Text

Uzi's been having a shit day. Normally, she'd listen to Dead Batteries and sulk in her room like a typical comical edgy teen gig would portray, but today, she's feeling kinda mischievous. Many students are oftentimes subjected to her pranks, aside from Emily because she gets enough shit as it is from the regular bullies.

And that train of thought led Uzi to thinking about her regular bullies. Lizzy and Doll. She was still extremely amused by her last prank that totally wasn't a crime! Uzi got to thinking again. She has no actual reason to do anything to the duo, but Uzi's gonna do it anyway because she wants to. Isn't that Lizzy's train if thought when she bullies her? So, Uzi got to work. She spent a few hours working on some eldritch monstrosity looking thing, much like a keybug but a bit more serpentine. It's just meant to sneak in and swap the two again for funsies.

Uzi cackles as the black, yellow-dotted creature slithers around her arm, searching for the programmed targets it's meant to beeline towards and do some totally creepy stuff to. Uzi, with a smirk, stands up on her workbench to reach the vent, raises her hand up and lets her creature go on a search.

Let the chaos rain.

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Status = Schleepin'.

...

...

Abnormality Detected. Please go check that out, ew.

...

...

OS = IDK lol
...

...

Admin [**$**$@@!@??#**??@##$*!?] Gained Access.

Melding....

Physicality Altering.

Selecting compatible Drone...

Convenient Edgelord Selected.

.....

.....

Have... Fun?

[Emotional Status = :( Pray you don't wake up to see this.]

Lizzy groans in annoyance as she squints, the (un)familiar feeling of a headache battling her processors. This sucks and Lizzy freaking hates everytime this happens. Ugh. Whatever. Lizzy is further disappointed when she realises that Doll is currently asleep beside her and won't wake up unless Lizzy either kicks her awake or gives off a distress signal through their connected message hub. Lizzy doesn't wanna do either. Maybe she could go hang with V—

No, she'd rather die than step foot anywhere NEAR that foul bitch.

...

....

Woah. Okay. The last time Lizzy thought stuff like THAT about someone was when Rebecca pranked her by placing a stick-on, glowing X sticker on the wall across form her and recorded her reaction to it to post on Snapchat. But V didn't do anything, so why—

V's a horrible person who murdered her goddamn parents—

Doll!? That's the type of shit Doll says!?!? What???

...

...

Lizzy looks down. Two hands, two arms, pink triangles. Good. Sighing, she swipes off the blanket—

And SCREAMS.

On her elongated torso, is another set of arms just below her own. Red triangles. Her legs aren't hers OR Doll's, they're black and rubbery-feeling. Digitigrade, silky, and bare, with three claws complimenting her feet. Lizzy's visor is completely mucked up, too. There's her usual pink vision like normal, but below that, like a split screen, is what Doll would see. Her pink optics rest at the top of her visor, Doll's optics below her own, edited to be narrower so it'd fit comfortably on the screen.

Frantically rushing to pull her phone out, Lizzy pulls out her camera and catches a glimpse of the monster staring back at her, before the screen shatters, Doll's red, right optic flickering to the Solver symbol. Shit.

"Wh-what the hell is going on!?! Doll!?" Lizzy screeches, asking her girlfriend for answers she doesn't have whilst also seeking confirmation that Doll was in this bullshit, too. Lizzy feels a sudden wave of gruffness. Yeah. That's Doll. Her own mouth speaks Doll's voice.

"[I do not know, trust me. I woke up and—]

"Yeah, freaky hybrid thing. I kinda got that." Lizzy huffs, her set of arms crossing. Lizzy sighs at Doll's silence, before glaring at her hands. "This shit's familiar. It's definitely—"

"[Uzi, yes.]" Doll interrupts, knowing so well what Lizzy's gonna say because they're literally the same person right now. Doll growls, her hand raising up to hold Lizzy's, who squeezes for comfort. "[I suppose we will... Have to wait it out. Ah, I... Apologise about the legs. I felt my Solver act up and it supplied us with an unusual attribute.]" Doll explains, shifting a leg. To Lizzy, it felt like a foreign force compelling her leg to make that motion.

Lizzy nods her (their?) head, and stands up slowly. "Let me take charge." Lizzy mumbles, receiving no reply from Doll. Lizzy, with ease, due to no interruptions, walks around the room and gets used to the body she's temporarily in place of. Lizzy grins, feeling a bit more confident, only to fall flat on her face. "Ugh! Doll!! I said leave it to me!"

Doll grumbles in annoyance, lifting herself up with her own set of arms. "[I did not anticipate that. I just wanted to drink—]"

"Noooo, nonono, no drinking oil when I'm gonna have to taste that shit, too!" Lizzy adamantly scolds, whacking Doll's hand, which hurts her as well. Lizzy sneers, going to cross her legs, Doll wanting to take a step instead.

Thump. Back on the floor.

"... Okay, we're gonna need a game plan. I'm gonna walk us to the bathroom, and YOU'RE gonna take over after. Okay?" Lizzy states, tilting her head. Doll nods soon after, allowing Lizzy to travel to the clean, pink-tiled bathroom. Doll's optics squint.

"[Too much pi—]"

"Not your house, shut up, girl."

"[....]"

THUMP!!

"OW!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!" Lizzy shouts, their body, yet again, on the floor. Lizzy feels Doll's humour through herself, and scowls at it.

"[You were being mean.]" Doll states simply, allowing Lizzy to get up and brush herself off. Lizzy huffs softly and crosses her set of arms.

"... Yeah. Sorry, babe..." Lizzy whispers, rubbing Doll's hand. Doll purrs gently.

"[It's fine. Let's just relax today.]"

That, Lizzy can agree with.

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The two spend the rest of their day learning, relaxing, pseudo-cuddling (until it got too weird and uncomfortable to keep going after five minutes), just taking the day off because of the inconvenience of being an abomination of two seperate individuals.

It was only until 9:21pm were they separated. Both Doll and Lizzy were forcefully entered into a state of comatose because their processors would likely implode if they had to register the events taking place in the seperation process. Soon, they were back as themselves and they were, once again, relieved. They spent a lot of time cuddling and discussing what happened and their opinions of it, before turning their thoughts to Uzi.

Uzi. That little rat.

With a lot of eagerness, Doll and Lizzy devised a revenge plan.

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Uzi grumbles tiredly as she curls up in bed, hugging her N plushie to her chest. However, she was quickly awoken by the suddenness of rapid flickers of light appearing in her vision.

Uzi shoots up, baring her teeth nervously, only for her eyelights to hollow. Decked from her super epic walls to her floor, were hundreds of pictures of her and N. Cuddling. Dancing. Flying together. Drawing. Laughing. Spray-painted in the middle was a massive heart, with 'condescending heart' written below it. Within the heart were the initials 'D + L'. Uzi already knows what's happening. And if she were to guess correctly....

Her phone pings with multiple notifications from Instagram.

Uzi buries her head in her hands. She's not going outside this week.

Chapter Text

Doll's a calm girl in anything and everything. Very rarely does she get aggressive or overly emotional in any sense, and people expect this behaviour to be everlasting because, well, it's Doll and that's her characteristic. Lizzy's used to her bestie being this way, it's a vibe to just chill out and not have to deal with someone whose entire personality revolves around high school drama and hypocrisy.

Though, when your bestie goes from calm, aloof and pretty much distant one day and then overly attached, aggressive towards others and way too nice the next, you'd begin to worry about the edgy dork. Lizzy never anticipated Doll to make the most weirdest switch up she'd ever seen, and neither did literally anyone else, but she did and it's... Hot? Creepy? Both? Lizzy couldn't describe it to anyone, but her subconscious probably could.

She's on her phone right now, as usual, scrolling through her socials and cyberbullying people who don't deserve it but totally do at the same time. It's something to take her mind off the fact that Doll randomly showed up to her house, gave her a 'bouquet' of dead Worker arms, and dipped via Solver teleportation. Lizzy's hands shake as she taps on her screen, the leftover oil that Doll somehow managed not to suck up still caked over her fingers. Lizzy suppresses a shudder. She loves Doll (not platonically at all and NO, Lizzy's not ashamed of that, shut up), she really does, but... This is just... Why??? She's gonna have nightmares of this shit tonight...

Lizzy just... Doesn't understand what the hell's gotten into Doll, but it's weird, to summarise. It started off with texts in the morning and excessive comments on her Instagram posts. Stuff along the lines of 'That dress compliments you' and 'You'd much prefer a night out without those people, would you not? I could join you if you want peace' to be brief. It's weird because Doll usually minds her freaking business and rarely even goes on social media. Hell, Lizzy thinks Doll sometimes forgets she even HAS a phone! But... Now? Doll's up her. Constantly.

Lizzy can't help but theorise, even though literally none match. Doll going completely insane over her romantically due to being constantly neglected from having any sort of familiar connection and, once she finally has a genuine connection, she latches onto it and grows obsessed with her, killing everyone who thinks they have a chance? Pfft, as if! Lizzy knows Doll's not the kind of girl to go all creep mode over her! She's just a quiet dork who likes bugs and casual murder. Nothing to worry about.

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Doll couldn't be happier with the gift that she gave Lizzy! It's perfect! Lizzy likes flowers, she likes it when she's all murder-y, and Doll even left some oil for Lizzy to drink herself, no matter how hard it was not to just snatch it back and rip it to shreds for her own gain. But, Doll would never be so callous with Lizzy's gifts. Doll loves Lizzy. She loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves loves—

Doll... Knows she loves Lizzy. It'd hit her a few nights ago, why she's always been skittish around Lizzy, somewhat protective, very affectionate and playful with her. Doll understands now, and, when the realisation hit her, it was like euphoria. Doll relished in the feeling. It wasn't bad like every other thing she's ever felt, no, it was GOOD. Doll clings to good, because the bad is ever so prominent, all the time. She clings to the love she has for Lizzy, obsesses over the feeling, the way it feels, the amazing flow of positivity coursing through her when she think of Lizzy. Doll needs her.

She needs Lizzy for herself. Because that's what she's looking for; the good feeling she's been denied since she was a child. Doll has to make sure this feeling doesn't end, that Lizzy doesn't MAKE it end by falling for another. So, with that in mind, Doll has made sure no-one ever tried anything. A growl here, a death threat there— Simple warnings that lets people know who Lizzy's going to be with.

Doll devised a plan. Small gestures to let Lizzy know she's interested, and then build that up to her confession that Lizzy's going to love, that she can't refuse because why would she? Doll's been nothing but nice to Lizzy and only Lizzy, and for her to expand on that, Lizzy'd love it!

Doll feels a small buzzing in the back of her head, almost painful, but mostly numbing. Her inhibitions don't feel as prominent anymore. She... She needs to act on this, and quick. Her entire being aches to finally have Lizzy in her arms and, by her parents' graves, that's where Doll will have her.

