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“Idia come on! It’s just lunch!” He had pleaded. Idia wouldn’t budge, instead hiding deeper in the hedges of the courtyard. “C’mon Ortho! You know the normie style isn’t for me. Go have fun with the extroverts though.” Just as Ortho was flying off, Idia chimed in again. Ortho got excited thinking it had changed his mind and was going to accompany him together like brothers. Instead, it had the audacity to ask him to look for candy.
That was why Ortho was reluctantly alone in the cafeteria line. He didn’t entirely hate it, in fact it reminded him of a lot of teen movies he’d watch on tv by himself, but he wished he could experience it with his big brother. He moved forward painfully slowly, just like in movies! His feet didn’t touch the ground but he liked to pretend he was like everyone else even if he wasn’t a student like Idia, his jets hovering him lower to the ground than usual. He’d be lying if he said the occasional glances and some full on stares didn’t make him a little uncomfortable. He understood why. Of course he did, how could he ever forget? They were all living breathing people and he was a technomatic humanoid in the cafeteria line. It was fine though. He wouldn’t bother to hold onto such useless data for long term anyway! It was just noise. He silently put an apple on the tray, thoughts wandering to cutting methods. He was so focused he barely noticed the people in front of him smiling and ebbing further away. Maybe they were just like that? It was of no concern to him.
He was looking over sandwiches when he registered a voice talking to him. “Hey! Ortho, was it? Can I talk to you?” There was an amusement in his voice, the smile on his face audible before Ortho ever saw it. Oh! He recognized that one! It sounded like the vice warden of the dorm Idia was in. They’d all met briefly after the freshman orientation. They seemed curious about Ortho. He couldn’t blame him, this was a dorm for machine aficionados and techwizards, it was only natural people wanted to poke and prod and imagine taking him apart. It didn’t matter that it made him feel a little weird. He turned around with a smile, putting out a hand before even saying a word. “Vice warden! it’s-“ all of a sudden and untouched, the taller student stumbled forward, a tray of cafeteria food hitting the floor and an uncapped soft drink cup spilling all over Ortho’s front. Just like that, not a care in the world from the student who now stands before him with a smattering of red on his uniform.
“Oops! My bad…” he said with a lazy apologetic grin, hands to his side in a shrug. Ortho could barely keep up with the new wave of eyes on him, more malicious and giddy than anything he’d ever felt before. People were laughing as the red fizzy drink dribbled down his white plastic limbs and onto the floor, a small puddle of dark red pooling between them. He took one step forward and two back, flying out of line and crashing into a wall. What? He tried to steady himself but only found himself falling, his plastic shoulders scraping along the wall as he slid to his knees, a sharp crack noise coming from them.
The vice warden was walking close behind Ortho, his shadow looming over the humanoid “What’s wrong? Can’t do anything else?” The words were practically incomprehensible to Ortho and he didn’t know why. He couldn’t think of anything, couldn’t put words into motion even as his fingers clawed at the title floor. He wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was a work of scientific genius- Idia’s work. When Ortho tried to speak, instead what came out sounded more like a retch, body hunching over in pain as the soda stained his deepest insides, sparks lighting up within his fragile circuits. He was designed to be strong, capable to protect idia and himself from any monster… and yet here he was, reduced to a trembling mass on the cafeteria floor as his head swiveled and jerked on its neck, an ugly whirring sound coming from his body as he began to twitch.
WH WHA T IS
WHAT
W WH AT IS
HA HAPP ENING T TO ME?
“Hey are you listening?” A foot nudges him from behind, a usually meaningless gesture that all of a sudden sends pain and confusing alerts through his mind as the fluids are moved around, a synthetic scream tearing through his speakers as he curls tighter in on himself. The other students near by were startled by him at best, giving him a quick glance of sympathy before carrying on their way, or irritated and indifferent at worst, rolling their eyes or watching him writhe.
“Idia. Idia..” He could hardly recognize his own voice, the speaker quality sounding spiked and rough with each attempt at vocalizing. He tried to send signals to Idias phone, but found error message after error message popping up in front of his vision one after another till all he saw was red and blurring text, splotches of black staining his vision “big brother.” Everything else was numb or searing pain, the world deafened to him so all he knew was pain. He rose to his feet with great effort, his legs twitching and sparking till he was standing. He wasn’t very good at walking on his feet properly since he always hovered around Idia like the moon to his world. He vaguely registered the vice warden crouching down to look at him. Ortho couldn’t see his face through the haze of red and his video which was on the fritz, the world occasionally flickering to a black screen. How could he let this happen? What did he do wrong.
He didn’t even do it on purpose when the engines in his legs started with a violent coughing hack, puffs of smoke and steam leaving the bottom before he was roughly shot like a pinball, his entire body being ripped away from the wall and slamming into the dorm's vice warden. The scream was loud enough for ortho’s mic to pick up on, for better or for worse. “Are you crazy!? Get off of me!” That was a lot easier said than done seeing as all Ortho could do was shake uncontrollably, head snapping at odd angles as his limbs were trying to all move at once like a spider that didn’t know what to do with all its legs.