Chapter Text

Three months. Three months of absolute hell and stress since the broadcast on TV, three months since supplies ran out, three months since their friends were slowly picked off... It's hell. And Doll and Lizzy are, through it all, still together, working together to try their best to survive. They've recently made it to a hotel just South of their original house they bought together, the house that was completely destroyed by raiders and, of course, zombies that somehow know how to open doors. It's just a temporary cover, something to shelter them before their next move. They've stayed here before, so they know it has a TV and thank god for that, because Uzi's been sending them coordinates to safety. (She's a freaking nerd and thinks the apocalypse is cool, so of COURSE she'd be a goddamn creepy hacker and send them cryptic instructions like it's some shitty sci-fi movie...)

Not too surprising that they even know how to open doors, thinking back on it; they've been human far longer than they've been zombies. No-one actually knows how the outbreak even begun, but conspiracies have risen to suggest that it was either government work or some idiots who don't know what they're cooking. Or, even more insane, eldritch monstrosities, but that's just fool's speak. Unimportant, anyways. All anyone's focused on anymore is survival and themselves. No-one knows the exact population of humans anymore, but it's definitely in the hundred thousands, a far cry from the 8 billion they once were.

Yet, that doesn't mean an entire overhaul of zombies. Well, it does, but not 8 billion. About 4 billion were smart enough to off themselves before they could experience the agony of being turned, so good for them. They were probably the smartest people out there, way better than the stubborn ones who're too damn eager to keep living. Doll doesn't care, though, because she's got something to live for and that's reason enough to keep fighting. Fight to get Lizzy to safety, where Uzi and an entire colony of people are, safe in a Bunker made by her own father with top-notch weaponry that makes zombies look like mere cockroaches to them. Doll will fight with what little time she has left.

Yeah. She was bitten a few hours ago, right on the ankle when she roundhouse kicked a zombie trying to tear off Lizzy's arm. It latched onto her because Doll had bad coordination on where she could kick it, plus panic, so she had aimed for the mouth and... Send herself to a slow death. She can feel it. It's like a slow, molten toxin in her veins, slowly spreading up her leg, yet to reach her brain but has already begun to numb her inhibitions and train of thought. Doll's hazy, but, by some horrible sense of what she's reluctant to call luck, is still entirely herself, and zombies avoid her. She can still protect Lizzy. It's actually kind of a positive thing, minus the whole 'imminent mental death' fiasco. But Lizzy's worried.

Constantly, she's been checking on Doll, on the wound, showering her with affection and comfort, doing absolutely anything and everything she can. Maybe Uzi found a cure and is keeping it private so the public doesn't rush to the Bunker and bring along more zombies than needed, or those too late to save? That's Lizzy's hope. But, for now? Focus on getting to the damn Bunker.

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Lizzy sighs as she looks at Doll, who's rubbing her temples, right leg trembling. Jeez, that wound looks hella bad... All black and veiny... Lizzy scoots towards Doll and hugs her close, kissing her forehead sweetly. "Hey, baby... You okay? Headache again?" She asks tenderly, stroking her hands through Doll's long hair.

Doll nods softly. "[Yeah. It's getting worse, but... I checked the instructions Uzi left us before leaving our old home. The Bunker's just down the road, but her scouts said a massive swarm has been located directly where we need to drive.]" Doll groans, leaning into Lizzy's arms before continuing. "[We have two options. Either we wait until Uzi's weapons have reloaded and can take them all out, which will be a day's wait and I am not certain I have that long. Or, we could drive there right now and hope for the best. It is your call. Again, I am merely grasping at straws. Any ideas?]" Doll looks at Lizzy with her slightly glossy eyes.

Lizzy sighs and kisses Doll for comfort for both of them, before thinking herself. Both options are a shot in the dark, really. Either wait and get screwed over by Doll either turning or being sick enough that she'll have virtually no other option but to just leave due to her being too infected for any potential cure to work, or head out and wish for the best.

.... Well, it's what they've always done.

Lizzy cups Doll's face. "Let's go."

Doll grins weakly.

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Hobbling into the car Lizzy first got at 18 and is still kicking at 21, Doll sits in the passenger's side, since she's not able to drive at this point anymore. The usual passenger princess sits in the driver's seat and revs the engine, before shooting off, down the street. Just a few minutes until they get there. 30, at most. They've gone through worse, they can make it!

But... Universal curses are always screwing them over. Just when they can see the Bunker coming up, and a shit ton of zombies stumbling about, Doll suddenly covers her mouth, before frantically winding down the window and throwing up a viscous, black liquid Lizzy had the amaaazing liberty of seeing.

Lizzy slams on the breaks, nearly sending the car spinning off into the dirt, but puts it into park and unbuckles herself, grabbing her girlfriend close, who's dazedly mumbling to herself with that glassy look in her beautiful red eyes. "DOLL!! Dolly, oh god, don't! Don't freaking do this shit now! C'mon, perk up! Don't pull this shit, Doll! Shitshitshit...!" Lizzy hisses, hands shaking as she frantically feels Doll's stomach, rubbing it to soothe her.

Doll grits her teeth. "[God... Ugh... O-Open the door.]" She quietly requests. Lizzy's eyes widen in horror.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?! Doll, no goddamn WAY—"

"[PLEASE, JUST OPEN THE DOOR AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!]" Doll screams, tears running down her cheeks as she trembles, gripping Lizzy's hand in her own. "[Do NOT make me hesitate on my decision! Open the—... Please... Open the door...]" Doll whispers, stroking Lizzy's knuckles.

Lizzy, also sobbing quietly, unlocks the door and opens it for Doll, who steps out and immediately shuts it. Doll kisses Lizzy passionately through the winded-down window, throwing absolutely everything into the kiss, even taking off her special-made ring that Lizzy always joked about stealing and shoving it into Lizzy's hands, before sprinting off towards the zombies. There, with her last bout of strength, Doll begins nailing them down, one by one, making it easier for Lizzy to be able to plow through the swarm.

The Bunker's thick gates begin to open, guards gunning down what they can before they get anywhere near the inside. Lizzy grits her teeth and slams on the accelerator, driving her car for the last time as multiple corpses ruin the spoiler from the sheer amount she's driving over. Through the rear-view mirror, Lizzy sees Doll giving her a two-finger salute, before stumbling a bit. She's turned. Lizzy screams to herself, smashing through corpses in anger, doing a U-turn to kill a few more of the freaks, before speeding into the Bunker.

Lizzy's frantically pulled out of the car and hugged close by V and Thad, but she can't even feel happy about it. She blankly stares at Doll, who stares right back at her with the same expression. Doll gargles and begins to shuffle towards the Bunker, and is quickly blocked from view as the gates close.

... Lizzy clutches the ring and walks towards the main sanctuary building. "Thanks, babe. You did me one last favour, you stubborn dork."

Chapter Text

Doll's having to put up with a lot of screeching from her Masters, lately. She's begun to take up Lizzy's suggestions about disobeying her Masters and talking back to them in a display of disapproval of her treatment and overall spite of her situation. It hasn't been doing much good aside from them sending her out, where she meets up with Lizzy and chats with her happily. And getting really confused on why Lizzy's touching her and complimenting her so much. Must be actions of a Drone with privilege.

A snide remark about her Master's dress, a bored look when the other fleshbag tells her to clean something, Doll's been adamantly refusing to be a Drone that provides service. It's both irritating and funny when they get mad, because it's a 50/50 of it ending in a lecture or being sent outside. It's a worthwhile gamble, though, so Doll keeps doing it. Yet, when the brats all have a meeting with their friends (who totally don't all hate each other), Doll happens to hear herself being spoken of. Not fondly, of course, but her Master mentions something along the lines of 'Disassembly'. Doll doesn't know what that even is; she's never heard the word before. It's weird and probably just a stupid punishment.

But... Doll feels sick as soon as she hears the word. A dull pain throbs in her chest, and a buzz presents itself in her head. Disassembly, disassembly, disassembly... It sounds ever-so familiar... A flash of yellow flickers in her vision, causing her to flinch, but... Overall, Doll's just confused. Disassembly is bad. She doesn't know how, but it is. It's most likely a horrible experience (it is it is it is it is it is it is) and she never wants to experience it. A ghost of a word passes in Doll's mind.

Doll is instantly snapped out of it as soon as her Master slaps her, just narrowly avoiding Doll's teeth clamping around her fingers. "Ugh! You GHASTLY beast, eavesdropping! Absolutely defective, firming my decision. Next week, you petulant item. Now, get your sorry metal hide outside! And do sort out your attitude problem."

"[I will when you figure out where to store all that ego.]"

"WHAT WAS THAT!?!"

"Nothing."

"Get. Out."

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"[And that is what happened.]" Doll sighs, sitting down next to Lizzy in the park, just finished recounting her unfortunate morning. Doll quirks a digi-brow at the silence, only for her optics to hollow at Lizzy's horrified expression. "[Are... You okay...?]" Doll tentatively asks.

No. Lizzy is the farthest THING from okay! Disassembly!?! That's freaking screwed up! One minute, Lizzy's stargazing and smiling as she hears Doll come running up to her, and the next, she's worrying about her friend's DEATH. Lizzy winces. "Freaking no??? Girl, your masters are literally trying to OFF you coz you're being a brat!"

Doll's optics hollow at Lizzy's explanation. Ah. She knew it was bad. "[What do we— Oh—]"

Doll's yanked up and forced to run as Lizzy pulls her towards Doll's owner's house. "We're gonna do some persuasion, Dolly. I ain't gonna let my bestie die. We'll try and get you into my owner's name!"

Doll's eyes widen further. Oh... That's... Actually the nicest thing that's been offered to her. A small smile lights up Doll's face.

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"PLEASE, take the damn thing! I don't want it anywhere near this house anymore!"

"That's the plan, MORON! Doll deserves better than you idiots bossing her around like trash!"

"She IS trash, mind you!"

"And your outfit isn't??"

"EXCUSE ME!?!"

"You heard me!"

Doll waits awkwardly to the side as Lizzy tears her Master a new one. She's never seen Lizzy this angry and she doesn't know why she likes it. Anger's bad, but Doll is nearly drooling over Lizzy's rage like a dog.

When Lizzy finally finishes up, she takes Doll's hand and drags her away from her former Masters. Doll glares at them both, before walking with Lizzy.

"[.... I like it when you're defensive.]"

Lizzy smirks a bit at Doll's sudden admission. "I noticed."

Doll immediately blushes, her visor tinting red. "[Ah.]"

Lizzy giggles softly and walks with her to Josie and Mark's house.

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"Oh, she's quite pretty, Lizzy! She'd be perfect for a painting reference..." Josie marvels, Doll uncomfortably looking away from the old woman. Lizzy smiles proudly, holding Doll's hand.

"I know, right? Total hotshot." Lizzy snickers at Doll's bashful reaction, Josie flicking her on the forehead in admonishment. Josie sighs softly, before writing down her signature on the form that states Doll's now in her ownership. She hands it to Doll, who reads it over, before smiling softly in appreciation. She can't speak English well, but she's sure her expression says more than enough.

Josie gently cups Doll's cheek, mindful of the small flinch. "I'm glad to be having you around here permanently, Doll. Welcome."

Doll purrs hesitantly, smiling, yelping when Lizzy yoinks her away and down the hallway to her room.

"Oh my god, girl, you're gonna LOVE it here! We've got hella entertainment, yours truly, Josie, Mark and— Oh, Mark! Dude, look, this is Doll and you're gonna love her, she likes bugs and—"

Josie chuckles softly as Lizzy's rambles dissolve into the distance, before turning back to resume her painting of ducks gingerly floating along the local lake.

Chapter Text

Yeva's life is good. She has her friends to talk to, she has new connections, she's back and alive with her family, catches up with Khan and Nori, does some work she enjoys... Her home life is pretty much the same in terms of stability. Doll's a sweetheart as always, and clings to her (way too much) like she's 5 again. But... Things are obviously VERY different.

For one, Doll still talks to her father. If anyone else were to be told that by Yeva, who hasn't been updated on the past, they'd question why Yeva's worried about it. Kameron's a good guy! And he was. He was the best husband, and the best father Yeva had ever known and she misses him dearly. But to have her daughter talk to his corpse that she'd rather kill than get rid of, is unnerving. Doll offers him dinner, talks to him about her day, hugs him and asks like everything's okay with him. Another thing is the insanity derived from Doll's trauma that is, while watered down, still very present.

She threatens her classmates with death, drinks oil from Lizzy an unhealthy amount of times, plays with knives, and talks about topics that Yeva oftentimes gags at. Doll's the same girl, but with a toxic murder obsession leftover from the Solver's mark and overall trauma.

Yeva's tried talking to Doll about it. A lot. But Doll either acts like Yeva's insane herself, breaks down and doesn't speak or move for the rest of the day, gets pissed or just laughs it off. Yeva tolerates it, for the most part. Parent-teacher conferences don't do much, either, though. All Lizzy's father does is just shrug and give Doll's mental health a whamming 'could be better' comment.

So... Yeva is struggling. After all, having her daughter collect corpses and being physically unable to move on from her deceased father is not helping her in the dating side of things. Yes, Yeva is attempting to find herself a date. Kameron will always, ALWAYS, be her first love and nothing will change this. But she needs to be happy, needs to get out there and find someone, not to replace Kameron, no, but... Heal the wound and care for them, whoever they may be.

And, lucky her, Yeva has found someone. He's a very well-mannered man, albeit a nervous wreck, unlike Kameron, who held himself high with a nonchalant, yet caring demeanor. This new man, Jack, is a far cry from Kameron, but equally as adorable. Yeva thinks he's the perfect one for her!

Doll, not so much.

When Yeva told Doll... Gosh, it was...

"[YOU TRAITOROUS, HORRID WOMAN! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?]"

"[I see father meant very little to you.]"

"[Oh! You keep a portrait of father in your room? Why? Not like you ever loved him.]"

"[Tell me, mother, when is it time for MY replacement?]"

... Horrible. Just horrible.

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Lizzy rolls her eyes as she scrolls through her phone, chilling on her bed as Doll practically paces a hole in her goddamn carpet, raving on and on about how Jack's trying to steal Yeva, how Yeva's an unfaithful wench, how ungrateful and disrespectful it is, blah blah blah. Lizzy couldn't care less. If Yeva wants to go out there, you go, girl! She doesn't judge, she knows Yeva needs someone to love and be loved by. But she really should've planned for Doll's reaction.

Girl's a total nut. Well, not in the 'frantic babbling' kinda way, but more like 'I'll kill everyone who tries to kill or ruin my family'. Yeva really should've seen this coming, coz Dolly ain't who she was before she died. Still, Lizzy's her girlfriend and a good girlfriend comforts her murder-hungry girl. "Babe, c'mere... Need cuddles— OOMPH!"

Lizzy doesn't even need to finish her sentence, because Doll's already on her, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. Lizzy relaxes and pulls Doll closer, letting the shorter girl straddle her hips. Lizzy giggles as she feels Doll press loving kisses along her neck. "Heh, god, you're cute when you're not being weird..."

Doll purrs softly, gripping Lizzy's shoulders tightly. "[Not weird. Well-placed anger.]" She mutters, nuzzling Lizzy's cheek affectionately.

"Eh, not really. Yeva is like, kinda an adult. She can date who she wants, hun. It's only morally wrong if her husband's still alive, sooo..." Lizzy trails off, toying with Doll's violet hair soothingly. "Anyways. Look, girl, your mum's just getting back out there. She deserves to be happy, too, y'know? Look at it this way: if she gets with the guy, you'll have another dad in your life and he'll love you just like Kameron did! No, it ain't gonna be the same, but it's also not gonna be a replacement. Just... A new normal, y'know? C'mon. Give the dude, like, one dinner." Lizzy whispers softly, pressing an encouraging kiss to Doll's temple.

Doll sighs softly and tenderly strokes Lizzy's cheek. "[Stop being so reasonable...]"

Lizzy snickers. "You know me, Dolly."

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It's tense. Doll, Yeva, Jack and Lizzy are all sitting at the dinner table. Doll insisted that Lizzy come, because she needs emotional support and Yeva won't be enough to stop her from jumping the invader if he so much as steps out of the very obvious line she's set for him. The harsh air of the situation isn't alleviating in the slightest, Doll's grip bending the fork in her hand. Yeva throws a bolt at Doll from her plate, earning a pissed growl.

"[Doll, I swear to god, be nice or you're getting the damn slipper.]" Yeva warns, giving her the famous Motherly Glare™ only a parent could give out. Doll hisses, but Lizzy slaps her upside the head. Jack chuckles at the humourous chastises Doll receives, but immediately shuts up at a knife is suddenly pointed just a few inches away from his visor, blue optics trembling. Yeva grips the handle just before it hits and glares at Doll, who's giving Jack that psychotic, wide-mouth grin he hates.

Lizzy rolls her eyes and shoves a bunch of wires in Doll's mouth, but Doll doesn't chew. The wires slowly flop out of her mouth and onto the plate, due to the death glare she's giving Jack. Jack clears his throat.

"Yeva, you... Asked about my profession a bit ago, yeah? Well, uhm, I'm like... A janitor..." Doll scoffs, earning a slap on the hand from her girlfriend. Jack winces before moving on, Yeva listening with interest. "Yeah, uh, I make the robo-roaches around the place... Y'know, the ones that clean up 'n stuff...?"

Doll tilts her head. She's very accustomed to the roaches; she has an entire swarm of her own, like disgusting pets she eats sometimes. Jack perks up at Doll's interest, deciding to play his cards carefully. She likes bugs, Jack notes.

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The conversation at the table is lit with a warm, healthy flame of interest and new discoveries. Doll eagerly chats with Jack about the inner mechanisms of the roach bugs and learns some stuff she didn't even know about them. Lizzy and Yeva watch happily and secretly fist bump underneath the table at their success in calming Doll down. Soon, it comes time for Jack to leave and Doll has to physically retrain herself from decking Jack as he kisses her mother, but relaxes as Lizzy gives her a kiss of her own.

Lizzy gently nuzzles Doll's cheek, smirking smugly at the slight disappointment in her features as Jack walks off. "So, girl, have fun? How'd you like Jack, hmm~?" She teases playfully.

Doll grunts, bashfully looking away. "[... I can tolerate him.]"

Chapter Text

Doll had been extremely careful with Lizzy's fights with any other abominations that appear since the... Last time. Memory loss caused by eldritch flesh-lizards are not desirable and Doll's been extra careful with Lizzy. She also doesn't wanna have another cringe breakdown like last time, so that tacks onto her reasoning.

Though, she really should look out for herself, too. Doll watches on as Lizzy cheers for V instead of her brother (much to Thad's annoyance) in an indoor baseball game. N, Thad, Uzi and V are playing, while Lizzy's cheerleading and Doll just sits to the side, not willing to play, but eager to watch. Mostly watch Lizzy and where the ball heads if it's anywhere near her.

Doll watches boredly as Uzi swings the bat, and the ball launches over to N, who yelps and ducks before it has the opportunity to put a hole through his head. N gives Uzi a happy smile and wags his tail, only to huff as Uzi angrily chastises him before running along the square line. N speeds towards the ball and, the game lost on him, happily meanders his way back to Uzi before handing it to her calmly. Uzi promptly swings the bat down on N's head, (EXTREMELY GENTLY), causing N to blink.

Lizzy rolls her eyes. "Ugh, idiots. Okay, whatever, switch it up! Thad, you're batting next! N, you suck!" She calls out, before scoffing and pulling out her phone with the hand lacking a pom pom.

They all switch up, V blankly watching Thad's move from the opposite end of the court. Thad winks at V, earning a violent hiss, before swinging the bat. With his non-dominant hand. He did it to try and impress V with his (lack of) skills, but literally ends up looking like an idiot, as he stumbles on his feet and the ball shoots directly from where he was meant to hit it.

And right into Doll's face, sending her back a few centimetres on her back.

V immediately buckles and begins cackling hysterically, Uzi now basically on the floor, on her hands and knees as she wheezes. Both girls are literally the only loud noise in the room, before Thad, N and Lizzy scramble to Doll, who's offline and sporting a gnarly scorch mark on the top right of her visor. Lizzy winces and cups Doll's face, Thad frantically apologising and N worriedly looking at Doll from a little ways away.

Lizzy, once she's sure Doll's just unconscious, whirls on Thad. "YOU! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THAT GODDAMN STUPID!?! Where the hell were you aiming, dumbass!?!" Lizzy berates, yanking on Thad's hair, hard. Thad yelps, squealing like a girl.

"I'm sorry!! I just wanted to, like, switch things up, I dunno! I gotta work on my awesome forehand in sport!"

"THAT'S LITERALLY NOT EVEN WHAT FOREHAND MEANS IN BASEBALL TERMS, IDIOT!!"

"[Ughh... What the hell...?]"

All five Drones perk up as Doll sits up, everyone now in Doll's proximity. Uzi scoffs and raises her digi-brow. "Yo, dork. You got, like, reeeaally knocked out, thanks to blondie number two over here. Hella funny, though." Uzi explains, both her and V snickering.

Doll glares at Uzi, before bashfully looking at V, who sneers at the expression. Lizzy frowns softly, holding Doll's hand, only for Doll to teleport up close to V and gently hug her waist. "[No matter, I am fine. However, you... The ball did not hit you, yes?]" Doll purrs, even as the room falls dead silent. Doll's right optic flickers into a triangular warning symbol that gives insight to everyone that Doll's not herself.