…
Professor Crewel stormed over to the circle of students with a scowl, not appreciating his one moment of respite being interrupted by cries from other students of a fight. “You know how I feel about disorderly pups.. What's all this!” The students practically ran away from him as he drew near, people grabbing their friends and moving back to their tables. What he was met with at the middle of all was a disheveled and wide eyed vice house warden and… something he wasn’t quite sure how to describe. His brows furrowed as he looked down at the decidedly human shaped figure but he jumped back when its head spun around to look back at him.
It sparked from the neck a few times before falling back down into the red puddle on the floor like a puppet with cut strings, the white on the body already starting to turn shades of pink and red. Before he could open his mouth and yell, he was interrupted by a shout. He was going to lecture whoever had the audacity to add more work to his plate when Idia Shroud ran past him, dropping to his knees on the wet floor and quickly scampering to the convulsing machine. “Ortho!? Oh no, no, no, no- Ortho! what happened to you!??” The freshman looked devastated in ways that made something in Crewel feel almost... uncomfortable. Tears were in his eyes as he wrapped its arms around Ortho tightly, causing the smaller one to shake wildly, legs kicking at nothing and splashing the flat soda more. The vice warden stumbled to his feet and approached Crewel with a hateful glare and stains of red all over his uniform. “Did you see that? That- that faulty waste of magitech jumped me!”
Before crewel could edge a word in he was cut off again by a puppy. If he wasn’t so startled by the horrible, mournful sobbing that left his students blue lips he would’ve told him off right then and there. “He’s not a waste! He’s my brother- you- you probably deserved it! What did you do to him!?!” It was crackling with grief in ways Crewel wasn’t used to seeing in someone so young. He struck the counter loud and clear, silencing both students save for the cries coming from the shrouds. “Both of you can explain yourselves in the headmage’s office! “ he looked back down to the broken doll, the way the breathing shroud was wide eyed and so lost on the cafeteria with red soda on his white shirt and hands as he cradled the jerking body. Crewel turned away from him, not wanting to see it anymore. “After you fix that.. your brother. Then I expect to see you in the office this INSTANT.!”
…
The dorm workshop was dark. So dark.. most would barely be able to see. There was one light turned on with most of the rooms illumination coming from the blue flames atop either shrouds head. The floor was scattered with limb parts and tools, Idia’s beloved hoodie strewn across the floor with red coating the edges. Orthos exterior was dry but the stains of red and the cracks in his arms persisted like a waking nightmare. His body moved out of control with angry snaps and the creak of metal, sparks flying out and burning idia who was clinging to the broken body like he was the only thing he could. “I’m so, so sorry- so sorry. I-I was stupid. I was-“
the tears wouldn’t stop no matter how much it pained the little part of Ortho still trying to see through to his objectives. Idia wailed like it’d never stop again, hot wet tears striking the exposed machinery. “Im sorry, im sorry” they would sob.
Idia couldn’t speak as his hands fell from around Ortho’s arms and held his face instead. That’s where the card was.. his memories. If Idia could just.. get it back-
Memories kept flooding his mind like a combo he couldn’t dodge. He was back in that hallway, his body wet with blood even though he couldn’t remember the specifics. Even if he couldn’t have heard Ortho scream, he could now with every sizzle and pop of the circuit boards in his beloved baby brother's chest. The crying and sputtering was too real, too life-like. Idia thought the worst had passed and it was safe to try and open his skull once more. They’d shakily brought their hands to his face when, with no warning, Ortho started to writhe. Or maybe writhe wasn’t the right word, it was a violent shake and kick, arms flailing that knocked them them both over and onto the cold floor with a shriek from Idia as the sharp, cracked body swung at it “ORTHO WAIT-”
……
Dire Crowley rubbed the sides of his head with a sigh. “Idia shroud.. you know i’ve been very lenient with you and your…” he looked over at Ortho who was standing behind Idia’s chair in a new body, one modeled after a lab coat not that unlike the kind idia wore for alchemy. He had been quiet since he’d been transferred out of his archetype gear, the energy he usually had was nowhere to be seen. “Support humanoid-” “He’s my brother.” Idia corrected with glare, pulling the oversized hoodie around himself tighter. Ortho glanced down at his big brother, the faintest slip of bloody bandages visible before vanishing under the tug of the sleeve. This was his fault.
His memory was damaged and spotty but he knew he was to blame for his brother's pain. Dire Crowley seemed apprehensive and disbelieving if the hesitance in his voice was any hint. “Right… yes, well regardless, this little scuffle in the cafeteria was quite the scene but, for some reason, Professor Crewel said I should let you all off with warnings.”