Still, a small, whisper of a wheeze is heard from Uzi, who's hunched over, hands on her knees and shoulders shaking. All hell breaks loose, as V immediately screeches and rips Doll off, rocketing the shorter Drone towards the wall, but the Russian girl teleports before she hits it. Teleports right back to V and clings to her.

"[Throwing your girlfriend is not a love language.]" Doll mutters, purring as she nuzzles into V's warm coat. V tries pushing on Doll's head, immediately recoiling as Doll kisses her palm. N frantically tries to pry Doll off, but she's practically glued to V and way too affectionate.

Meanwhile, Thad is desperately trying to comfort Lizzy, who's facing the corner, absolutely pissed as she glares into nothing. Thad tries touching Lizzy's arm, but is immediately met with a swift punch to the face. Uzi is scream-laughing at this point, hand trembling as her phone records the chaos.

"GET HER OFF ME!! GET THE GODDAMN FREAK OFF MY ARM!!" V screams, batting at Doll's head rapidly and even exchanging her hand into a minigun and shooting at Doll, but the Solver makes sure none of them connects. N desperately tries yanking Doll off, but the stubborn girl literally will not budge. Doll just rolls her eyes at V, stroking her arm.

"[What has gotten into you? Ugh, the rare times I am affectionate, you are distant.]" She complains, glaring at V in annoyance. "[I—]"

SHING!

N pants softly as he leans on his sword like a cane, Doll's head rolling across the linoleum flooring. N grins at V, who slices off her arm in disgust. "... I'm gonna go lobotomize myself."

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Doll blankly stares at the recording on Uzi's phone, head patched up and systems back to normal. Then, she promptly crushes the edgy purple phone in her hand, leaving it as discarded rubble before turning to Lizzy. Lizzy... Looks absolutely pissed. She's understanding of the situation and that it wasn't Doll's fault, but she's still fuming. Doll winces softly and cups Lizzy's cheeks. "[I apologise for my actions... You know that you are the only girl I will ever love. For me to love that disgusting sky rat, I'd have to be clinically insane. You are my entire world, sweetness... Forgive me...]" Doll purrs, gently nuzzling Lizzy's cheek.

Lizzy rolls her eyes and hugs Doll close. "Whatever. You're staying the hell away from V for months, though."

Doll huffs softly. "[That is a blessing.]"

Chapter Text

Everyone in the audience looks bored as hell. They're standing or leaning against a wall or each other, yawning, texting on their phones, chatting to one another, looking away or at the stage with disgust or pure boredom. It's been this way for fifteen minutes, which is the time Doll's been given for her funeral and for anyone who wants to speak.

Lizzy said her bit, trying to act tough and like her usual boss bitch self without breaking down and crying because literally no-one needs to see that and they never will. It was easy to maintain composure just by looking at the idiots down there, not giving a damn about someone they knew. Okay, so she was a total cannibal and killed people they were friends with, and some family members, but they can get over it! Doll was... Way more important than to just get tossed aside and ignored like she meant nothing.

Lizzy kinda expected it, though. Still, it's annoying because everyone else who died, even Rebecca, got some sniffles and a few kind words. But Doll? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing from V, Thad, Uzi, or N, who looked surprisingly pissed. Tch. Whatever. The dog can go cry to his owner.

Lizzy steps away from the stage and crosses her arms, not looking at anyone else. It's... It's whatever...

But, to her surprise, Uzi hesitantly steps up, earning a few murmurs in the crowd. Uzi sighs internally, feeling the eldritch monstrosity's excitement stirring in her Core. No, she doesn't wanna freaking say anything about the stupid cannibal freak, she doesn't care! But, apparently, Cyn has a few words. Uzi grabs the microphone and allows her tail to slide out from her chassis. "Ugh, listen up! I don't wanna speak, but like, this does, so... Yeah. Do whatever, I don't care." Uzi grumbles, holding the microphone for Cyn.

Cyn snakes her way up to the microphone, clearing her throat. "Ahem. Slither, lean. Hello, silly mechanical mortals! I have a few things to say about our dear friend, Dolly!" Cyn cheerfully announces, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. Everyone immediately jolts in alarm, some rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Cyn loves it. Lizzy squints at the weird thing, not minding V, who's panting heavily and has her gun pointed at it. Dramatic, much?

"Doll was very tasty. Though, I do believe I should have let her roast for a bit more. Resigned sigh. The depressing metallic taste would have made a perfect blend with the flesh of her Core. Perk. Ooh! Perhaps I could have added my own seasoning." Cyn purrs, Uzi looking absolutely disgusted. N and V listen with rapture, drooling a little bit. Lizzy, however, is clenching her fists so tight that her casing is cracking a bit.

"Some sawdust, a bit of shrapnel and oil to glaze... Ravenous hum. I could have made her death a tasty one, had I planned it out more. Though, Doll tasted fine on her own. I'd give her... Hum. A four out of ten! Delighted trill! What do you think, U— CHOKED GASP!" Cyn squawks out, squirming frantically as Lizzy clamps her fist just below the base of Cyn's head, a deathly glare in her pink optics.

Lizzy grits her teeth and loses it, throttling Cyn, much to V and Uzi's amusement, and everyone else's horror. Cyn glitches and gags as Lizzy refuses to let her speak anymore, screeching absolutely sinful things that will not be transformed into dialogue.

Cyn manages to free a bit of herself, and frantically begins regurgitating, a lump visible in her serpentine body (tail?). Cyn immediately shoots out a faded-red ball of drenched flesh and metal, right at Lizzy's face. "Bleh. Have her. Jeez."

Lizzy screams in disgust, desperately wiping away the leftover liquid on her visor, and screeches again as she realises the mass is clinging to her shirt with... Crab-like noodle legs...? Whatever! It's freaking going! Lizzy grips it, gagging internally, and rears her arm back, only to gasp as she catches a glimpse of a red glow, and feels the claws dig into her wrist in fright.

Lizzy yanks her hand back down and looks at the mass, which she can now understand a bit better since she's not as terrified. A single, hollow, crimson optic stares back at her. Everyone in the gym stares in shock. Lizzy gently taps its head, earning a flinch. "... Doll...?" She whispers, trying not to get her hopes up, but unable to keep herself from guessing.

Doll blinks up at Lizzy, her movements jittery and uncoordinated due to being forced stagnant and slowly dissolved in the stomach of an eldritch abomination. Doll's limbs flop, too weak to move them for an extended period of time. "[Li... Lizzzz...]"

"Nonono, shh! Don't talk if it hurts, girl. God... You're alive... Oh, Dolly..." Lizzy whispers reverently, kissing Doll's fleshy head and not giving two shits about how gross it is or the gossip that's gonna be spread about her tomorrow. Lizzy steps back towards the exit, growling lowly at Uzi and V, who try to talk to her.

Lizzy silently exits the gymnasium, whispering soothing words to Doll and stroking her claws. Her girlfriend, her gorgeous girlfriend, is alive. By some miracle, Doll's alive and Lizzy discards her previous worry about being upset about her death forever. Lizzy smiles down at the dazed Core in her hands.

"Let's get you back in your body, yeah?"

Chapter Text

Lizzy sighs softly as she finishes up her math homework that was assigned to her, like, a month ago. Procrastination got her doing it today, but it's whatever, not like anyone in the freaking house would pay attention to her grades, just her popularity and appearance, she supposes. Living on a private island (albeit just mainly used to mine ore for her rich as hell parents) should be considered fun and amazing to most, but it's honestly just like Lizzy's caged from making any ACTUAL friends that aren't snobs. She has a few good ones, though

Her parents would be her main point of interaction, if they even bothered to interact with her at ALL. It's all about status with those idiots, and how much money they can make within a day. Lizzy gets irritated with it a bit and honestly, why even bother doing homework at this point??

Lizzy huffs and stands up, stretching out her limbs, before boredly shuffling out to the kitchen, coz she's hella hungry. It's eerily quiet because her parents made yet another stupid decision and fired literally all of their staff. Screw their main income, she guesses. Lizzy forgoes her snack for a bit to head into the living room, where her parents are worriedly chatting with one another, sitting down on the large couch together.

All Lizzy hears in their explanation is 'evacuate' and 'cannibalism', which basically translates to 'leave all your friends behind and go'. Immediately, Lizzy turns on her heel and storms out, sniffling into her pillow case as she flops onto her bed in her room. Perfect! Just another thing to deal with! Lizzy sighs as her phone buzzes. Doll...

'meet me at our spot now'

Oh. Extremely informal texting pattern. This is serious, then.

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Of all the things Lizzy was guessing she'd see, her girlfriend standing hunched over a bunch of zombie freaks, drenched in blood, was not it. Doll sighs softly and smiles at Lizzy like she doesn't look like a total creep. Hot. Doll cups Lizzy's cheeks lovingly. "[You are safe...]" She breathes, eyeing Lizzy.

Lizzy chuckles softly and kisses Doll's forehead. "When am I not? ... Don't, like, actually answer that..." Lizzy mutters, only to yelp as Doll begins dragging Lizzy back to Lizzy's house since it's the only safe, sturdy place she knows, trudging through the snow. Lizzy dutifully follows, avoiding the live corpses stumbling their way.

When they arrive, Lizzy's eyes widen as Doll throws a knife at a zombie trying to enter the gates before Lizzy even knows she pulled it out. The cheerleader smirks. "Hot." That earns an eye roll. Double hot.

But what isn't hot? The abandonment letter attached to the fridge (which is now empty— Real considerate) left by her parents. Lizzy nearly breaks down in either anger or sadness, but Doll offers her a nuzzle and discreetly burns the note with an abnormal glow emanating from her right hand.

"[... You... You are alright. We are both alright, Lizzy, trust me. You don't need them. Let's get this place secure. We will be here for quite a while, it seems. I have brought food, do not worry.]" Doll assures, placing her large bag down before waiting for Lizzy to allow the place to be put on lockdown mode. Fancy stuff...

Lizzy activates it, before groaning into Doll's arms. "... You're gonna help us both through this shit, right?" Lizzy meekly whispers, gripping Doll's shoulders tightly.

Doll purrs and presses her lips to Lizzy's head. "[I promise I will. You know that.]"

Lizzy smiles.

"... Yeah. I do."

Chapter Text

So, apparently the Worker Drones have a thing called a 'Prom'. Really cool thing where seniors in learning do a thing called 'graduate' and celebrate their success in their own scholarship. It's a hella cool thing Lizzy totally wants to invite V for, because some people can bring others along with them if they're cleared through with someone else!

Though... Lizzy's not sure if V'd even be allowed. People were really scared of herself when she first started staying in the Bunker and learning the rules, which V would also have to do, but it'll totally be worth it. V might be a bit harder to teach, though, especially since she's not exactly cognitively... Aware??