The vice warden stood up abruptly, anger in his eyes as he pointed at Ortho and shouted. “Are you kidding me? That-“ the way he looked at Ortho made him feel small and insignificant, not that unlike a defective prototype. “that thing shouldn’t be allowed anywhere outside of a workshop, let alone near people! It’s an accident waiting to happen!” The blue hair that’s been tucked inside Idia’s hood quickly bled into a startling red, wild flames creeping further as the temperature in the room quickly rose. “You take that back you incompetent-“ “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Both Ignihyde students were silenced with the slam of Crowley's hands on the desk, an exasperated sigh leaving him as his shoulders slumped forward. “I’ve heard multiple recounts of the situation and all I can say is it was just an accident and you should both just return as you were, I won't be punishing you. Is that clear?” Ortho tilted his head to the side. The glare was sharper than the knives and cutters idia used during maintenance. He looked away quickly. Neither of them seemed happy with Crowley's decision but they wouldn’t argue, shuffling out of the office in silence. The vice warden was returning to a group of fellow juniors who all muttered amongst each others while watching the shrouds. Idia pulled his hood further over his face and hair. It made ortho feel something seeing him so ashamed. He wasn’t sure what, though…
Once they were out of sight to the older students, Idia awkwardly wiggled it’s hand into ortho’s, tugging him closer to the ground as they leaned on him. “I-it’s not your fault, you know that r-right? Whatever happened, they deserved it.” …that’s right. He never got the chance to explain himself to Idia. They were in such a rush to change gears and get to the office that it had been put to the back of his log. Ortho looked at the ground passing under him, a cold white hand in Idia’s warm brown palm. He could feel Idia squeezing it, soft at first but than shaky and tighter. If he could feel, it’d probably hurt. His head slowly swiveled to look down at Idia and he put on a smile, brown lips curling into a practiced smile he used to spend nights working on. “Of course. What would I do without you? Let's hurry back to the dorm, I think we should change your bandages soon.“ Ortho wished he could kick himself when Idia’s lips twitched into a frown, half lidded eyes looking away from the mask that obscured ortho’s own as if he couldn’t find what he was looking for, whatever it was. “Oh, okay.. yeah you’re right. I, uhm, have some things i need to do first though, is that okay? I’ll rest after.”
“Of course.”
…..
It was nearing 12 AM when Idia decided it was time for bed. This was quite early all things considered, but Ortho supposed the drain of the day was stronger than usual. That was fine. They’d be fine. He very gingerly dabbed at the fresh red wound. His best was not enough. It never was. Idia would wince and suck in a breath every time the washcloth touched the cuts that decorated it’s arm and chest, a real scar caused by Ortho’s imperfections. How could he let this happen? He hurt his brother, his creator. He was a failure.
“I’m sorry, idia.” Ortho almost didn’t recognize his own voice. The soft and broken quality wasn’t at all like what he practiced. But it was too late to take back. “I didn’t mean to…” he dropped the cloth in the little bucket on the floor and picked up the bandages he’d set aside, carefully wrapping up every sliver of red. He wondered if Idia hated him until it chimed up “I know. I.. I know..Don’t worry about it, big brother Idia can handle anything! And I'll show those normies.. they won't boss us around!” it rubbed at its eyes with its free hand when it yawned.. hm, the only hand not needing to be cleaned and patched up. At least Ortho didn’t ruin everything.
Ortho pinned the last slip of gauze into place and stepped back, hands held in tight fists at his side. “There. All done for tonight.” Idia gave him a crooked smile that felt much nicer to him than his own, in the humanoids mind. It gave ortho a silly thumbs up as it slowly crawled under the blanket, careful not to move the bandages too much. “Thanks, Ortho.. you’re the best.” And then the lights were off, save for their own hair and the faint illumination of Ortho’s charging station. You’re the best, huh? After everything? After he’d hurt his precious big brother? It felt like a joke. Ortho was walking to his recharge station when something caught his attention. Idia left it’s notebook open. He glanced at idia hesitantly before approaching the desk. Idia must’ve been quite exhausted because its hair was already turning a smokey gray, almost black like a dormant volcano, as sleep took him. That was a good sign to Ortho who began to take a little peak. Just a small one! It was a design.. the archetype gear.. this one had notes all around it. Changes to be made, errors to be fixed.. materials to be changed. ‘Needs to be safer to be around… I can’t let this happen again.’ Was that it? He was a danger to be around.. wasn’t everyone? Anyone? Anyone could be dangerous- this was a school of mages! He wanted to get mad- wanted to go back to the headmages office and scream that the vice warden hurt him, tell him of how other students were dismissive and willfully ignoring his cruelty, demand to be given a chair too for once when pulled away for talks, tell them it's not fair he was in trouble for being hurt and that he deserved better.
Instead, he looked over once more to the steady rise and fall of Idia’s shoulders as he took its pen and in careful script added a few neat lines of writing. ’Waterproof the gear’. He closed the little notebook and set the pen down. Tomorrow would be better. Idia would be better. They would be better. He stepped into the blue light of his stand and watched the bedroom fade into inky blackness that he was drowned in..
Technomatic humanoid Ortho, powering down. .