And her girlfriend literally is more bloodthirsty than V when it comes to killing her, sooo... That's another obstacle Lizzy's gonna have to plow through. Perfect. Well, Lizzy managed to tame ONE psychopathic murderer! She can totally do it again, easy. Doll's an understanding girl, she'll see where Lizzy's coming from and—

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"Yeeeaahhh, it was a hard 'no'. Doll really hates you, girl, jeez; why didn't you go for literally anyone else but the people who were having a family outing???" Lizzy grumbles, nudging V in annoyance, who smirks and sips on the head of a corpse, leaning back on the car they're sitting on outside. She's able to finally get back into contact with V since J's kinda dead now; got killed by the Daddy Issues Drone somehow. Lizzy doesn't really know— She was just on a date with Doll, so eh.

"Character development. Not my fault the freak didn't use her trauma to be like, a cool edgy hero or whatever." V shrugs, absentmindedly checking her claws. Lizzy rolls her eyes and grumbles softly, before sighing.

"Whatever. Look, just... I told you I wanted you there for prom and I'm excited to go, so could you just... Behave?? Workers aren't that bad! They got other stuff going for them than just being a juice box." Lizzy huffs softly as a digital blush appears on her visor, tail swishing a little bit.

V smirks."you're totally advocating for that toaster who got your ass tamed, huh?" She teases, poking Lizzy in the chest, being a mischievous asshole as per usual.

Lizzy sputters wordlessly. "Wh— Doll hasn't freaking tamed me! I—"

"If she wanted you to fetch a stick for her, would you?"

"..."

"That's what I thought."

".... Just... Shut up and lemme find you a dress for prom, girl."

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Doll says nothing as she walks the hallway with Lizzy, arms crossed as she, stoic as ever, stares straight ahead and completely avoids eye contact with Lizzy, who's nervous because she accidentally spilled her entire plan to Doll. "... Babe?" Lizzy whispers, tail coiling around Doll's waist.

"[...]"

"... She's not allowed backstage, it that's what you're—

"[She should not be allowed ON stage, either. Or anywhere near the Bunker. You are the exception, not... That thing. It cannot join.]" Doll snarls, narrowing her (orange? Were they always orange?) optics, steps firm and loud of the metal flooring. Lizzy groans softly and catches up to the fast Worker.

"Ughhh, girl, V's cool! She's not gonna bug you or kill anyone, I made sure of it!" Lizzy tries, nuzzling Doll and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Doll gives Lizzy a half-hearted nuzzle back, before scoffing. Lizzy frowns softly.

"... Think about it. And please don't cause a scene, this is my first prom, too." Lizzy huffs. Doll frowns, contemplating.

It is Lizzy's first prom and first actual experience where she'll see Workers interacting and hanging out, and she might actually make some new friends out of it. Doll knows Rebecca and Thad find Disassembly Drones cool or hot or whatever, so she might have luck with those two. But V... V's an animal that Doll's not sure should be unleashed.

But...

Lizzy knows her. She's friends with her. Unfortunately, Doll doesn't wanna kill Lizzy's only friend that she shares some same form of mysterious trauma with, buy Doll can't just look at V and give her the green light.

Doll looks at Lizzy. So joyful, so nice and loving and sweet... Nothing like the monsters they're meant to be...

...

Doll sighs.

... "[Keep your pet on a tight rope.]"

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Doll huffs softly as she glances to her right. V's there. So close to killing range, so close to have her head be taken off. Just a quick teleport and slash, disarm the head, down her and eat her Core. Simple. Well, it would be, if she wanted to catch an earful from Lizzy and potentially ruin literally everything and cause Lizzy to kill everyone. But V's right there...

Suddenly, Doll's quickly pushed into a chest. A warm, large, well-dressed chest. The Russian girl relaxes into Lizzy's embrace, enjoying it as the Disassembly Drone strokes her back. Lizzy's deadly tail strokes along Doll's side. "I know what you're thinking. Don't." Lizzy gently warns.

"... [I wasn't going to.]"

"Still."

"[...]"

Lizzy sighs softly and lifts Doll up a bit, enjoying the way she squirms, knowing she hates being picked up. Lizzy giggles. "Air jail." She singsongs, smirking at Doll's flustered expression. From the corner of the room, V snickers softly.

Heh. Guess Lizzy was actually serious about that one Worker Drone she said she was into... Huh. Whatever. V partially returns her attention to the green-eyed Worker, smiling a bit at his over enthusiastic explanations of one of his classmates' cool railguns. Cute. Whatever.

... V could get used to this.

Chapter Text

Doll clenches her fists together on the bed, her bare top exposed and port at the back of herself, between her shoulder blades, ready to begin the process they're both hella nervous about. Doll absentmindedly covers herself, the massive, three-pronged scar surrounding her Core an unsightly wound, but grunts as Lizzy gently lowers her arms.

They've both been planning this. Over and over again, both Doll and Lizzy have been thinking of having their very own Droneling. A baby. They're both of age, consenting, and are eager to actually do this thing despite how nervous they are. Lizzy's sure she's never seen Doll shake this much, but they're ready. They recently bought an empty USB stick for them to combine and upload their code into. Details are, uh... Not needed.

They both know what they're doing, it was repeated over and over in Health Class, but what if they mess up or one of their codes has a flaw besides the Solver? That's another thing Doll's worried about. The Solver is inherited. She's certain to give it to her child. It's... Her child will share her burden. Her painful, traumatised burden.

"... Hey, girl, you okay? Sweetheart, c'mon... We talked about this. We got some ideas on how to sort through this whole thing..." Lizzy whispers softly, pulling Doll into a hug. Their Cores meet and both of them purr at the feeling, loving how close the other is.

Doll snuggles into Lizzy's embrace. "[Just the usual concerns, I suppose. You know that the child will have issues, yes? The Solver is merciless.]" Doll shudders, gritting her teeth at the thought of the stuff her child will have to go through. That she will have to relive with them.

Lizzy peppers kisses all over Doll's face. "Shhh... We'll leave that kinda talk for after, okay? Wanna just... Y'know?" Lizzy gestures to the USB stick, blushing. Doll blushes as well, before nodding softly. Lizzy grins. "M'kay, hun. Let's do this."

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Doll and Lizzy stare at the default Droneling intensely, Lizzy clutching the small pill baby in her arms, stroking its cheek. The eye colour and determined gender will be confirmed when the kid finally comes online...

....

....

....

Two tiny, peach optics stare up at Lizzy and Doll. A small loading symbol appears on the top right of it's small visor, before its eyes close happily and it squeals in joy. Male. Solver, true.

Doll and Lizzy stare, mouths agape. Lizzy immediately squeals in rapture, holding Doll's hand in a genuine death grip, the plastic cracking a bit. Doll sighs shakily, a tear trailing down her visor, along with digital sweat. "[Oh... I am very relieved...]" She whispers, reaching out and stroking their new child's head. He coos joyfully, striking his parent's Cores with adoration.

Lizzy gently kisses Doll's lips. "Told you we'd do this. C'mon. Let's get him in the cradle."

Doll smiles softly and tenderly nuzzles Lizzy's cheek. "[... Right.]"

Chapter Text

Doll and Lizzy have been struggling in their relationship and it's obvious to literally anyone else in the Bunker. They've been distant, bickering constantly, having less and less sleepovers together, they barely cuddle and neither of them know what's going on. They still love each other, obviously— That spark has never once fizzled or weakened. It's just... Their connection, personally.

It's kinda shitty. Maybe the clash of their personalities, maybe some minor annoyances, maybe even the fact that one's literally a cannibal and the other is struggling with that fact. That one's not likely, Lizzy always called it hot, but still. Neither of them know why they're both so distant and unemotional towards each other as of current. It's sucky. Doll hates it. Lizzy hates it. And honestly, maybe they should've stayed away from each other today, because both of them are absolutely fuming at each other in class, Uzi recording smugly for blackmail.

"And you're telling me you're the innocent one here, but you haven't even put ANY goddamn effort into fixing whatever this bullshit is! Makes sense!"

"[Do not play that card with me. I have been keeping to myself to avoid this exact situation, but you just had to keep pushing. How foolish can you be?]"

"I think putting in effort to fix this shit's gonna be way more helpful than just letting it hang in the air and ignore it!"

"[I severely doubt pushing for us both to be fine again is a healthy way to rekindle.]"

"Oh, so you want space, huh!?"

"[Exactly my point.]"

"Well, I'll give you some goddamn space! Wanna test your stupid theory and give us a break for two weeks? Meet back up at my place after?"

"[.... That works.]"

"See, I'm smart— Aaaand you teleported. Coward." Lizzy scoffs, crossing her arms at the scorch mark left in the metal flooring. Lizzy raises a digi-brow to those behind her and scowls. "What the hell are you nerds looking at!?! Want me to sic my emotionally distant girlfriend on you!?"

Everyone immediately goes back to whatever they were doing.

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During the two weeks, both girls have been thinking long and hard about their relationship, their flaws and the strengths that they're facing. It's stupid. They want the relationship they HAD, not this. Doll's been hanging out by her lonesome, as she prefers, simply minding her own business and avoiding Lizzy. She's been taking up crocheting for a while now, one of her father's favourite pastimes aside from photography, and oftentimes remembers when Lizzy would suddenly comment on the progress and finished results, squealing as she took home a crocheted animal or clothing item made specifically for her, no matter how bad it was.

It makes Doll think. Everytime she finishes a piece, she eagerly awaits the company of Lizzy's arms around her and the gentle comments on it, then the teasing about if she can have one. But none comes. Doll... Finds herself missing that. It was a rather enjoyable sequence that she's come to love and to not have it all of a sudden, to have to sit in silence with her parents offering no helpful advice, is... Unnerving. Doll doesn't like it. She needs company. She misses her girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Lizzy's been dousing herself in the company of her friends. Mostly V. She's been hanging out with them, over and over again, for the past two weeks and honestly? Lizzy never thought she had a social battery. Never thought it'd even be able to run out. Normally, whenever Lizzy gets bored of hanging out with one group, she moves onto the next and bam, she's fine again.

But... That's not working anymore. Lizzy's getting annoyed, because, no matter how many groups she hops, Doll's not there. At all. There's no silent squeeze to her hand, no cute dork in her lap, no occasional kisses to her cheek that makes Rebecca jealous because she's actually able to keep a relationship, nothing. Lizzy finds herself missing it. There were times when she and Lizzy just... Relaxed together, as if alone, but with company.

It was always peaceful and exactly what Lizzy needed to help herself unwind from a long day, but she's pent up. She misses the calm, serene atmosphere she only gets with Doll. Lizzy groans in annoyance and whips out her phone.

'Yo, girl. Let's meet up, c'mere.'

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In mere seconds, Doll teleports right into Lizzy's room and into her arms, cuddling her close. Lizzy eagerly returns the hug the second Doll connects with her, breathing in Doll's scent and enjoying the feeling of Doll in her arms after two weeks. Lizzy shudders softly as Doll peppers kisses down her cheek. "Mmh... We're like, NEVER doing that again, right?" Lizzy murmurs, dragging her hands along Doll's sides.

Doll purrs lovingly. "[Never. I understand our issue... We just needed to oppose perspectives, it seems... But, I am confident that we will not have these issues again. Communication the second we feel off next time, okay?]" Doll whispers, earning a kiss and nod from Lizzy.

"Totally, girl. We cool, now? Still dating?" Lizzy questions, cuddling Doll closer.

Doll looks into Lizzy's optics lovingly, pressing their foreheads together. "[We never stopped.]"

Lizzy sighs softly, cupping Doll's cheeks affectionately. "Awesome. I never want to."

Chapter Text

Doll and Lizzy are struggling. They've both been nervous about discussing this with each other because it's hella new to them and they don't know if the other will reciprocate. But they both learned that they literally feel the exact same way, which was a relief for both girls.

They have a crush on Uzi. The popular girls, the high school bullies that target Uzi, have a crush on the very same emo freak. It's kinda been hinted at in the past months, with both girls being weirdly kind to Uzi and occasionally even bringing her small gifts, as well as threatening any other idiots that're bullying her.

Though, due to their shitty past together, Uzi's extremely suspicious of them and their sudden kindness, not appreciating the glaringly obvious setup to some sort of betrayal or joke. Doll and Lizzy understand, but they also... Have had their own separate moments with Uzi that make them question her internally.

So that leads them to here. Sitting on Lizzy's bed, discussing both of their memories that they've gone through via replay on each other's hard drives they're exchanging. Lizzy sighs softly and plugs one into the port on Doll's neck. "Aaand there's this one. Happened a week ago, made me think a lil bit. We should have a shot, right? All that blushing can't just be nerves, hun." Lizzy theorises, Doll humming in acknowledgement.

"[We will just have to take a chance.]"

And so, the memory plays.

Lizzy saunters down the hallway after kissing her girlfriend and splitting off to go to their own separate homes, only to pause as she sees Uzi struggling to get to her locker. Yyyeeeaah, Chad kinda forced them both to swap because it's funny watching the short freak struggle. Now? Lizzy just feels pity.

Sighing, Lizzy approaches and nudges Uzi. "Yo, fr— Uzi, you need something or whatever? Lemme get it." Lizzy offers, squinting inside the locker. Is... Are those plans to make a grenade launche—

"UGH, EW, GET AWAY!!" Uzi squawks, a violet blush lighting up her visor as she shoves Lizzy away from her locker. Uzi frantically shuts the door and defends it, glaring at Lizzy bashfully. "No freaking peeking!"

Lizzy rolls her pink optics. "Jeez, alright. Anywayyys, where ya heading, hun?" She questions, idly fixing Uzi's lopsided beanie. Uzi slaps her hand away and sputters, gritting her teeth.

"NOWHERE! SHUT UP! I HATE YOUR HAIR!"

With that, Uzi storms off, violet lighting the hallway up.

Lizzy smirks.

Doll takes out the hard drive and hands her own to Lizzy. "[That is quite obvious emo girl crush behaviour. Your turn.]" Doll's brief comment earns a scoff, before Lizzy inserts the hard drive into her own port.

"Girl, it's way obvious. We totally have a shot."

Doll idly levitates some gym equipment to the higher shelves with her Solver, boredly reading off the check list the teacher gave her. Mundane tasks are something she needs to avoid, Doll supposes.

"Hey, uh, D-Doll! Hold up!"

Doll pauses and turns her head slightly, peering behind herself to see Uzi shuffling up to her. Doll smiles softly and faces Uzi, giving her full attention. "[Yes?]"

Uzi nervously kicks her boot along the linoleum, hands behind her back. Uzi clears her throat and looks up at Doll, blushing. "Y'know how we have that like, super mandatory assignment? The tally thing we gotta do?" Doll stares blankly. "Y-Y'know! Get a tally of how many people like a certain thing and I chose favourite colours, and no-one's giving me an answer, so just... What's your favourite colour?" Uzi mumbles, looking away.

Doll blinks owlishly, before shaking her head and replying. "[Blue.]"

Uzi tilts her head. "Thought it was like... Red or purple..."

Doll deadpans. "[That is my colour scheme, not my colour preference.]"

Uzi blushes heavily and scoffs at Doll. "SHUT UP!! Whatever, blue's cool, see ya, bye, don't follow me!"

.... Doll... Returns to her duties.

... Lizzy stares at Doll. "That was... Random."

Doll nods in agreement. "[Mmh, but I believe it is enough evidence. Shall we...?]" Doll trails off, gently holding Lizzy's hand lovingly. Lizzy smiles and nods, kissing Doll's lips.

"Totally. C'mon."

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Doll and Lizzy walk along the Bunker, searching for the short emo girl, which was, as usual, really easy because she's got that whole purple getup. Lizzy grins and speeds up, pulling Doll along. Surprisingly, when Uzi notices them, too, she beelines towards them, again, blushing heavily.

Before either girl could even get a WORD out, Uzi shoves a card into Lizzy's hands. The envelope is a faded blue colour, one Doll quite enjoys looking at. Lizzy tilts her head. "Uh, what's... Y'know what? After. Listen, Uzi, we kinda gotta... Tell you something. Me and Doll know we've literally harassed and bullied you and totally ruined your social life, but... We... We're sorry. And... We kinda... Y'know... Not being condescending or fake or—"

"[We both see you as a romantic interest.]" Doll interrupts, earning a glare and blush from Lizzy. Lizzy sighs and nods softly.

"... Yeah. We do."

Uzi's visor might as well be on fire. "... Open the freaking card."

Surprised, Lizzy flinches, before opening the card, sputtering at the onslaught of pink glitter. Decorated with skulls, bows and some Russian words of admiration, is a confession.

'Yo, you both are totally cool or whatever, can we go out or something?? Us 3.'

All three girls are blushing. Heavily. The silence is deafening, but soon broken by Lizzy's squeal as she yanks Lizzy into her and Doll's embrace. Lizzy peppers kisses all over Uzi's adorable face, and Doll tenderly strokes Uzi's back. Uzi's visor temporarily bluescreens, before she giggles nervously.

"S-So, I'm guessing you both... Agree, or... Am I just—"

"We agree."
"[We agree.]"

Uzi blushes at the unanimous interruption.

"... C-Cool."

Chapter Text

Lizzy rolls her eyes as she lays on Uzi's bed, watching her girlfriend and the purple freak work on something they really shouldn't be. Uzi had been discussing her stupid multiverse theory, and Doll got interested because they're both nerds. It's been hours and both are working on some weird quantum thing Lizzy's not bothered trying to comprehend. Looks like a weird... Mass of flesh and that Null stuff Doll yaps about. Buncha yellow lights. Freaky.

Suddenly, Lizzy yelps as a massive whirring noise shakes the ground, a blinding white flash literally flashbangs her. Lizzy groans dazedly before glaring at the two, only to shut her mouth as soon as she gets a good look at Uzi and Doll. Wwwow.

That's not her dorks.

This Uzi has her hoodie tied around her waist, wearing a black, oversized shirt with some purple and blue melting skulls littered on it. Uzi's shoes are the same, but on her head isn't her beanie. It's Doll's father's Ushanka. Lizzy moves onto Doll.

Doll's wearing a black and red shirt, red running up the black in a sort of gradient. Hot Topic, definitely. A Russian-looking trench coat, with Slavic lettering along both sleeves spelling out 'Uzi' on one and 'Doll' on the other. On Doll's head? Uzi's beanie. Lizzy feels sick. She's not stupid, she knows what this is.

Uzi and Doll are from a separate universe. And they're dating. Lizzy nearly gags at the concept. Doll? And the EMO FREAK?? HOW????

"Hey! Stop looking at us like we just dropped in from the dump!"

Apparently, they've both recovered and spoke to each other about what happened, well aware of the situation. Lizzy grits her teeth.

"Shut up, you little freak, I—"

"[Quiet.]" Doll's voice shuts them both up, the Russian girl irritated. Doll gives Uzi a loving nuzzle before glaring at Lizzy. "[Do not disrespect my girlfriend. Look... We... Understand why this has happened. We were messing around with spacetime, too. Foolishly... But, we can repair this. Just... Can we have a snack? We've worked hours.]" Doll politely requests, giving a little bow.

Lizzy doesn't even know what the hell to say. Doll just asked her for a snack, she dully notes, but... They're both dating. How the hell!? Lizzy absolutely hates it. She hopes these two will be outta here quick, or she'll actually start throwing things. And if she can't get HER Doll back... Well.

"Found 'em!" Uzi's voice rings out from behind Lizzy, as the short Drone holds up her pack of Double A batteries. Lizzy can't even find the energy to protest, only question.

"... How the hell are YOU two a thing??"

Uzi rolls her eyes, passing some batteries to Doll. "Ugh. And I thought we got over that question for good. Long story short, we both fought a bunch, worked on the Solver together, caught feels and boom." Uzi deadpans, doing half-hearted jazz hands.

Doll rolls her eyes. "[Well, that's five percent of the story, at least.]"

Lizzy huffs softly. "... Y'all really gotta get going. I hate seeing that stuff."

Uzi grits her teeth. "Yo, do you got something against us!? Lemme tell ya something—"

"[Knock it off.]" Doll slaps Uzi upside the head, then looks at Lizzy. "[Tell me. Are you troubled because of us being together or—]"

"Yes! Literally yes! Sorry, but... In this universe, I'm dating Doll." Lizzy scoffs, crossing her arms as she explains why she's about to punt them back through time and space.

....

....

"Pfft—"

"[Stop.]"

"Snrrk— Heheh—"

"[Be quiet.]"

Aaaand Uzi immediately collapses, bursting into a bout of laughter, slamming her fist against the floor. Doll deadpans, looking dead ahead at nothing. Lizzy is about to start throwing every single knife her Uzi has in her room at this little poser.

"HHHHAAAAA!! YOU'RE D-DATING LIZZY IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!"

Doll snarls and chucks a stray pencil at Uzi, who swiftly dodges it.

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Hours pass. Agonising hours, until the two finally manage to work the damn thing well enough to teleport right back home and, in their place, is Lizzy's Uzi and Doll. They both look satisfied with their research.

Lizzy immediately sprints towards Doll, shoving Uzi EXTREMELY hard, away from Doll, before hugging Doll tight and kissing her right on the lips. Doll's surprised, but returns the kiss happily, stroking Lizzy's back soothingly. Lizzy pulls away, panting.

"You. Stay here. Your freaking counterparts were dating and I need you to bleach that from my memory storage." Lizzy explains. Doll and Uzi immediately share a disgusted look, and Doll yanks Lizzy close before teleporting away, leaving Uzi alone.

Uzi stands alone, before she gags a little bit. Her and DOLL?? No way.

Chapter Text

Doll gently curls up into Lizzy's arms, shaking a bit. She'd fought in that battle against her very own nightmare. The thing that slashed deep into her chest and nearly tore her Core right out. It's a painful reminder of just how lucky she was to have gotten away in time, kicked the nightmare off of her waist before it could properly pin her down.

Lizzy gently strokes Doll's hair calmly, noticing her stress. Lizzy gets that Doll's extremely traumatised and on-edge from the whole ordeal, and she can't blame her. She got her chest ripped open and her Core vulnerably dangling out, all the while struggling through the cathedral to alert Uzi about the human puppet. Lizzy doubts a weaker Drone could handle the stress and trauma of that. They'd probably implode.

Lizzy sighs softly and moves to roll Doll over onto her stomach, Lizzy's head hovering over to view the massive scar that'll never, ever heal. It's impossible. Even the Solver can't do anything, that's how bad it is. The dent is so deep, Lizzy fears she's reaching inside Doll's stomach rather than touching a deep scar.

No matter. If Lizzy can't heal the wound, she'll gladly heal the mind. Noting Doll's deathly still form, Lizzy doesn't question it and keeps going for her goal. She gently presses her lips to Doll's chest, just above the scar, before trailing gentle, reverent kisses along the ruined chassis. Slow, simple, loving, just for Doll.

Doll's breath hitches at some kisses, cautious about the depth and pain that won't come. Doll shakily cards her fingers through Lizzy's blonde hair, trembling almost imperceptibly. Lizzy doesn't react to it, not wanting to startle Doll, but her own Core flutters at the gentle contact.

After a few more minutes, Lizzy decides that Doll's comfortable enough to be spoken to, along with the kisses. "Mmh, you're doing so good, Dolly... Don't gotta flinch, it's fine. And no, hun, I'm not grossed out. Shhh..." Lizzy's soothing words don't appear to do much on the outside, but Lizzy can tell Doll's loving it, by the way her trembling ebbs and her purring begins.

The rest of the night is spend in quiet bliss, Lizzy's hand resting over Doll's stomach, thumb tracing small circles along her chassis.

Chapter Text

Lizzy can already feel the floral death sentence rising to fill her throat, despite how there's no passage for it to enter and bloom. Doll had left, even when Lizzy tried to talk to her and kept trying. It makes her feel worse than the flowers. Lizzy already has lost the last of her hope, coughing up toxic petals.

Stumbling back to her housing unit, Lizzy's mouth allows petals to slip and trail behind her. Blue, gold, red, pink, green, purple, all colours. The flowers are twisting in her internals, wrapping thorned vines in her monitors and screwing up her head. So much for that flower phase back when she was 11, screw that.

... Lizzy's unable to repair her friendship (it's totally not just friendship) with Doll, is she? It's always gonna be this way and it hurts to think that she will never love her the same way Lizzy loves Doll. It hurts so bad. Getting done in by both mental and physical pain, stemming from the same source is absolutely catastrophic and Lizzy just wants it to end. She's tired. She can feel herself falling and it sickens her to know how weak her will must be if FLOWERS are gonna do it for her.

Lizzy's hand trembles as she punches in the code for her unit, before entering with a slight stagger. It seems as though Thad and her parents aren't home, because they'd totally be panicking over the whole 'sucky death by flowers' ordeal. Honestly, it's best they don't see her like this. Who'd want to?

Entering her room... Lizzy's optics hollow.

There, in Lizzy's room and sitting on her bed, is Doll. Doll looks... Unusually emotive. Her hair's all frazzled, clothing rumpled, and her posture is even worse than usual. Inbetween her index finger and thumb, is a singular red petal that Doll's practically crushing between her digits.

"[Care to tell me how long this has been going on for?]" Doll's voice is a deadly whisper, Lizzy suppressing the urge to wince.

Instead, Lizzy stumbles closer, until she collapses into Doll's arms. Just the proximity feels absolutely enthralling... Like the stems are unwinding... Lizzy tries to speak, but only manages to cough up another petal. Doll sighs and kisses the top of Lizzy's head. "[You do not need to explain, I suppose. Keep yourself out of pain. Lizzy... I am disappointed in you. You did not tell me about this disease, though... I should have read the signs.]" Doll murmurs, kissing Lizzy's cheek. Another stem fades from existing.

"[.... I was nervous. About this, us. Hesitant. I... I was a fool. I see, now. Lizzy... You cannot fathom how much I adore you, love you...]" Another stem. "[We will speak more on this at a later date. For now...]"

Doll begins peppering sweet kisses along Lizzy's jawline and just generally all over her face. With each kiss, Lizzy feels a little more at ease, the stems alleviating her from their grip, the flowers no longer asphyxiating her. Lizzy clutches Doll close.

"... Dolly... Stay with me tonight, girl. I kinda need a home remedy."

Doll smiles softly. "[I don't plan on moving for even a second, my love.]"

Chapter Text

Lizzy hums softly to herself as she walks down the hallway, school bag slung over her shoulders, ready to be catapulted at her wall until Monday because it's the weekend and Lizzy's planning on spending the entirety of it with Doll. Not like that's unusual; Doll's home is practically Lizzy's second home at this point and if people were to search for her, they'd first search Doll's house before her own. That says a lot and Lizzy's totes proud of it.

On her way past the WDF quarters, Lizzy's audial receptors pick up a certain conversation. Normally, it's about Rummy or Uno, but Lizzy feels her temperature freeze at THIS convo. Ugh, the ONE time these dweebs do their damn jobs...

"So, we all agree it's the Russian girl, right?"

"Obviously. She's got that... Vibe about her and I don't like it. Total serial killer material."

"All the dates of the disappearances hook back to the times she's been seen on security camera. Now, I don't judge kids, especially those who've lost their folks, but trauma does crazy stuff and... Well, it's worth a shot."

"Mike, you think we should make a cover story? Y'know, so we don't have to apologise or whatever for assuming she's a total psycho?"

"Yeah, actually. These are actual complaints, too; we'll just say her place smells way too... Industrial and... Grotesque."

"Big words, Mike, wow!"

"I know, right? My vocabulary list is up to about 200 now!"

"Focus, Ben, Mike. Doll, remember? Let's move out."

As soon as Lizzy hears whirring and shuffling, she quickly bolts to Doll's house. She knows exactly what she's gonna do and how she's gonna do it and yeah, it's totally a stupid plan, but there's literally no covering up what Doll's been doing if you go into her house.

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"[What are you—!?]"

"No, listen, they're gonna exile you if they come here, so I'll stand here and—"

"[You're acting—]"

"There! Oil everywhere! Careful, it's slippery."

"[I— Ngh!]"

BANG!

"DOLL!"

Lizzy winces as Doll slips in the oil and smashes her head against the floor, cracking her visor. Jeez.... Well, that works out for her, actually! More ammo against herself and this idiotic plan! Lizzy then realises the next step of her plan. Rolling her pink optics, Lizzy crouches down and begins lightly splattering oil on her clothes, fighting the urge to gag and add her own to the mix. It's so gross.

Lizzy yelps as she suddenly loses her footing and falls face first into the oily ground. Just in time for the WDF to enter Doll's quarters and gasp. Mike covers his mouth, Ben narrowing his eyes and Jake huffing.

"Care to explain this?" Jake asks, raising a digi-brow. Lizzy winces softly, trying to form a smile that comes out sheepish at best. He rolls his eyes and steps forward, putting Lizzy in hand cuffs as the other two gag at the morbid scene.

Ben cringes. "So, like... Why???"

Good question, honestly. Lizzy scrambles her CPU around to try and figure out an appropriate excuse, before nervously laughing. "I... Wanted to be the most... Popular girl in school...?"

...

...

...

All three WDF members exchange glances.

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Lizzy scoffs to herself as she sits outside, in the cold. Asbestos flutters around her, the toxic debris guaranteed to literally kill anything biological. Lizzy sighs. Great. She got exiled. Perfect. Well, whatever, at least Doll's safe and alive and whatever... Without her...

Maybe Lizzy should stop being so impulsive.

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Doll groans as she wakes up, optics flickering a bit before stabilising. She looks around and finds her apartment... Clean. There's three other guys here. Doll squints at them, before one of them addresses her. "Oh! You're up. Well, you can thank us for saving you from that psychopath just then. The popular girl? Yyyeeeaah, she tried to kill you when we were coming to due a routine check and..."

His words fade into nonsense as Doll sighs internally. Doll knows exactly what Lizzy did, the stubborn little saviour wannabe. Ugh... Without a word, Doll teleports off. Jake sighs. "Overused I Hate My Job Line."

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"[You.]"

Lizzy immediately squeals as she jolts, seeing Doll suddenly teleport right in front of her. Lizzy sheepishly grins at her very clearly unamused girlfriend. Doll rolls her eyes in annoyance. "[I know what you did. Congratulations on completely shattering your public image until further notice. As in, until I either convince or threaten them to let us both back in.]" Doll sighs, before looking at the abandoned building Lizzy took shelter in. At least she had enough sense to find some.

Lizzy saunters over to Doll and hugs her close, trying to suck up to her, but very clearly failing to do so. Lizzy huffs softly. "... Sorry, or whatever. Just... Didn't want you getting exiled or shunned." Doll gently cuddles Lizzy close, sharing temperature to avoid their servos locking up. Doll kisses Lizzy's forehead.

"[Well, you have caused both. But... I appreciate the sentiment. We'll find a way back in, okay? How about we relax for a while? I'm tired after getting my head smashed into the floor.]"

Lizzy cringes and kisses along Doll's visor. "Sorryyyy... Quick thinking."

Doll huffs. "[Try no thinking.]"

Lizzy rolls her eyes fondly. "Try kissing me."

Doll snickers. "Try it."

And Lizzy eagerly does, smashing their lips together happily. Doll purrs into the kiss and hugs Lizzy close. Even in the shittiest situations, both girls manage to find their own happiness. The consequences can be repressed and procrastinated.

Chapter Text

Everything is monochromatic. The sky, the ground, air, her friends, literally everything. Uzi pants heavily, sound feeling warped and odd in her audial receptors, but she has a clear target. Cyn's Core is held right here in her hands, the Null. It feels weird, it's warping her fingers, warping reality and there's no possible way to explain that kind of feeling. The human skin suit freak. Uzi glances back at her friends, who're standing off to the side, Lizzy a little bit closer.

Doll looks anxious, cleaver chipped at her side, scar marring her stomach but overall in okay shape. V grits her teeth as she watches Uzi, too dazed to move by the odd monochromatic state of their world. N looks like he's on the verge of either breaking down or slashing Cyn's head off again, but stays put, having virtually no other choice. Thad winces, slowly leaning away from Sparky, who's trying to slowly reach for his cap.

Uzi turns back to Cyn as she suddenly grips her wrists, melting mouth stretched open wide, bits of melting skin falling to the ground or back into Cyn's mouth, where it burns through her chassis and drops to the ground anyways. Uzi growls softly, squinting her eyes closed as she struggles with Cyn for the Core.

Cyn's mouth is right above her Core. She'll eat it and be fine again and she'll survive and come back and it won't end and—

Brain blast.

Uzi snaps her eyes open and raises the Null Core, and—

"Yo, Uzi, look what V sent me an hour ago. She put that fossil fuel freak in a headlo— Mmph!?!"

Lizzy's sudden appearance startles the hell out of Uzi, and she instantly stumbles back, tipping backwards and flailing for anything to grip onto. Uzi's hand, the one holding Cyn's Core, accidentally shoots back and slaps right against Lizzy's mouth, sending the Null straight down her throat and into her stomach.

Both Uzi and Cyn display shocked emojis on their visor, as Lizzy dry-heaves. The taste of armageddon and whatever the hell flesh should taste like is gonna be stuck with her for weeks. Eugh. Doll begins running towards Lizzy, only to yelp as the world is restored of its colour. Doll shakes off the temporary stun of the natural flashbang, before racing up to Lizzy, who's long since collapsed to the ground, all of her oil splayed out in a neat circle.

Lizzy's body suddenly begins convulsing, and Doll grimaces as her oil is sent right back into her body. Ah. So Doll doesn't have to donate half her oil (and probably all of V's) to Lizzy. She was fully prepared to do so. Doll and Thad, who's only just gotten close, help lift Lizzy up to her feet. Everyone immediately gasps as they see Lizzy's visor. One optic is pink and the other is yellow. Doll feels dread, but snarls aggressively at V, who's aiming her gun at Lizzy.

Lizzy winces at herself in her phone's camera. "Ugh, these SO do not clash together..." She mumbles, grabbing hold of Doll's arm, who's now more relaxed as Lizzy confirms She still herself. Uzi sputters wordlessly, before storming over to N and hugging him.

"I was meant to get the cool, freaky powers..." She mutters, N patting her back soothingly.

"Aww, it's okay, buddy! Maybe in the next traumatic adventure!"

V crosses her arms and walks up to Lizzy, raising a digi-brow. Then, she fist bumps her bestie. "Twinning." Lizzy immediately perks up at the realisation, Doll snarling angrily, a little bit jealous. It's quickly quelled with a kiss from Lizzy, but still...

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Everyone soon heads back to the Bunker, the planet melding back together now that it's not close to totally imploding. Doll and Lizzy are gently snuggling together in bed, Doll giving Lizzy's right optic soothing kisses whenever it flickers or Lizzy complains that it hurt. The Russian girl strokes Lizzy's stomach when Lizzy clenches, a particularly large wave of pain lancing through her.

"Giggle. Wow. I am so excited to be tethered to two lovesick mortals for the rest of your lives! Sarcastic grin."

...

Both Lizzy and Doll stare at Lizzy's new, faded gold tail, multiple eyes peering back at them. Cyn. Instantly, Doll calls upon the Solver and aims multiple knives at it, and Lizzy reaches to throttle it. Cyn ducks Lizzy's hands and hisses at Doll. "You hurt me, you hurt Lizzy!" She blurts out, a knife a nanometre away from her snout.

Doll grumbles tiredly, flopping back against the bed. Lizzy joins her, resting on her chest. Cyn sneakily slithers up to Doll, only to choke and writhe and Doll locks her hand around Cyn's makeshift neck in a death grip.

"[... Right. I haven't enacted my revenge on you for ripping my ribcage open.]"

... Cyn shrinks back.

Chapter Text

Lizzy doesn't know what the hell's going on, but she... Doesn't like it. There was a bright light and yellow stuff and other creepy things Lizzy can't really remember— It's fuzzy. But she's back in class and Uzi's presenting her stupid railgun, so Lizzy deducts that she's in a time loop. Great. She loooves SciFi stuff...

On top of being depressed that her girlfriend just freaking died, Lizzy also has to relive her life multiple times, just has to not die or she'll be sent right back here. Or Doll has to avoid dying. If Doll dies in a way that wasn't the death intended or not her original fate, Lizzy's back to the start. This freaking sucks.... But Lizzy gets an idea, her circuits having a Eureka moment. If she's back here, then... Lizzy snaps her head to the side, seeing Doll sleeping peacefully at her desk, Lizzy fighting the urge to squeal and kiss her senseless because that'd be totally weird out of context.

Alright. Okay. Lizzy has to save Doll from that fleshbag abomination. And literally everything else, anything to just guide Doll into a happy ending and get her further than what she got before. This should be easy! Uzi's done it first go, even though she has plot armour! Lizzy can get Doll though this, all she has to do is keep her from dying. Maybe even at prom... Yeaaah, Lizzy can definitely correct her behaviour back on stage with V, it'll be... Better. Lizzy can do this.

Let's go.

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Lizzy thoroughly regrets her decision on going through with all of this. It's horrible. Absolutely horrible. It wittles Lizzy down, each time Doll dies. She thought that steering Doll AWAY from danger would keep her from dying! But... This... The result is completely horrifying for her. So many times, Doll has died due to Lizzy's suggestions and interference with the original route Doll took.

Loop 1, Lizzy tried to convince Doll not to kill V and literally only made it worse for herself because Doll felt betrayed Lizzy'd even suggest it. In a fit of rage, absolute pure rage, Doll tried to teleport out of there, but ended up exploding on the spot due to too little concentration and too much emotion build-up. Would've been comical if Lizzy wasn't covered in oil.

Loop 5, Lizzy successfully got Doll through everything and explored down in the freaky lab place with her, nervous and on edge because it's so new for both of them and Doll needs to be safe. She wasn't, because a bunch of Sentinels decided to surround and flash them. Lizzy knew to cover her eyes, having known about it (Sparky, the stupid fossil) already and been subjected to it, but Doll didn't. She was mauled.

Loop 142, Doll somehow managed to fall on a piece of upwardly bent rebar and pierce her Core.

Loop 253, Alice didn't take her time and got straight to operating on Doll, having her Core pinned and dissected.

Loop 579, the fleshbag abomination killed absolutely everyone through usage of her Null, the black hole sucking in everything and causing loose bits of metal to strike everyone down one by one. Lizzy could've sworn she gave her a wink right before the shrapnel struck her Core.

Loop 892 is Lizzy's most shameful loop. She's exhausted. Right there, in class, Lizzy suddenly stood up, went over to Uzi's stupid railgun and aimed it right at herself with tired optics. It worked. Guess Uzi just had to pull the trigger earlier.

She's so tired.

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Doll's been noticing that Lizzy's more tired than usual in class today. Doll hovers around her, constantly questioning her and asking her of she'd eaten anything off or accidentally damaged some of her circuitry, but Lizzy just quietly cuddles into her chest and says she can't remember. Doll's concerned. Lizzy was just fine yesterday...

Doll can't keep this up anymore. She immediately heads to Uzi for help directly after school, and ignores the way she feels her pride taking a massive hit just by interacting with the emo girl. The only reason Uzi agreed is because she wants to pick Lizzy's brain and harass her for funsies. Doll firmly protested against it, but Uzi's insatiable.

Sitting on the bed in Lizzy's housing unit, Uzi and Doll have been relentlessly prodding Lizzy and frowning softly when all Lizzy gives in reply is a lethargic excuse. But, eventually, Lizzy snaps after a few hours of gentle (from Doll, at least) questioning. Lizzy tells them everything. The time loop, the future, Doll's original deaths, Lizzy's goal, all of Doll's other deaths and... The fact that this is Loop 1643. In the thousands....

Doll and Uzi would've doubted Lizzy, but they both know Lizzy hates SciFi stuff and doesn't even think about it. Especially not stuff about Doll dying.

"A-And I just— I can't DO it! Every single time I try, you freaking die somehow! It's like you were MEANT to! Like you don't deserve a good life!" Lizzy sobs into Doll's chest, clutching her close. "Please, just... Don't do anything for a month. Stay with me. Screw revenge, V's gonna come back anyways. Don't go into that bullshit cathedral..."

Doll and Uzi have no idea what Lizzy's on about, but... Doll kisses Lizzy's forehead as Uzi hesitantly rubs her back. Doll trembles softly, afraid for herself and Lizzy's mental health. She was always meant to die early, huh? Mmmh... Guess it runs in the family.

Doll cuddles Lizzy closer, stroking her back. "[... Okay. Yeah... I'll stay. I will not... I will not act on vengeance... I'll stay with you...]"

For the first time since countless Loops, Lizzy actually feels at ease. Lizzy smiles softly, hiccuping. "Good... I'm keeping you here for a while..."

Chapter Text

It's been a struggle, trying to get Doll (formerly Serial Designation D, but Lizzy thinks it's stupid for a living being to have a freaking letter as their name) permission to enter the Bunker. Being an intimidating, unsociable and overall deadly Disassembly Drone would turn a few heads and shut a few, or all, doors. Lizzy doesn't even know how she pulled such a hot terrifying Drone, but it's whatever. She's here, now.

Eventually, though, Doll had been interacting with the WDF enough for them to feel somewhat okay with her entering the Bunker, but with strict supervision from Lizzy. Doll nearly took Blakes head off at the mention of restriction material. Overall, though, Lizzy's happy with her completely threatening girlfriend. She doesn't really care if Doll's mean or whatever to others, coz she's sweet to her and that's all Lizzy needs.

Lying in bed with her 7 foot tall girlfriend, Lizzy cuddles into Doll's chest, fingers playing with the long, silver locks. Doll's bulb eyes stare at Lizzy contentedly, her display eyes remaining closed to display said content. If she was told she'd be cuddling with her food rather than eating it a few months ago, Doll would roll her eyes and gut whoever told her. But she'd been proven wrong. She met Lizzy out when she'd been relaxing away from the pod to avoid J's constant talk of kill quotas and JCJenson merchandise. Doll's already got her pen, she needs nothing more to talk about.

Lizzy suddenly appeared beside her and, unlike everyone else, Lizzy didn't run. She took a photo (selfie, Lizzy calls it) and smirked. 'Hot', she said, before plopping down next to her. Doll would've killed her if she didn't want to pick her brain on why she said that. She was gonna, right when Lizzy turned her back on her to leave, but... She... Wasn't hungry.

Lizzy interrupts Doll's train of thought by peppering kisses along Doll's shoulder, stroking her funnelled forearm. Doll sighs softly, coiling her tail tighter around Lizzy's waist, stinger corked to prevent any accidents. Lizzy smiles softly. "Mmh... Love you..."

Doll cracks a small smile, trailing a finger along Lizzy's side, earning a shudder. "[I love you, too...]" It's a sentence Doll used to cringe at, working up to it slowly, but she feels happier than before, now that she can bring herself to say it.

Lizzy giggles and squeezes Doll close. "Pfft. Dork. Comfortable saying sappy stuff, now~?"

Doll rolls her eyes. "[... Only when you are the only one present.]"

Lizzy hums softly in acknowledgement, curling up. Doll sighs and kisses Lizzy's forehead sweetly again. What a blessing this one is...